[SECTION D- COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT] Nevada Public Library
Section D - Collection Management
Collection Management Policy
Citizen's Request for Consideration of Purchase
Library Bill of Rights
Freedom to Read Statement
Citizen's Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials
Adult Collection Development Policy
Electronic Reference Materials
Gifts
Statement of Appraisal of Gifts and Legal Titles
Government Documents
Multi Media Collection Development
Sale of Materials Policy
The library collection includes over:
12,500 fiction/non-fiction books for adults
11,000 fiction/non-fiction books for children and teens
1,600 Local History and Genealogy resources
400 audiobooks for all ages
1,000 DVD and VHS movies for all ages
And Subscriptions to 28 periodicals (magazines and newspapers)
In 2001, the library applied for and received a $50,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation to build a computer lab. There are 23 public access computers with high speed internet
connection, 8 staff computers, and free Wi-Fi available. All internet is filtered via MoreNet NetSweeper
in compliance with CIPA regulations.
The library subscribes annually to the Missouri Library consortium- Missouri Libraries 2 Go. This
collection contains over 10,000 downloadable e-books and audiobooks that patrons are able to
download to their personal devices via the library website for free.
The library is a member of the MoreNet group. Online resources are available to journals, magazines,
and test preparation.
[SECTION D- COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT] Nevada Public Library
Collection Management Policy
Statement of Purpose:
The Nevada Public Library recognizes that, for many residents of Nevada, the public library serves as
the primary resource for information access. The library actively integrates information and referral
services, various interlibrary loan functions and collection management to provide the most efficient
and timely delivery of information services.
Philosophy of Collection Management:
Central to the Nevada Public Library’s Collection Management Policy are the Library Bill of Rights and
the Intellectual Freedom to Read Statement as adopted by the Council of the American Library
Association. Materials, for the purposes of this policy, shall be defined as all print and non-print
materials selected by the library for public use.
The Nevada Public Library, governed by this policy and specified collection management procedures,
shall select recreational and informational materials within the constraints of existing budget and
physical limitations. The library will not attempt to collect either the most ephemeral of popular
materials or the most esoteric of research documents.
Selectively concentrated subject collections have been established in the Cedar-Vernon County
Genealogy Collection, specializing in historical and genealogical information.
Exhaustive collections designed to service the patron engaged in serious and extensive research are
considered to be the province of the academic and special libraries in the area and are available by
request through ILL.
Professionally adequate information management also requires the timely removal of materials from
the Nevada Public Library collection which have become dated or are for other reasons no longer
considered suitable for retention. The removal of items from the collection shall be governed by this
policy through the application of established collection management procedures. The disposition of
library materials which have been removed on the basis of accepted professional practices shall be at
the discretion of the Director.
Responsibility for Collection Management:
The responsibility for assisting in the selection of library materials belongs to every member of the
staff. The ultimate responsibility for materials selection rests with the Director who operates within the
framework of policies determined by the Board of Trustees.
The general public also has certain rights and responsibilities concerning the collections of the Nevada
Public Library. Residents of the county may recommend specific titles for purchase by completing a
written request for purchase form. Similarly, residents may request the reconsideration of a title by
completing a written complaint form. Copies of both forms are appended to this policy and are
available to the public upon request. Citizen requests for either purchase or removal shall be given
careful consideration. The library will uniformly apply the standards and selection criteria developed in
this policy and implemented through established procedures during any such review.
The Nevada Public Library is mindful of parental concern over the questions of suitability of reading
matter for children and young adults. The library has established criteria and procedures for the
general selection of materials for children and young adults; however, parents are the most capable
judges concerning the contents of material and the reading and comprehension levels of their children.
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As a result, the library considers that the responsibility for those materials which individual children
select must rest with the child’s parents or legal guardians.
Donations are accepted by the Nevada Public Library and are governed by the Collection Management
Gift Policy as outlined in the policy manual.
Library Bill of Rights
The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following
basic policies should guide their services.
I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of
the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those
contributing to their creation.
