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Characteristics/Features
Element 1 - Overview
Mission and goals
Description of service area/community
Identification of service clientele/patrons
Statement about collection parameters
Description of the types of programs
or patron needs that collection must meet
Library A Name:
Library B Name:
King County Library
System - Public 2009
To provide free, open and
equal access to ideas and
information to all members
of the community.
43 Communities - urban,
suburban, & rural in King
County, WA.
North Central Regional
Library - Public 2008
To promote reading and
lifelong learning.
Rural areas of Chelan,
Douglas, Ferry, Grant and
Okanogan counties in WA.
All residents of the library
district’s service area, persons
Free to all members of the owning property within the
community (All ages)- No library district, students
mention of service to those attending a college within the
outside of King County
service area, and residents of
the 8 named reciprocal
counties in WA.
Print, audio-visual, and
No Specific Mention
electronic formats
Library was created to serve
all of the people in the
district’s service area,
“An Intellectual Adventure regardless of race, age, creed,
for Everyone” Materials
or political persuasions.
selection meets the needs
and interests of a diverse
District recognizes that the
community for information, service area has individuals
education and
and groups with widely
enlightenment.
disparate and diverse interests,
cultural backgrounds, and
needs and shapes their policies
around this fact.
Element 2 - Details of subject areas and formats
collected
Collections divided into subject areas
Lists patrons by type
Yes - Adult, Teen,
Children’s Fiction as well
as 000s - 900s (each their
own guidelines). In
addition, guidelines for
development and
No Specific Mention
maintenance of Reference,
Large Print, Periodicals,
Nonprint (DVD,
Audiobooks, CD-Rom,
Electronic Resources), etc.
Adult, Teen, Children’s,
No Specific Mention
ESL, Traveling (Shut-in)
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Print- Choice Reads, Large
Print, Adult Literacy &
ESL, Reference Periodicals.
Identification of formats collected
Identification of persons/selectors responsible for collection
development
Non-Print - Music, DVD &
VHS, Audiobook, CDRom, eFormat, and
Electronic Resources.
No Specific Mention
No Specific Mention
Staff who are qualified by
reason of education and
training as delegated by the
Director.
Element 3 - Coverage of miscellaneous items
Gifts
Deselection and discards
Evaluation
Gifts of books, magazines,
pamphlets or audio-visual
materials are encouraged with
Donations accepted - either the understanding that district
to be sold at a branch sale material selection standards
or added to the collection if are met. Gifts of money, stock,
in excellent condition and or real property are accepted
of very high current
by the board, as are personal
interest. Tax deduction can property, art objects, portraits,
be claimed for donations. antiques, and other museum
objects.
Memorial Gifts - can have
gift plate inserted with
New gift, memorial, Northwest
wording agreed upon by the historical materials and
donor and the library staff. magazine subscriptions may be
donated to specific community
libraries in accordance with
material selection standards.
Regularly discard items that
To ensure a vital collection of
are outdated, no longer in
continuing value to the
demand, physically worn
community, NCRL states that
out, or whose purpose is
materials that are not well used
better served by online
may be withdrawn.
resources.
Guidelines for each material
format and how to go about
reassigning materials to
other branches in the
system. Damaged or no
No Specific Mention
longer in current patron
interest shown by
circulation are evaluated for
weeding or repurchase.
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Complaints and censorship
Electronic resources
Other - Special Collections
NCRL believes that while
individuals are free to select or
KCLS adheres to and
to reject materials for
supports Intellectual
themselves, they cannot
Freedom and the Library
restrict the freedom of others
Bill of Rights. KCLS has a
to read, view or inquire with
Materials Complaint
the exception of parents’
Procedure for staff to
responsibility for their own
follow when a patron
minor children.
challenges material in the
collection. Part of this
Library customers have the
procedure is to give the
right to question material in
patron a Request for
the collection and are
Reconsideration of Library
encouraged to talk with
Materials Form or
designated staff members with
Comment Card.
their concerns or submit their
written opinions.
Provides access to global
electronic resources.
Electronic services and
databases licensed for
No Specific Mention
system-wide access, with
websites linked to KCLS
webpages.
Northwest, World
Languages, Nonprofit
No Specific Mention
Resource Center,
Genealogical Collections.
Comments/Recommendations:
One recommendation I have for King County Library System is that the information about Collection
Development that I obtained, is not readily available to patrons. As an employee of KCLS, I was able
to access the entire policy (182 pages) with valuable information about why and how certain materials
are evaluated and selected from the KCLS Intranet webpage for staff. The information provided for
public viewing on the website does not express the close attention and work put into collection
maintenance for each subject and material format. I only had access to the information provided on the
web from North Central Regional Library, and found some information to be lacking in areas. I would
assume that like KCLS, NCRL has a more in depth policy that is only available to staff that would
include the missing information. I believe that with any library system, this type of information would
be beneficial for patrons to have access to, in order to better understand the policies and innerworkings of their community libraries.
I think it is smart that both library systems have policies in place concerning censorship and
challenging materials. By providing a standard form for patrons to submit with complaints about
certain material, it takes a lot of stress off of the employees who are required to submit the information
or complaint to their superior. Many times patrons like to rant about matters that staff at the service
desk have no control over. With the policy and procedure already created, staff is able to follow the
steps in helping the patron speak their mind to the correct personnel who can assist them more
personally. I was also glad to see that both library systems had clear policies concerning the acceptance
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of donations and gifts of materials or funds. Community assistance should be appreciated and
welcomed by all libraries as long as the gifts fit within the perimeters of the assigned policies. Having
the information and regulations clearly laid out, helps in knowing what is appropriate to accept and
what is to be done with them.