HomeMy WebLinkAbout24-005 Adopting a Collection Development Library Policy for the City of Port Townsend Public LibraryResolution 24-005
RESOLUTION NO. 24-005
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND,
WASHINGTON, ADOPTING A COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT LIBRARY POLICY
FOR THE CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND PUBLIC LIBRARY
WHEREAS, The City of Port Townsend Public Library's Collection Development
Policy was last updated in 2017; and,
WHEREAS, after consultation with staff, the Library Advisory Board, staff recommends
updating the policy; and,
WHEREAS, the proposed update supports the mission, vision and core values of the
City of Port Townsend Public Library. will guide the staff in the development and management
of the collection, and will inform the public of the principles used to develop and maintain the
Library Collection.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Port
Townsend as follows:
1. the City Council adopts the Collection Development for the City of Port Townsend
Public Library in substantially the same form as at Exhibit A.
2. the City Manager and Library Director will review the Policy as needed.
ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Port Townsend at a regular meeting
thereof, held this 4th day of March, 2024.
David J. 1. �tbr
Mayor
Attest.
N
odri s ..................W
City Clerk
Collection Development Library Policy
City of Port Townsend Public Library
Purpose
The Collection Development Policy supports the mission, vision, and core values of the City of Port
Townsend Public Library (PTPL). The policy provides direction on the procurement and provision of
library materials that reflect the ever -evolving needs and interests of the communities served by PTPL
and inform members of the community about the principles used to select and manage the collection.
This policy will be reviewed on a periodic basis.
Intellectual Freedom
The PTPL is committed to intellectual freedom and unrestricted access to information. The PTPL's
collections are organized and maintained to facilitate access. Librarians employ objective professional
judgment through selection, cataloging, classification, and readers' services to make available the
information that library patrons want or need. Cataloging decisions, labels, or ratings applied in an
attempt to restrict or discourage access to materials or to suggest moral or doctrinal endorsement is a
violation of the First Amendment and Library Bill of Rights. The PTPL cultivates a collection representing
a variety of viewpoints for all ages, backgrounds, and opinions. The existence of a particular viewpoint in
the collection is an expression of the PTPL's commitment to intellectual freedom not an endorsement of
that point of view.
The Port Townsend Public Library upholds the principles documented in the:
• Arnerican Library As5
• Freedom to Read Statement''
• Freedom to View Statement
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• Access to Librale 0Ql.. and Services for MiMnors'
... ........._, _....... _...µ. can Library
Association
• Code of Ethics of the Art�ea i w_ ,,,�
• Core Values,. LGj�r r�aw� l�ep to can l�kv
Principles of PTPL Collection Development
PTPL provides a diverse collection of materials, in a variety of formats and languages, for all
ages, responsive to the needs and interests of the community within its budgetary and space
limitations.
In order to support an informed public, the collections represent a variety of viewpoints from
diverse sources. Selection of materials by the PTPL does not indicate an endorsement of the
contents or views expressed in those materials.
• The PTPL provides open and equal access to library collections to all patrons.
• PTPL staff anticipates and actively reaches out to the community to ascertain the needs and
interests of the public and also considers customer requests for materials.
• The PTPL helps preserve and share our community's history.
• When possible, the PTPL purchases some digital collections with consortiums. This includes the
Washington Anytime Library for eBooks and eAudiobooks and the Cooperative Libraries of the
Eastern Olympics (C.L.E.O.) for databases. Consortium level purchasing helps to expand the
collection budget through economies of scale procurement. The PTPL strives to add digital
collections in conjunction with demand, cost, and availability.
• The PTPL believes that a high-quality library collection must be kept up-to-date by judicious
oversight, removing outdated and worn-out items, while preserving, and when necessary and
possible, replacing, classics and items of lasting value.
• The PTPL considers reading, viewing and listening to be individual matters. While any patron is
free to select or reject materials for themselves or their own minor children, the freedom of
other PTPL patrons to read or inquire will not be restricted. The PTPL would never presume to
usurp the role of the parent. Only parents and guardians have the right and responsibility to
guide the reading, viewing and listening choices of their own minor children. The PTPL does not
stand in the place of parents (in loco parentis.)