II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues.
Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and
enlightenment.
IV. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free
access to ideas.
V. A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.
VI. Libraries that make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities
available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.
Adopted June 19, 1939, by the ALA Council; amended October 14, 1944; June 18, 1948; February 2, 1961; June 27, 1967;
January 23, 1980; inclusion of “age” reaffirmed January 23, 1996.
A history of the Library Bill of Rights is found in the latest edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual.
The Freedom to Read Statement
The freedom to read is essential to our democracy. It is continuously under attack. Private groups and public authorities in
various parts of the country are working to remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to
label "controversial" views, to distribute lists of "objectionable" books or authors, and to purge libraries. These actions
apparently rise from a view that our national tradition of free expression is no longer valid; that censorship and
suppression are needed to counter threats to safety or national security, as well as to avoid the subversion of politics and
the corruption of morals. We, as individuals devoted to reading and as librarians and publishers responsible for
disseminating ideas, wish to assert the public interest in the preservation of the freedom to read.
Most attempts at suppression rest on a denial of the fundamental premise of democracy: that the ordinary individual, by
exercising critical judgment, will select the good and reject the bad. We trust Americans to recognize propaganda and
misinformation, and to make their own decisions about what they read and believe. We do not believe they are prepared to
sacrifice their heritage of a free press in order to be "protected" against what others think may be bad for them. We believe
they still favor free enterprise in ideas and expression.
These efforts at suppression are related to a larger pattern of pressures being brought against education, the press, art and
images, films, broadcast media, and the Internet. The problem is not only one of actual censorship. The shadow of fear
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cast by these pressures leads, we suspect, to an even larger voluntary curtailment of expression by those who seek to avoid
controversy or unwelcome scrutiny by government officials.
Such pressure toward conformity is perhaps natural to a time of accelerated change. And yet suppression is never more
dangerous than in such a time of social tension. Freedom has given the United States the elasticity to endure strain.
Freedom keeps open the path of novel and creative solutions, and enables change to come by choice. Every silencing of a
heresy, every enforcement of an orthodoxy, diminishes the toughness and resilience of our society and leaves it the less
able to deal with controversy and difference.
Now as always in our history, reading is among our greatest freedoms. The freedom to read and write is almost the only
means for making generally available ideas or manners of expression that can initially command only a small audience.
The written word is the natural medium for the new idea and the untried voice from which come the original contributions
to social growth. It is essential to the extended discussion that serious thought requires, and to the accumulation of
knowledge and ideas into organized collections.
We believe that free communication is essential to the preservation of a free society and a creative culture. We believe that
these pressures toward conformity present the danger of limiting the range and variety of inquiry and expression on which
our democracy and our culture depend. We believe that every American community must jealously guard the freedom to
publish and to circulate, in order to preserve its own freedom to read. We believe that publishers and librarians have a
profound responsibility to give validity to that freedom to read by making it possible for the readers to choose freely from
a variety of offerings.
The freedom to read is guaranteed by the Constitution. Those with faith in free people will stand firm on these
constitutional guarantees of essential rights and will exercise the responsibilities that accompany these rights.
We therefore affirm these propositions:
1.
It is in the public interest for publishers and librarians to make available the widest diversity of views and
expressions, including those that are unorthodox, unpopular, or considered dangerous by the majority.
Creative thought is by definition new, and what is new is different. The bearer of every new thought is a rebel
until that idea is refined and tested. Totalitarian systems attempt to maintain themselves in power by the ruthless
suppression of any concept that challenges the established orthodoxy. The power of a democratic system to adapt
to change is vastly strengthened by the freedom of its citizens to choose widely from among conflicting opinions
offered freely to them. To stifle every nonconformist idea at birth would mark the end of the democratic process.
Furthermore, only through the constant activity of weighing and selecting can the democratic mind attain the
strength demanded by times like these. We need to know not only what we believe but why we believe it.
2.
