Board of Trustees

COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY

1. MISSION

The Cozard Memorial Library is committed to enriching the lives of all ages through informational, educational, and recreational materials, programs, exhibits, and various media needed for the benefit and progress of our community, our patrons, and our guests, while providing a safe and welcoming learning environment to all.

1. PURPOSE OF A SELECTION POLICY

A written policy assists the staff in developing a useful, well-rounded collection of materials that will meet the needs of all patrons.  It also helps answer questions posed by the public regarding the presence or absence of certain materials and the criteria by which they have been chosen.

1. OBJECTIVES IN MATERIALS SELECTION.

The main objectives of The Cozard Memorial Library is provide service to the people within the library’s service area.  This includes, but is not limited to individuals and groups of all ages, educational backgrounds, personal philosophy or religious beliefs, occupations, economic level, ethnic origin and human condition.

By assisting to fulfill their educational, informational, and recreational needs, the library assists its patrons in keeping up with current changes, making education a life-long process, continually educate themselves, becoming better members of their families and communities, becoming socially and politically aware, and being more capable in their occupations. The library also helps patrons develop their creative abilities and extend their spiritual capacities, appreciate and enjoy literature and works of art, contribute to the overall expanse of knowledge, and stimulate their own personal and social well-being.

• RESPONSIBILITY FOR MATERIALS SELECTION.

Ultimate responsibility for the selection of all library materials rests with the library board of trustees. They, in turn, delegate this responsibility to the library director, who as the professionally trained librarian, is educated and experienced in the art of material selection.

1. METHOD OF MATERIALS SELECTION.

      The person(s) included in the selection process must always exercise their knowledge and experience of all library materials and of the community served. Certain methods and principles should be followed as closely as possible.

1. Criteria.

                  Each type of material is judged on its own merit and with concern for its intended audience.  All items must meet one or more of the following criteria:

1. Appeals to the interests and needs of individuals in the community
2. Permanent value as source material
3. Vitality and originality of though
4. Artistic excellence
5. Entertaining presentation
6. Accuracy and objectivity
7. Suitability of physical form
8. Skill and competence of the author
9. Relation to other areas of the collection
10. Technical quality

Any items that are as considered obscene material as defined in the South Dakota Codified Law 22-24-27(11) will not be chosen for our collection.

1. Reviews.

Reviews in professional library and general interest periodicals are a primary source for materials selection. Standard bibliographies, booklists by recognized authorities and the advice of competent people in specific subject areas will be used. The use of best sellers’ lists shall be considered a guide to, but not a requirement for purchase.

1. Requests.

We welcome requests from our users and all such items will be considered using the same criteria listed above.  All requests from patrons for specific titles or subject will be considered. The fact that a patron has requested a title is no guarantee, however, that any work will be purchased. Budget constraints, requirements in other areas, and other factors must be considered. Duplication of titles will be considered where warranted. If it is possible to obtain the desired materials via inter-library loan, an effort will always be made to do so, in the absence of intention to purchase. Whenever there is enough demand or interest in a title, an item with unfavorable reviews may be purchased.

1. Specialized Materials.

            Specialized materials of limited community interest will not ordinarily be purchased. Referral to other library collections and inter-library loan will be used to supply patrons with these materials. Supplementary materials for students and information for specialists are provided in a limited number of fields. The library avoids unnecessary duplication in subject areas which are the special prerogative of other community resources.

The library acquires textbooks and other curriculum related materials only when such materials serve the general public.

The library acknowledges a particular interest in local and state history; therefore, it will seek to acquire state and municipal public documents, and it will take a broad view of works by and about South Dakota authors, as well as general works relating to the state of South Dakota, whether or not such materials meet the standards of selection in other respects. However, the library is not under any obligation to add to its collection everything about South Dakota or produced by authors, printers or publishers with South Dakota connections if it does not seem to be in the public interest to do so.

1. Gift.

            Unconditional gifts, donations, and contributions to the library may be accepted. The director shall refer unusual requests to the library board for in-put or some other appropriate action.

            Generally, collections of books will not be accepted with restrictions which necessitate special housing, or which prevent to the library of the gift into the general library collection.

            The same standards of selection will govern the acceptance of gifts as govern purchase by the library. If material is useful but not needed, it may be disposed of at the discretion of the director.

1. MAINTAINING THE COLLECTION.

Systematic withdrawal of materials no longer useful is necessary in order to maintain relevant resources. The same criteria will be used in weeding materials from the collection as are used in their acquisition. The decision to withdraw library material as determined by the last date of loan or by number of loans in the last five years, age of the material as a misinformation factor, or for an equally valid reason.

VII.  ACCESS.

Processing and shelving of materials shall in no way reflect a value of judgement of the materials. There shall be no labeling of any item or of its catalog cards to indicate its point of view or bias. All materials will be shelved in their proper order on open shelves, freely and easily accessible to the public.

In accordance with the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, Freedom to Read, and Freedom to View Statements The library adheres to the principle of free and open access to its entire collection without any restriction based on age. As such, it opposes any limitation which has the effect of deny certain library materials and services to minors. A single library card will be distributed to all patrons, regardless of age.

The library supports parents as they alone may restrict their children from access to library materials and services. The library does not restrict access to any area of the collection based on age.

VIII. INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM.

The selection of library materials is predicated on the library patron’s right to read and similarly, his freedom from censorship by others. Selection for this library will not, however, be made on the basis of anticipated approval or disapproval, but solely on the merits of the material in relation to the building of the collection and to serving the interests of the reader. This library holds censorship to be a purely individual matter and declares that while anyone is free to reject for himself/herself books and other materials of which he/she does not approve he/she cannot exercise the right of censorship to restrict the freedom of others.

Access to a limited number of materials may be controlled because of their extreme rarity, poor physical condition, or the likelihood of theft due to price.

The library will reconsider any material in its collection upon written request by a patron that has read the material in its entirety. Such requests must be filled on a form for that purpose and submitted to the library director. The director will consider the request and render an opinion. A written response will be mailed to the person requesting reconsideration no more than two weeks from date of request. Matters not successfully resolved in this manner will be forwarded to the library board which will review the request in light of the library’s materials selection policy, and render a final decision. In any case, the board will be notified via the monthly director’s report of any instances whereby a written request has been filed and the status of same. Implicit throughout the entire review process is the necessity of treating the patron’s request with respect with respect, and by so doing, resolve the issue with the greatest amount of understanding of the positions involved.

1. REVISION.

This policy will be reviewed and revised by the library board as needed.

August 3, 1981   Adopted.

July 6, 1988         First revision.

May 6, 1996        Second revision.

Dec 17, 2024       Third revision.