Collection Development & Maintenance Policy

Purpose
The Boulder Junction Public Library provides all people in the community with carefully selected materials to aid in the pursuit of education, information, research, and pleasure.

The library recognizes its responsibility to have available a representative selection of materials on subjects of interest to its users. The library takes no sides on public issues; does not attempt to promote any beliefs or points of view; nor does it endorse the opinions expressed in the materials held. The library provides a variety of materials, within the limitations of space, budget, and availability, to enable people to make their own decisions.

The Library Board considers all materials selected under this policy to be constitutionally protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. If a patron claims a particular item is not constitutionally protected, the burden of proof rests with the patron.

Once an item has been added to the collection it will not be removed at the request of anyone who disagrees with the content or format unless it can be proved it is in violation of the Collection Development and Maintenance Policy.

The Boulder Junction Public Library endorses the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights (Appendix B) and Freedom to Read Statements (Appendix C) which affirm free and convenient access to ideas, information, and the creative experience is of vital importance to every citizen today.

Responsibility for Selection:
The ultimate responsibility for selection of library materials rests with the Library Director who operates within the framework of the policies determined by the Boulder Junction Public Library Board of Trustees. This responsibility may be shared with other members of the library staff; however, the Library Director has the final authority over selection.

Criteria for Selection:
The Library Director will consider the following criteria during selection process:
1. Popular demand/appeal
2. Favorable reviews in standard library reviewing sources such as Library Journal, Booklist, etc.
3. Patron recommendations or requests
4. Appropriateness and relevancy of material to the library’s users
5. The whole of the work, not a portion taken out of context
6. Existing library holdings
7. Existing Northern Waters Library Network holdings
8. Budget and space limitations
9. Artistic or scholarly merit of material

The lack of a review or an unfavorable review shall not be the sole reason for rejecting a title which is in demand. Consideration is, therefore, given to requests from library patrons and books discussed on public media. Materials are judged on the basis of the work as a whole, not on a part taken out of context.

Interlibrary Loan
Because of limited budget and space, the library cannot provide all requested materials. Therefore, interlibrary loan is used to obtain from other libraries those materials beyond the scope of this library's collection.

In return for utilizing interlibrary loan to satisfy the needs of our patrons, the Boulder Junction Public Library agrees to lend its materials to other libraries through the same interlibrary loan network, and to ensure that current holdings are made available in the Northern Waters Library Network Catalog.

Gifts and Donations
The Boulder Junction Public Library gladly accepts donations of money or materials that will improve library services for our community. Gifts are accepted by the Library Director and become library property.

The library accepts books or material donations with the understanding they will be considered for addition to the collection only if appropriate and needed. If they are not needed because of duplication, condition, or dated information the Library Director can dispose of them as they see fit. The same criteria of selection which are applied to purchased materials are applied to gifts.

Memorial gifts of books or monies to purchase new items are accepted. Recognition will be placed inside the materials indicating the donor’s and/or honored individual’s names. If memorial material becomes unacceptable for library purposes, as stated in the Collection Development and Maintenance policy, the Library Director will remove and/or replace the item with appropriate materials.

The library encourages and appreciates donations; however, due to our limited space we cannot accept:
• Reader’s Digest Condensed books
• Encyclopedias
• Back issues of monthly or quarterly magazines older than 6 months
• Back issues of weekly magazines more than 3 months
• Textbooks
• VHS or audiobooks on cassette
• Newspapers
• Any damaged materials, including those exposed to mold, water, or smoke

In case of capital equipment, acceptance of donations is up to the discretion of the Board of Trustees.

Under laws created by the IRS, the library and its employees are prohibited from attaching a monetary value or giving an appraisal to a gift-in-kind because the institution is considered an interested party. The library can provide an acknowledgment of receipt of the items if requested by the donor.

Collection Maintenance (Weeding):
An up-to-date, attractive, and useful collection will be maintained through a continual withdrawal and replacement process. Replacement of volumes is dependent upon current demand, usefulness, more recent acquisitions, and availability of newer editions.

The ongoing process of weeding the collection is the responsibility of the Library Director and is authorized by the Board of Trustees. Weeding should be done on a continual, rotating basis to ensure all areas of the collection are weeded at least every five years. Withdrawn materials will be handled in a similar manner and under the same authority as donated materials

Criteria for weeding materials may include:
1. Physical condition beyond repair
2. Obsolescence of information or presentation
3. Replacement by later edition or version
4. Excess number of duplicate copies
5. Lack of storage space for materials
6. Insufficient use

 


Adopted July 2001
Revised November 2008
Revised November 2020
Revised December 2023