Publishers, librarians, and booksellers do not need to endorse every idea or presentation they make available. It
would conflict with the public interest for them to establish their own political, moral, or aesthetic views as a
standard for determining what should be published or circulated.
Publishers and librarians serve the educational process by helping to make available knowledge and ideas
required for the growth of the mind and the increase of learning. They do not foster education by imposing as
mentors the patterns of their own thought. The people should have the freedom to read and consider a broader
range of ideas than those that may be held by any single librarian or publisher or government or church. It is
wrong that what one can read should be confined to what another thinks proper.
3.
It is contrary to the public interest for publishers or librarians to bar access to writings on the basis of the
personal history or political affiliations of the author.
No art or literature can flourish if it is to be measured by the political views or private lives of its creators. No
society of free people can flourish that draws up lists of writers to whom it will not listen, whatever they may
have to say.
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4.
There is no place in our society for efforts to coerce the taste of others, to confine adults to the reading matter
deemed suitable for adolescents, or to inhibit the efforts of writers to achieve artistic expression.
To some, much of modern expression is shocking. But is not much of life itself shocking? We cut off literature at
the source if we prevent writers from dealing with the stuff of life. Parents and teachers have a responsibility to
prepare the young to meet the diversity of experiences in life to which they will be exposed, as they have a
responsibility to help them learn to think critically for themselves. These are affirmative responsibilities, not to
be discharged simply by preventing them from reading works for which they are not yet prepared. In these
matters values differ, and values cannot be legislated; nor can machinery be devised that will suit the demands of
one group without limiting the freedom of others.
5.
It is not in the public interest to force a reader to accept the prejudgment of a label characterizing any
expression or its author as subversive or dangerous.
The ideal of labeling presupposes the existence of individuals or groups with wisdom to determine by authority
what is good or bad for others. It presupposes that individuals must be directed in making up their minds about
the ideas they examine. But Americans do not need others to do their thinking for them.
6.
It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians, as guardians of the people's freedom to read, to contest
encroachments upon that freedom by individuals or groups seeking to impose their own standards or tastes
upon the community at large; and by the government whenever it seeks to reduce or deny public access to
public information.
It is inevitable in the give and take of the democratic process that the political, the moral, or the aesthetic
concepts of an individual or group will occasionally collide with those of another individual or group. In a free
society individuals are free to determine for themselves what they wish to read, and each group is free to
determine what it will recommend to its freely associated members. But no group has the right to take the law
into its own hands, and to impose its own concept of politics or morality upon other members of a democratic
society. Freedom is no freedom if it is accorded only to the accepted and the inoffensive. Further, democratic
societies are more safe, free, and creative when the free flow of public information is not restricted by
governmental prerogative or self-censorship.
7.
It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians to give full meaning to the freedom to read by providing books
that enrich the quality and diversity of thought and expression. By the exercise of this affirmative responsibility,
they can demonstrate that the answer to a "bad" book is a good one, the answer to a "bad" idea is a good one.
The freedom to read is of little consequence when the reader cannot obtain matter fit for that reader's purpose.
What is needed is not only the absence of restraint, but the positive provision of opportunity for the people to
read the best that has been thought and said. Books are the major channel by which the intellectual inheritance is
handed down, and the principal means of its testing and growth. The defense of the freedom to read requires of
all publishers and librarians the utmost of their faculties, and deserves of all Americans the fullest of their
support.
We state these propositions neither lightly nor as easy generalizations. We here stake out a lofty claim for the value of the
written word. We do so because we believe that it is possessed of enormous variety and usefulness, worthy of cherishing
and keeping free. We realize that the application of these propositions may mean the dissemination of ideas and manners
of expression that are repugnant to many persons. We do not state these propositions in the comfortable belief that what
people read is unimportant. We believe rather that what people read is deeply important; that ideas can be dangerous; but
that the suppression of ideas is fatal to a democratic society. Freedom itself is a dangerous way of life, but it is ours.
This statement was originally issued in May of 1953 by the Westchester Conference of the American Library Association
and the American Book Publishers Council, which in 1970 consolidated with the American Educational Publishers
Institute to become the Association of American Publishers.
