COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY
Criteria for Selection
Selection of books or other library material shall be made on the basis of their value of interest, information, and
enlightenment of all people of the community. This implies the necessity for the library’s collection to contain various
opinions expressed on important or controversial questions, including unpopular or unorthodox positions. Pseudo-
scholarly productions containing misinformation will not be added, however, no book or library material of meaningful,
factual or historical value, as determined through professional investigation, shall be excluded because of the race,
nationality, or political or social views of the author. Subscribing as it does to the Library Bill of Rights, the library
must resist efforts of groups to deny access to other members of the community or to force inclusion or exclusion of
material representing political, economic, moral, religious or other vested positions. The Director and Board of
Trustees will uphold the principle that censorship is largely an individual matter and declares that while anyone is free
to reject for oneself books and materials that do not meet the individual’s approval, one cannot exercise this right of
censorship to restrict the freedom to read of others. Again, no attempt is made to govern, in any way, reading
selections made by library patrons. In the case of minors, the responsibility for the individual child’s reading material
belongs to the parent.
Guidelines for Evaluation and Selection of Library Resources
-Materials must be relevant to today’s world, reflecting problems, aspirations, attitudes, and ideals of society
-Materials must be needed and of value to the collection
-Materials must be representative of differing viewpoints on controversial subjects
-Materials must be representative of artistic, historic and literary qualities or significance of author or producer
-Materials must be clear and accurate with the scope of text or audiovisual presentation appropriate to the needs of
the users
-Materials must be of quality format and value, commensurate with cost and/or need
-Materials must provide a stimulus to creativity
Graphic Novel Collection Development Policy
The Union County Library develops a graphic novel collection of core and popular titles that serve the informational
and recreational interests of children, young adults, and adults. Graphic novels have gained literary acceptance as a
new medium through which a combination of text and sequential art are used to tell a story. The library collects
graphic novels in English. Library customers should be aware that graphic novels translated from other languages
may reflect cultural differences.
The library strives to choose graphic novels that serve a wide age range of audiences, but it is the responsibility of
parents or adult caregivers to determine which materials are appropriate for their children. Graphic novels are
chosen from professional reviews in publications such as Library Journal, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly,
and Booklist, recognized online sources, award lists, and bibliographies. Customer requests are also considered
when choosing titles for the collection.
Audiovisual Collection Development Policy
The primary objective of the Union County Library System’s audiovisual collection is to serve the informational,
educational and recreational needs of our patrons through a well-defined, carefully-selected core of materials which
complements our print materials and which meets two major criteria: quality and community interest. Realizing that in
some instances these two criteria may be mutually exclusive, the library opts for quality and allows the local retail
stores to provide materials of questionable quality but unquestionable popularity. However, serious consideration is
given to patron requests for popular material that also meets our selection criteria.
In keeping with our support of the Library Bill of Rights, the Union County Library System applies the same standards
of non-censorship to audiovisual materials as to print and other non-print materials.
Criteria for Selection
The selection of audiovisual materials for the Union County Library System is delegated to the director. The same
guidelines, criteria and procedure are followed for selecting audiovisual material as with print material as well as the
following additional criteria:
-Authoritativeness
-Technical quality
-Appropriateness - the material/medium should be appropriate for the age level served
-Cost - the cost of the material should be consistent with the value of the material to the entire collection
-Medium - the hardware requirements should be accessible to a significant number of community residents
Also, the director must be aware of the rapidly changing technology in audiovisual services and, when necessary,
attempt to adjust the library’s selection accordingly
Types of Audiovisual Materials Acquired
1. Audiotapes
The audiotape collection of the Union County Library System is composed of instructional materials and books-on-
tape. The library will select both abridged and unabridged versions of books-on-tape based on reviews
2. Compact Discs
Compact discs represent a growing market for books-on-tape and instructional materials. As patron demand shifts
from cassette tapes to compact discs, the library will respond accordingly.
3. Videotapes
A diversified collection of videotapes for private, home viewing comprises the majority of the Union County Library
System’s video collection. This collection is composed of both non-theatrical and feature films.
A. Non-theatrical videos
Included in the non-theatrical videotape collection are informational, instructional, cultural and recreational materials.
These videos are purchased with the intent of providing enrichment materials for the patrons.
B. Feature films
The feature film collection is intended to be culturally enriching and entertaining.
Both classic titles and contemporary feature films are considered for purchase. Classic titles are purchased for their
historical and artistic merit as well as their entertainment value. Contemporary titles are evaluated for quality of film-
making and performance and for their entertainment value.
Films in high demand will be considered for purchase if the director determines the films to meet the library’s
selection criteria.
C. Public performance videos
Because of copyright restrictions and a generally more prohibitive cost, fewer public performance videos are added
to the video collection. Those which are selected are evaluated against the established selection criteria, particularly
their potential for community use.
Weeding or Deselection
Weeding is an important element of collection development vital to the maintenance of active library collections of
current interest to users. An active schedule of weeding should be followed to ensure well-balanced collections in
their most attractive and useful conditions. Periodic weeding accomplishes several goals among which are more
relevant, accurate collections, additional shelf space due to elimination of “shelf sitters”, and awareness of weak
points and gaps in collections. Both print and non-print materials should be reviewed and evaluated at regular
intervals to determine if they are to remain in the current collection. This final step in the selection process ensures
the library collection will contain materials that are factual and instructionally effective; useless materials are to be
discarded. The librarian should consider space, budget, curriculum, and user needs when deciding how much and
how often to weed. The librarian will decide how to best dispose of discarded materials in accordance with local,
state and federal laws.
Criteria for Deselection
Physical condition of the material-torn, soiled, or worn; pages or parts missing.
Material that has not circulated in a considerable length of time (3 years generally) and is not listed in a standard
reviewing source such as Public Library Catalog or Children’s Catalog
Currency-material containing inaccurate, outdated information or no longer relevant to current times; illustrations are
outmoded or perpetuate gender, racial, or cultural stereotypes.
Material that has been revised and superseded by later editions.
Technical quality-non-print materials with poor visuals, faded or off color visuals, faulty or inferior sound
reproductions.
Multiple copies of titles no longer in demand.
Short-lived topics-the item is faddish and no longer of interest.
Ask: is the material factually accurate; is the material worn beyond repair; is the the material relevant to the needs
and interests of our community.
Some information should not be discarded even though it meets one or more of the criteria listed. An item should
NOT be discarded if:
It is a work of historical significance in the field of literature.
It has unusual illustrations or the illustrations are by a well-known artist.
It is a work by a local author or illustrator.
It describes local history or personalities
It is the only material available on a particular subject – given the information remains accurate
It is a memorial gift
Replacement of Materials
The decision to replace materials is made after the director has weighed a variety of factors including but not limited
to:
Demand for the title
Number of copies owned by the library
Current coverage of the subject in the library
Availability of more current or better materials on the subject