Responsibility
This policy is periodically reviewed and revised by the library staff with the advice and recommendations
of the Library Advisory Board and approved by the Port Townsend City Council. The Library Director and
the Director's qualified designees are responsible for collection development and management.
On a day-to-day basis, the policy is administered by the Library Managers and implemented by the
professional staff. The professional staff selects and maintains materials in areas assigned to them by
their supervisors.
Selection of Materials
The PTPL emphasizes breadth over depth, unabridged over abridged, and general treatments over
specialized, scholarly and professional treatments.
Because technologies for sound, image, and electronic delivery of information continue to evolve, the
PTPL will monitor and evaluate new formats, implementing them when appropriate and discarding
obsolete formats when necessary.
No single set of criteria can be applied in all cases. Some resources may be selected based on their
artistic merit or scholarship while others are selected based on the recreational interests of the
community. The criteria for selecting fiction, nonfiction, and electronic media will vary. Materials are
selected as a whole rather than on particular passages. Materials for the regular and special collections
are selected based on measures outlined in the Library's Collection Development Guidelines.
Collection Maintenance
The PTPL's material selectors are responsible for decisions regarding weeding, repair, and replacement
in their area of the collection. Proper maintenance of the collection provides our patrons with what they
need and expect: useful, current materials in good physical condition. Discarded materials are handled
as allowed by law per RC „39.33,070,
Request for Library Materials
Patrons may make requests, and the PTPL will consider either borrowing the item from another library
(Interlibrary Loan) or purchasing the item for the collection. Some items may not be available. Requests
that are purchased are subject to the same collection development criteria as any other work.
"Gifts" Donated Items
The PTPL welcomes donations of books and other materials and accepts monetary contributions toward
the purchase of materials. The PTPL reserves the right to decide the disposition of all gifts received. Gifts
added to the PTPL's collection become the property of the PTPL and will be placed where most
appropriate. Material not added to the PTPL's collection may be sold by the Friends of the Port
Townsend Library. The proceeds from material sales are used by the Friends to support our mission.
Material selection and collection maintenance will follow the general practices of the PTPL's collection
development policies.
Request for Withdrawal or Addition of Library Materials
The PTPL believes in information for all and does not practice censorship. A patron questioning material
in the collection is encouraged to talk to library staff about the material. Patrons who are residents of
the City of Port Townsend may submit a Request for Reconsideration or Addition of Library Material
Form for material that the patron considers objectionable or to request materials be added to the
collection. A procedure is in place for handling such requests. Materials under reconsideration/addition
will remain available to patrons until a determination has been made. Only one Request for
Reconsideration/Addition per title is allowed. The Library Director or the Director's designee will
respond with a written decision within 30-60 days of receiving a completed Request for
Reconsideration/Addition Form.
Cited American Library Association Documents
1 "Library Bill of Rights", American Library Association, June 30, 2006.
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill (Accessed December 5, 2017)
Document ID: 669fd6a3-8939-3e54-7577-996aOa3f8952
" "The Freedom to Read Statement", American Library Association, July 26, 2006.
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomreadstatement (Accessed December 5, 2017)
Document ID: aaac95d4-2988-0024-6573-10a5ce6b21b2
"I "Freedom to View Statement", American Library Association, May 29, 2007.
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomviewstatement (Accessed December 5, 2017)
Document ID: 95444382-9c6c-e904-0962-be3aa96cdb5a
'v "Access to Library Resources and Services for Minors", American Library Association, July 26, 2006.
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybi 11/interpretations/access-libra ry-resou rces-for-minors
(Accessed December 5, 2017)
Document ID: 65e2fO33-21cO-d724-f166-6a6defOdcd4e
"Professional Ethics", American Library Association, January 22, 2008.
http://www.ala.org/tools/ethics (Accessed December 5, 2017)
v' "Core Values of Librarianship", American Library Association, July 26, 2006.
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/corevalues (Accessed December 5, 2017)
Document ID: 33390955-19bO-2164-9dOd-07dfe5ec5O4e