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Adopted June 25, 1953, by the ALA Council and the AAP Freedom to Read Committee; amended January 28, 1972;
January 16, 1991; July 12, 2000; June 30, 2004.
A Joint Statement by:
American Library Association
Association of American Publishers
Adult Collection Development
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND THE LIBRARY’S MISSION
LIBRARY MISSION STATEMENT:
The Nevada Public Library’s Mission is to provide excellent and economical public library services to
residents of Nevada. Special emphasis shall be given to three areas: providing information services to
residents, children’s services, and popular appeal or timely value of library materials.
ADULT COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT RELATED TO MISSION STATEMENT
The Adult Collection Management Policy is the foundation upon which the library builds and maintains
an adult materials collection to carry out its mission.
A major component of public library service in the United States has traditionally been to make
accessible the information and ideas needed to sustain an effective democratic society. Recognizing
this societal responsibility and mandate, NPL has as a major goal to select, organize, maintain, and
make available a quality collection of significant, reliable, and relevant materials in a broad subject
range.
The library will also continue its tradition of supplying materials which foster a lifetime love of both
reading and learning, and those which provide a base for its information / referral services for county
residents, agencies, and businesses.
Mindful of the rapid and volatile nature of technological change, the library will try to supply materials
and services to prepare its citizens for the future, as well as to transmit the heritage of the past. It will
serve as a gateway to the ever-expanding, dynamic global electronic network of information sources.
The NPL will actively work to expand its resources by cooperating with other institutions through
interlibrary loan, computer networking, and referral services programs.
In its collections, the library will strive to have both recreational and informational materials of diverse
viewpoints and will consider the purchase of less popular as well as more popular items. However, it
will develop retrospective and in-depth collections only in areas of recognized need or interest which
are neither the responsibility of another societal agency (such as the school or church) nor within the
province of a specific organization or business.
In striving to achieve these goals, the library will work within budget constraints and the spatial
limitations of its physical plant.
PHYSICAL PLANT AND BRANCH TYPE DESCRIPTIONS
The library is comprised of the main branch only.
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THE ADULT MATERIALS COLLECTION
The NPL will purchase and make available the following types of materials to comprise its adult
collection:
Printed Material
Books, both circulating and reference
Periodicals, including magazines and newspapers
Electronic Media
Online tools and services, including periodicals and downloadable files
Compact disc products
Audiovisual Materials
Audiocassettes
Compact discs
Microforms
Videos
PHILOSOPHY OF COLLECTION MANAGEMENT
ACCESSIBILITY
Central to the philosophy of the library are the standards contained in the following documents of the
American Library Association:
The Library Bill of Rights
The Freedom to Read Statement
These documents provide for open access to the entirety of the library collections by all age groups.
Children are not restricted to particular areas of the library building or shelves. The responsibility for
borrowing or use of materials by a juvenile rests with the parent(s) or legal guardian(s), not with the
library staff; however, community standards, as well as federal, state or local laws, may mandate
some limited access, such as videos.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR COLLECTION MANAGEMENT
The ultimate responsibility for the contents of the collection rests with the library director, operating
within the framework of this and other policies as determined by the library’s board of trustees.
The adult services librarian and/or children’s librarian may assign to specific individuals or groups the
task of compiling orders for a given category of materials. These orders will be evaluated by the
director before being submitted for purchase.
Various staff members may be asked to participate in the selection process in their areas of
specialization and expertise.
Residents are encouraged to recommend titles to consider for purchase on the form provided for this
purpose, available at the circulation desk. Individuals or organizations known for subject expertise
may be asked to assist by recommending titles for purchase as needed and to assist with weeding.
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CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
In considering which materials to place in the library, an attempt will be made to provide a diversity of
viewpoints in all areas, including political, social, and religious. The library’s selectors will not
automatically include or exclude an item based solely on any of the following criteria:

Race, religion, nationality, or political views of the author;

Frankness or coarseness of language;

Controversial nature of the item;

Endorsement or disapproval of an item by any individual or organization in
the community.
