Knowledge Base: Library Policies

PURPOSE

The library must employ a policy of selectivity in acquisition which recognizes the informational, cultural, educational, and recreational needs of the Town of Morinville and the library patrons. The library recognizes that the community encompasses a wide range of ages, interests, educational levels, format preferences, and interpretive skills and seeks to maintain a basic circulating collection chosen to answer general interest requests from the community.

In most cases, the selection of highly technical or specialized materials is beyond the scope of the collection.

POLICY

While the library welcomes suggestions for purchase:

1. 1. 1. all suggestions shall be considered in light of the general criteria for selection, and the final decision rests with the library. A suggestion does not automatically translate into an actual purchase;
      2. all materials, whether donated or purchased, shall be examined and evaluated in terms of the standards which follow. Items need not meet all the criteria to be acceptable, but each shall be considered:
         1. popular appeal and readability
         2. price
         3. importance of the subject matter to the existing collection
         4. scarcity of material on the subject
         5. suitability of physical format for library use
         6. quality of writing
         7. reputation and significance of the author
         8. timelines or pertinence of the book
         1. reputation and standards of the publisher
         10. demand for the material by the patrons
         11. favorable attention from reviewers and critics
         50. budgetary and space priorities
         1000. Canadian or local content/significance

1. 1. 3. the library collection shall include fiction and non-fiction books, paperbacks, periodicals, and reference material as well as audio visual material;
         1. Hardcover books shall generally be selected when the item is expected to occupy a relatively permanent position in the collection, or when the item is available only in this format.
         2. Paperback books shall generally be selected to meet heavy but temporary demand for a given title, to provide materials in a less expensive format, or when the item is only available in this format.
         3. Periodicals shall be selected to supplement the book collection with up-to-date information on a variety of topics, to supply information not available in books and to provide recreational reading in a popular format.
      4. materials in languages other than English shall be added to the collection to reflect the needs of the community;
      5. materials withdrawn because of loss, damage or wear shall not be replaced automatically;

The need for replacement in each case shall be considered in relation to several factors:

1. 1. 1. 1. duplicate copies already in the library
         2. sufficient coverage of the field already in the collection
         3. availability of the book
         4. more recent, better material on the same subject
         5. demand for that title or subject etc.
         6. part of a series