Collection Development

Principles of Intellectual Freedom

The Library supports the principles of intellectual freedom, protected by the Constitution of the United States, as expressed in the Freedom to Read Statement and the Library Bill of Rights adopted by the American Library Association. The Library therefore grants the right of all individuals to seek and receive information from all points of view, without restriction, even those ideas which might be highly controversial or offensive to others.

Responsibility for Selection of Materials

  1. The Librarian is ultimately responsible for the selection of books and other Library resources. In his/her selections, the Librarian will utilize professional judgment and expertise, knowledge and understanding of the community’s needs and requests, familiarity with authors and publishers, professional reviewing media, standard book lists and recommendations from professional journals.
  2. The Library welcomes suggestions and requests from its users. All suggestions and requests will receive careful consideration in terms of overall objectives and the existing book collection.

Guidelines for Selection of Materials

  1. The New Haven Community Library will strive to develop and maintain a well-balanced collection of both current and permanent value. Books and other Library resources such as periodicals, newspapers, pamphlets, audio and video recordings, and computer software will be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the Library serves. Materials will not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
  2. In the selection of books and materials the Librarian will keep in mind any special interests within the community, especially local history, and will attempt to keep as broad a selection as possible on these subjects. The Librarian will continually evaluate the Library’s resources and holdings and will attempt to provide materials on a wide range of subjects in order to maintain a well balanced collection for children, young adults, adults, and those with special needs. A special effort will be made to include materials dealing with Vermont and material by Vermont authors.
  3. The Library will attempt to include within the collection materials presenting several points of view on current and historical issues with no exclusion due to the race or nationality or the social, political, or religious views of the author. It is understood that the Librarian, Board of Trustees, and Library staff need not endorse every idea or presentation contained in the materials that the Library makes available.
  4. The Library will be responsive to the educational needs of the community’s students but the Librarian will not acquire textbooks or other curriculum related materials unless they will be of general interest to the public. The only technical books acquired will be those considered useful to the layman.

Gifts

The New Haven Community Library always welcomes gifts of books, new or used, and other materials, but may not be able to accept every item offered because of space limitations. The Library also welcomes memorial and monetary gifts. Thoughtfulness of past donors has greatly contributed to the enhancement of the Library. In keeping with its mission and goals, the Library will handle gifts in the following way:

  1. Books and other materials will be given careful consideration before they are added to the collection. If it is determined that the materials are not currently needed for the library’s collection, they will disposed of at the discretion of the librarian.
  2. For those who wish to make memorial gifts of books or other materials, the Librarian should be able to provide suggestions of items compatible with the Library’s objectives.
  3. In the case of monetary gifts, prospective donors are urged to consult with the Librarian and the Board of Trustees so that current and long-range needs of the Library expressed in the statement of mission and goals will be considered.

Weeding, Withdrawal, and Disposal of Materials

Materials which are no longer useful in the light of the stated mission and policy of the Library will be systematically removed from the collection by the Librarian according to professional practices and using the appropriate tools such as the Wilson Public Library Catalog and the Fiction Catalog. Books in poor condition will also be removed and discarded, rebound or replaced depending on the costs involved and their importance to the collection.

Availability of Materials for People with Disabilities

The Library staff will be aware of the availability of materials for people with disabilities through the Department of Libraries Special Services Unit, and will inform town residents about them. The Library carries the Special Services Unit’s Large Print books. Other material and equipment will be procured as the need arises.

Procedure for Review of Selections

Patrons objecting to Library materials will be given a copy of the Collection Development Policy and will be asked to complete and submit a Statement of Concern; the form should be submitted to the Librarian for consideration. If the complainant is not satisfied with the Librarian’s decision, the Board of Trustees will review the challenged material and make a final judgment.