Each item will be judged on the basis of its overall content and style, not on the basis of any isolated
or random portion.
Ideally, all publications in all media should be available to everyone. Because all libraries are limited
by budget and space, it is necessary to establish qualitative and quantitative standards to assist in the
evaluation of materials to be purchased or accepted as donations.
Some criteria for selection of materials may include:
1. Significance of subject matter (for nonfiction only)
2. Accuracy, quality, authenticity (for nonfiction only)
3. Sufficiency of scope (for nonfiction only)
4. Presentation of diverse viewpoints (for nonfiction only)
5. Current interest or relevance
6. Acceptability of format
7. Effectiveness of presentation
8. Inclusion of title in standard bibliographies or indexes
9. Expressed or anticipated patron demand
10. Favorable reviews in professional or popular media
11. Scope and depth of present collection
12. Consideration of the collection development plan by subject
13. Continuation of a series already held
Selection tools may include the following:
1. The preview service provided by the primary library vendor
2. Professional review media, such as Publishers Weekly , Library Journal, and
Booklist
3. Popular media, including newspapers, magazines, and broadcast programs
4. Subject bibliographies chosen by specialists, including persons from local
organizations
CRITERIA FOR REPLACEMENT
Non-repairable damaged items, missing items (those 6 months or more overdue), and items lost and
paid for by patrons should be evaluated for possible replacement, based upon the factors listed below:
1. Currency (for nonfiction only)
2. Need for material in the subject area
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3. Popularity of item
4. Status as a classic on standard lists
MATERIALS NOT COLLECTED
The NPL does not attempt to provide exhaustive collections for the serious researcher; these are
considered to be the province of the academic and special libraries, and ILL should be utilized.
Also excluded from consideration are items which require long-term usage in excess of the library’s
normal loan period, and those materials which should be in school or academic libraries, including:
1. Textbooks
2. Curriculum-related items
3. Professional materials, except for library and information science
4. Those of interest only to one specific group
5. Highly technical items
Some of these excluded items might be purchased if nothing else is available on a needed subject.
They also may be in the collection as donations, which are governed by the Collection Management
Gift Policy.
RENTAL PLANS
There are no plans to reinstate a rental plan at this time. KC Large Print was used in the past,
however, the usage did not support the expense.
MAINTENANCE, WEEDING AND REDISTRIBUTION
In order to maintain a current and appealing collection, evaluation of materials must be done on a
continuing basis.
MAINTENANCE
All materials in the collection need occasional refurbishing. Staff will perform this on a
continuing basis as they observe problems. Staff does much of the minor repair work.
More seriously damaged materials still of value to the library and able to be repaired are
placed in a designated area, where a trained staff member repairs them using supplies made
expressly for the purpose.
Some items can be repaired only by rebinding. Since rebinding is an expensive process, it will
be limited to those items whose:
1. Gutter margins are wide enough to permit rebinding
2. Replacement costs (if still in print) would exceed binding costs
3. Contents will not soon be outdated/replaced
WEEDING
When damaged materials cannot be repaired or rebound, they must be discarded, or
"weeded." In addition, professional collection management dictates the timely removal of
materials from the collection for other reasons.
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Criteria for Weeding
The decision to weed will be made on an individual, item-by-item basis, using the
following criteria:

Physical condition is beyond reasonable repair

Library has an excess number of duplicate copies

Edition is superseded

Material is outdated

Material is not suitable for collection, as defined in other sections of this
policy (some items may be redistributed to other organizations as noted in
section C below)

Material is not being used or checked out (this is a consideration but not the
only factor)
Besides aiding in the retention of a current and appealing collection, weeding
facilitates effective use of available space and helps define categories in which
additional material is needed. A systematic assessment of both the circulation and
reference collections for weeding purposes will be done on an annual basis. Periodicals
will also be reviewed each year for retention or weeding when the next year’s list is
compiled.
