Materials Selection Policy

Morley Library Materials Selection Policy

The objective of Morley Library is to select, organize, preserve, and to make freely and easily available to all people of the community, printed and non-print materials, within the limitations of space and budget, which will aid them in the pursuit of life-long learning, information, research, recreation, and in the creative use of leisure time. The goal of the library is the maximum use of its collection by the greatest number of persons.

Our Users include people of all ages, all economic and education levels, and from many different racial, religious, and ethnic groups. Among this diverse population there is an extremely wide range of viewpoints, values, interests, and occupations. The policy of Morley Library is to provide materials for all different types of Users. In this effort, we provide materials old and new, classic and ephemeral, orthodox and unorthodox, in many media, including several forms of print, video and recordings.

I. Authority and Responsibility for the Maintenance of Library Collections

This Materials Selection Policy has been established by the Board of Trustees, who in turn have entrusted the authority of materials selection to the Director. The Director may designate certain members of the Library Staff to be responsible for certain subject areas of the library’s collection. It is the proper function of librarians to select and discard library materials and to advise on their use. They are fitted for this task through training and experience. However, they must of necessity work within limitations of space and budget. And, although they try to inform themselves as well as possible, they must also work within limitations of knowledge. Selection and withdrawal processes are, therefore, cooperative, and we welcome advice and suggestions from members of the community, trustees, or authorities in various fields. Librarians, however, are responsible for judging the needs of their collections and their communities, and they must make the final choices.

II. Selection Guidelines

In its selection, the Library follows the basic Intellectual Freedom policies of the American Library Association as presented in the Library Bill of Rights, the Free Access to Libraries for Minors interpretation of the Bill of Rights, and the Freedom to Read Statement. These documents may be found in the Appendix.

Materials selection means that from the thousands of items available, professionally trained librarians will select those titles that, in their judgment, will be of greatest value, interest and use for the community, both today and in years to come. Supporting their judgment will be professional reviews and criticisms appearing both in general mass-audience periodicals and in specialized library review sources. Factors which may affect the acquisition of particular items include content, authority of author or publisher, effectiveness of presentation, current interest in the subject, and space and funds available.

III. Weeding and Replacement

The ‘weeding” of library materials is a continuous process, and a necessary one if the collection is to remain vital to the needs of library patrons. Library materials may be weeded for any of the following reasons:

1. They contain out-of-date or obsolete information.
2. They are in poor physical condition
3. There is little or no demand for them, as evidenced by low circulation.
4. They are of little value compared to other items of comparable nature in the collection.

Materials withdrawn due to loss, damage, or wear may not always be replaced. Replacement is based on several factors:

1. The number of duplicate copies in the collection.
2. Whether a title is still available.
3. Adequate coverage of a topic in the collection through other materials.
4. Availability of better, more up-to-date materials on a topic.
5. Cost.

Weeded or discarded materials will be given to the Friends of Morley Library for their book sales. Discarded materials may also be given to other educational or charitable institutions. Those materials that are badly worn, defaced, obsolete, or of no educational, informational, or recreational value will be destroyed.

IV. Gifts

Gifts of books and other materials are welcome, with the understanding that they may be used or disposed of as the library sees fit. The decision to include gift materials in the Library collection will be based on the following considerations:

1. Whether they meet the Library’s basic standards for selection.
2. Whether the physical condition is satisfactory.
3. Whether the collection needs replacement or additional copies of a title.
4. The costs of processing.
5. The availability of shelving space.

The monetary appraisal of gifts to the Library for tax purposes is the responsibility of
the donor.

V. Citizen’s Request for Reconsideration of Library Material

The Morley Library Board of Trustees and staff realize that the library, acting to serve all residents of the community, will add materials to its collection that may be deemed controversial. For this reason, we have developed a Citizen’s Request for Reconsideration of Library Material form to aid the public in any criticism of library materials.

Click Here for the Request Form

Adopted by the Morley Library Board of Trustees, February 21, 2007