"Materials Selection" refers to the decision to add material to the collection or to retain materials already in the collection. Final responsibility for materials selection rests with the Library Director, although responsibility for recommendations may be delegated to other members of the staff. Suggestions from the public are welcome.
Here are the General Principles that guide us in the Materials Selection and Retention process:
The DISTRICT provides a forum for gaining access to information, ideas, and promoting intellectual freedom. The following basic principles will guide its materials selections:
An item need not meet all of these criteria to be selected.
Can’t find a book you want in our catalog? Please go to our Materials Request Form [1], or ask a librarian and we’ll try to get it for you. We welcome your requests for a specific book. If the title does not fit our selection criteria, we'll request it from another library. This is called “Interlibrary Loan [2]” or “ILL”. We believe that by encouraging our patrons to participate in the collection development process, we can build a collection that will more accurately reflect the interests and information needs of our Douglas County patrons.
When would you buy a copy of the book I requested?
DCL has established a Collection Development Policy that follows accepted professional practice for selecting a book. If the book you request fits our policy and is available, we’ll buy a copy.
What are the criteria you use for selection?
There are several major measurements we use:
How much time does it take to get my requests?
It takes anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months depending on whether we purchase or ILL the title. If the item is published and available it takes an average of two weeks. If a title is not available, staff at our reference desks is ready to help you find suitable alternatives.
We value your ideas and opinions, your suggestions and requests. All of them will be given consideration. We will try to have the item in your hand as soon as we can, regardless of whether we buy it or Interlibrary Loan it. Feel free to speak with your branch reference staff if you have any further questions.
November 16, 2011
DVD Guidelines
Douglas County Libraries sees its DVD holdings as an important extension of the print materials collections and criteria for the selection is the same as those used by the library for all types of material. Selections are intended to meet the educational, recreational, cultural, and informational needs of the community and must meet high standards of quality in content, expression, and format. Preference is given to the purchase of new titles but available older titles in high demand may be purchased or replaced.
When considering DVDs for purchase, review journals and online sources are consulted. Consideration is given to purchase suggestions made by library users and staff. Selection will also be dictated by the current availability of materials and the limitations imposed by budget.
Feature Films (fiction) The collection contains a wide selection of feature films, including current high interest titles, classics, and foreign films to meet the recreational needs of the community. Critically acclaimed films will be emphasized in addition to award winners including major national, international, and Academy Awards.
The intended audience for children’s films is preschool through grade six. Selections are based on current high-interest titles as well as those relevant and useful to children’s everyday needs and activities. Priority will be given to titles based on a published novel and will be selected from quality producers.
Non-fiction titles will be selected from a wide variety of sources, including regularly consulted review publications and supplier catalogs. Informational titles include documentaries and such popular subjects as hobbies, home repair, travel, fitness, cooking and parenting. The district does not purchase DVDs produced specifically for instructional use in classrooms, reality programming, or titles available only through websites.
Television programs Priority is given to programs that have educational value such as history, biography, travel, and documentary titles or programs that are adapted from a published book or classic television. Quality producers such as A&E, the BBC, History Channel, Hallmark, HBO, and PBS also receive higher priority. The district will buy television series that have won or been nominated for a major award. Special consideration will be given to popular animated series for children.
Occasionally new A-V media forms are introduced into the market place. These will be studied carefully to assess their suitability for public library use and sufficient time will be allowed to determine whether they will receive widespread and lasting public acceptance before collections of such new forms are added to the library.
The District will not be responsible for any damage to patron’s DVD players, computers or other playing devices that occur while using DCL DVDs.
Douglas County Libraries sees its electronic resources as an important extension of the print materials collection [3] and criteria for selection is the same as those used by the library for all types of material. Electronic resources include online databases, eBooks, digital audiobooks and video. Many resources once available only in print are now available in electronic format. Providing our patrons access to electronic resources is an integral part of Douglas County Libraries selection policies. Selections are intended to meet the educational, recreational, cultural, and informational needs of the community and must meet high standards of quality in content, expression, and format. Electronic resources enhance and supplement reference service by providing timely and versatile access to information with 24/7 availability.
Electronic databases extend the collection and are designed to enhance print resources but can also provide more timely information with the frequent updating of material. Some former print resources now only exist in electronic format while other electronic resources have information beyond the scope of DCL’s print collection. Some databases may duplicate print resources that are then evaluated for retention.
Criteria considered when selecting online databases include:
The criteria used for selecting digital media are the same as that used for the selection of print material. To meet the interests of the community, collection emphasis is on popular fiction and nonfiction titles in a variety of genres. Our patrons generally prefer unabridged audiobooks, thus selections are made in this format when available. Some abridged nonfiction titles may be purchased when the unabridged format is unavailable.
Occasionally new electronic formats are introduced into the marketplace. These will be studied carefully to assess their suitability for public library use and sufficient time will be allowed to determine whether they will receive widespread and lasting public acceptance before these collections are added to the library.
The purpose of the graphic novel/comic/manga collection is to provide patrons with core and popular items to enjoy. The collection is composed of both recreational reading and informational titles and spans the traditional age ranges of juvenile, young adult and adult. The collection also aims to encourage reluctant readers and those reading below level to utilize the materials for educational and entertainment purposes.
When considering titles for purchase, standard review journals are consulted as well as other newspaper and magazine reviews and online sources. Items that are submitted through Materials Requests are sent directly to CD for review. The availability and cost for items will also be factors in determining whether or not to make a purchase.
Preference is given to new, age appropriate, well reviewed, and/or award winning materials. Items to fill in missing volumes of a series, as well as suitable selections from other series with older pub dates, will also be considered.
Materials will be purchased for the collection where their content is both age and interest appropriate. As graphic novels are chosen to serve a wide age range of audiences, it is the responsibility of the parents to determine which materials are appropriate for their children.
The primary purpose of the music collection is to provide a listening library of recordings for patrons of all ages who are interested in exploring the wide variety of music forms for educational and entertainment purposes.
Ours will be a collection geared toward the general listener, and not the professional musician, nor will it be intended for use by the music scholar.
The collection will have a distribution of titles from all musical styles based on the popularity of various genres, including, but not limited to blues, jazz, children's, country, religious, soundtracks, hip-hop, pop, rock, and world music. Douglas County Libraries purchases unedited versions of music CDs. Preference is given to the purchase of new titles but available older titles in high demand may be purchased or replaced. Librarians or other subject specialists will make selections through reviews, personal evaluation, and recommendations.
Consideration will be given to legitimate suggestions for purchase by library users. Selection will also be dictated by the current availability of materials and the limitations imposed by budget.
Douglas County Libraries will not be responsible for any damage to patron CD and MP3 players or computers that occur while playing DCL's music
Links:
[1] http://apps.douglascountylibraries.org/materials_request/
[2] http://douglascountylibraries.org/interlibrary-loan-faqs
[3] http://douglascountylibraries.org/AboutUs/Policy/MaterialsSelection