The removal of materials on this basis will be guided by established collection
management procedures. The disposition of materials which have been removed on
the basis of accepted professional practices will be at the discretion of the director.
Criteria for Retaining Seldom Used Materials:
1. Local author, setting, or topic
2. Unique and/or out-of-print subject matter
3. Famous illustrator or unique/unusual illustrations or photographs
4. Prize winner
5. Analyzed in standard index
6. Considered primary source material in its subject
7. Part of a series that is retained
8. Reflects the mores of a particular time and place
Withdrawal and Disposal of Weeded Materials
Materials that have been weeded will be disposed of by redistribution or recycling.
REDISTRIBUTION
The director will selectively redistribute items. Redistribution will be based on:
1. Anticipated usage
2. Collection balance
3. Spatial considerations
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COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT
Collection development is divided into separate budget categories.
o
o
o
o
o
o
Adult material
Children/Teen materials
DVDs
Periodicals/Serials
E-books/ Downloadable Files
Internet Subscriptions
BESTSELLER LISTS
A current list of best-selling books will be posted each week for the public. Holdings within the library
system will be noted for reserve usage.
SELECTION TOOLS
Pre-selection of popular books from at least one pre-publication journal is done by staff.
Basic review journals and media may also be utilized.
REQUESTS FOR PURCHASE
The NPL recognizes the need for a diverse book collection to satisfy the needs of its patrons. Any
library patron may make a suggestion for consideration of a book to be purchased and included in the
library collection. Such requests for purchase will be submitted on form, included at the back of this
policy, and will be considered by the director or collection services staff.
RESERVED MATERIALS AND REQUESTS
A library patron may submit a request to reserve any item in the library’s circulating collection.
No more than five reserve requests will be held for a particular title before an additional copy will be
purchased by the library. If multiple requests are held, sufficient copies will be purchased to fill the
number of requests in a timely manner.
RECONSIDERATION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS
Patrons can request that the library consider removing an item that has been purchased for patron
use.
Form, "Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials", will be available at the circulation desk. The
director will explain the library’s decision to the patron. If there is no resolution, the matter will be
passed from the director to the Board of Trustees, which is the only body authorized to remove the
material.
GIFTS AND DONATIONS
The library welcomes donations of materials and funds to purchase materials. Donors are encouraged
to place as few restrictions as possible on these gifts to allow the most effective use of the donation by
the library system.
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Donations of funds for the purchase of specific materials are accepted with the approval of the library
director.
Gifts of materials become the property of the library and are accepted with the understanding that
they are subject to the same selection criteria applied to purchased materials. Determination of
housing, processing, and access to donated materials rests with the library, as does the discard of
those materials and/or donations to the ongoing book sales.
Acknowledgment of gifts for tax records will be provided, but appraisal of the value of donated items
is not made.
TEST BOOKS
The library purchases a large variety of test books and videos for the public to check out. There is a
constant demand for many of these and the loss factor is quite high for some.
Due to the enormous turn-over of certain test books (i.e., GED, ACT, ASVAB, and SAT), the library
will:
a.
b.
Keep multiple copies in circulation, one copy in reference, one video copy where possible
(the reference copy would be restricted to in-house use only)
Refer customers to local book store, i.e. Cavener’s, for purchase.
ADULT BASIC EDUCATION MATERIALS
The NPL recognizes the need for materials for adults learning to read. The library will provide both
fiction and nonfiction materials at several reading levels. These materials will be classified as ABE or
Adult Basic Education.
LARGE PRINT MATERIALS
The library purchases numerous large print books for use by the visually impaired or physically
handicapped. Large print books are selected based on community interest and availability. The large
print collection includes both fiction and nonfiction materials.
The basic collection in the library will contain general fiction and bestsellers, mysteries, westerns,
science fiction, and nonfiction books. Special considerations are:
1. The collection contains a variety of styles and topics
2. The collection is primarily fiction with an emphasis on genre fiction
3. The patron demand becomes more contemporary as the older population
stays more active.
