Complaints about Materials

                                              Procedure for Complaints about Materials

The Union County Library System supports the principles of intellectual freedom inherent in the First
Amendment of the Constitution of the United States and expressed in the ALA Library Bill of Rights. It is the
policy of the library system to treat all complaints concerning materials in a uniform manner. In the event that
materials are questioned, the principles of intellectual freedom, the right to access materials, and the integrity
of the librarian must be defended.

A complaint is any formal or informal criticism of any part of the library’s collection. Library materials are any
part of the library’s collection, print or non-print. If a complaint is made, the following procedures shall be
followed:

                                                                        Procedure:

1.      Staff member receiving the complaint should listen attentively and respectfully to all complaints while
trying to calm the situation. All complaints should be referred to the director.

2.      The Director will listen attentively and respectfully to all complaints while trying to calm the situation. If
the patron is not satisfied with a verbal complaint, the policies and procedures for questioning materials
should be explained and the proper complaint form should be completed by the patron.

3.      The Director will consider the complaint, read reviews of said material, read the material, consider
usage and respond to the patron in writing.

4.      If the patron is not satisfied, the Board of Trustees will study the complaint and respond in writing to the
patron.

5.      If necessary a review committee will be appointed by the Board of Trustees for further review of the
challenged material. The committee will consist of:

        -Board of Trustees member

        -Friend of the Library

        -Director

        -Randomly chosen library patron

        -Board of Supervisors member

The director will inform the complainant in writing of the final decision made by the review committee.

All notifications should take place with in 2 weeks of the initiated action.

The following considerations should be made when reviewing challenged materials at any level:

         -read, view or listen to the material in its entirety

         -check general acceptance of the material by reading reviews and consulting recommended lists

         -determine the extent to which the material supports the selection policy

         -judge material for its strength and value as a whole and not in part

BACK