Gifts
The Nevada Public Library will accept gifts of either materials or financial endowments. Financial
endowment gifts may be made either directly to the library for collection development or to the
Nevada Public Library Foundation. Financial gifts which are intended for the purchase of specific items,
subject areas, or are in other ways designated, should be negotiated through the director.
Gifts of specific items such as books, audio-visual materials, periodicals and other materials shall be
accepted by the Library. These materials shall be subject to the same procedural consideration that is
utilized when considering an item for purchase. Specific donations shall be considered with the explicit
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understanding that such factors as physical condition of the material, duplication of material, lack of
community interest, processing costs, or inadequate space may prevent the addition or permanent
retention of an item in the collection. The Nevada Public Library accepts material donations with the
understanding that any material that the library cannot use may be discarded following accepted
practices and established procedures.
While it is generally not the practice of the Nevada Public Library to accept any material with
externally imposed conditions, the library does recognize that certain instances may arise which might
warrant the inclusion of materials with some negotiated conditions. Any such conditions must be
negotiated with the appropriate administrative staff of the Library as outlined in the written collection
management procedures of the Library.
The library is also governed by all applicable federal and state legislation related to appraisal and title
of gifts.
Multimedia Collection Development
PURPOSE
The library provides the use of material in a variety of media formats to serve the general
informational, educational, and recreational needs within its diverse community. Media formats may
include videocassettes, audiocassettes, recordings, cassette/book combinations, books-on-tape,
compact discs, CD-ROMs, and DVDs. The type of media provided will depend on the popularity and
availability of the media, availability of equipment, and technological changes. Meeting these needs in
a variety of media formats is also supportive of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Titles are chosen
for a wide, general audience, and not to support any specific educational curriculum or for the
exclusive use of any one group. This policy is designed to conform to the library's existing collection
management policy.
COMMUNITY SERVED
Material is selected to serve the broad, general interest ranges of the Library. There will be media
collections of general interest.
SELECTION PROCESS
The collection will include material for children, young adults, and adults. This collection is not
intended to compete with local rental stores and therefore offers a different selection focus.
Criteria for selecting titles for the media collection will include:
Popular demand for subjects, authors, and/or specific titles
Local interest of subject, author, and/or producer
Recognized author, performer, composer, director, and/or artist
The current content of the collection and its relationship to other materials in the system
Critical reviews, when available
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Unbiased and objective treatment of subject
Quality of the production
Inclusion in standard lists of recommended titles
Cost of the item in relation to the budget as a whole
Awards and recommendations
Large continuous series or sets will be considered on an individual basis taking physical storage space
and cataloging into account
COLLECTION MAINTENANCE
Replacement Copies
Lost or damaged media titles shall not be replaced or repaired automatically. Replacements of high
demand titles shall be made when budgetary constraints allow, the titles are still available, and the
titles meet current selection criteria. Staff and customer input may be used to help determine which
titles will be retained or replaced.
Repairs
Media shall be checked or cleaned on a periodic basis to maintain the condition of each and to
determine if the quality has deteriorated. Items that have been identified by patrons or staff as having
defects shall be noted by staff as damaged. If two or more patrons identify a defect, the item shall be
discarded if item cannot be cleaned and repaired.
Weeding and Evaluation
The media collection(s) shall be periodically examined to determine continued relevance to patron
needs and selection criteria. Factors such as usage, physical condition, and the accuracy and
timeliness of the information presented shall also be considered.
Gifts
Gift selections shall be accepted by the media selector(s) according to the library’s gift policy.
Sale of Materials Policy
The Nevada Public Library reserves the right to dispose of withdrawn surplus and unneeded materials
using the following procedures:
1. Daily or Annual Book Sale, at the option of the director, for materials in
withdrawn condition. Hardcover ($1) Paperbacks (.25) Children’s (.50)
2. Materials that were not sold during the Book Sales may be donated to
organizations for redistribution to other non-profit groups.
3. Materials in very poor condition may be disposed of with the director’s
approval.