Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
INTRODUCTION
Smalltown Public Library is committed to developing a stellar collection of library materials that are broad in
scope, culturally diverse, and relevant to the needs of today’s information users. In this document, we have
outlined our current plans for collection management, as well as goals for the future.
PURPOSE
Mission
Smalltown Public Library promotes literacy, education, and recreation through its provision of information
services; reaches out to the entire community for its information needs; promotes life-long learning through
its support of all users; and is a vibrant center for community life in Smalltown, NC.
Service Responses
The library will create a collection to reflect the growing diversity of its community.
The library will meet the needs of senior community members through increased outreach and expanded
collections in targeted genres.
The library will support the literacy development of its children and youth through updated collections that
reflect the newest titles.
The library will respond to new technologies and different learning styles by incorporating new information
formats into its collection.
Goals
In order to support the needs of non-English speakers in the community, the library will expand its
collection of foreign language materials in both youth and adult collections.
o Evaluate the current collection for foreign language resources
o Utilize census data to determine the language needs of the community
o Acquire resources to meet the community’s need in the desired collection areas
The library will evaluate its current collections for diversity and augment the collection with titles to reflect
the diversity of its service community.
o Evaluate the current collection and determine its gaps
o Utilize organizations like “We Need Diverse Books” in order to identify appropriate diverse titles to
add to the collection
o Acquire resources and promote the new additions to ensure visibility
To increase its visibility in the community and increase its outreach, the library will provide book club kits
for use with senior communities and area social clubs.
o Identify the community groups that would best utilize book club kits
o Select genres and titles that would appeal to chosen groups
Public Library Group #3 Page 2
COLLECTION DESCRIPTION
Smalltown Public Library’s collection consists of about 75,000 items of various formats and genres. Our
collection includes fiction and nonfiction print materials for adults, children, and teenagers. We also offer
DVDs, video games, audiobooks, e-resources, and music. Other materials of note in our collection include local
history, reference, and professional resources; periodicals, and foreign language books.
ACQUISITIONS
Smalltown Public Library is committed to providing its patrons with a diverse selection of library materials in
various formats in order to satisfy their informational needs and personal interests. To do this, we have crafted
an extensive acquisition plan which outlines the kinds of materials our library will purchase, which sources we
will purchase from, how often purchases will be made, and how the needs of our patrons will influence these
acquisition decisions.
Our acquisition practices are driven by data collected from users during needs assessments, which are
conducted every five years. The results from our most recent needs assessment have been used to develop a
strategic plan, of which acquisition is a major component. As our plan is implemented, ongoing formative
assessment will help us monitor our progress and the effects these changes have had on patron usage of library
materials. Below is an overview of our acquisition procedures and policies, as well as a summary of goals
Smalltown Public Library has for five collections that have become considerably popular and will be further
developed using funds acquired from a desired budget increase.
General Practices
We will select materials of various types and genres that are useful and interesting to patrons.
Collections will be organized so that they are accessible, relevant, and easy to maintain.
Materials will be available in multiple formats to appeal to preferences and needs of different patrons.
Before items are selected, the acquisitions librarian will consider its content, price, and potential uses.
Funds designated for acquisitions will be distributed among collections based on the age and condition of
materials, popularity among patrons, and relevancy to the library community.
Every effort will be made to offer library materials that represent diverse backgrounds, opinions, and beliefs
as we attempt to purchase objectively without the influence of personal bias.
Donations will be assessed on a case-by-case basis by the collection management team before admittance
into the collection.
Because Smalltown Public Library is part of a state-wide consortium and offers interlibrary loan services to
patrons, potential acquisitions will also be assessed based on their availability through our partner libraries.
Collection management decisions will be heavily influenced by our library consortium’s integrated library
system, which provides circulation and interlibrary loan data that helps to inform our choices for
acquisitions. Our system also helps us keep track of purchases and processing.
Collection Management Team
The adult services, youth services, branch manager, and acquisitions librarians will make up the collection
management team. The team will also include 2-3 patron representatives. The rest of the library staff will be
consulted and asked to provide input on acquisition decisions as well.
Although the entire staff will be involved in the acquisition process, when necessary, the acquisitions
librarian in tandem with the branch manager will make final decisions about library selections.
Often, acquisitions decisions may be made through the collaboration of all branch managers within the
library system, headed by the library director, with resources being distributed to various branches as the
director instructs.
Vendors and Material/Service Offerings
Our vendors include Baker & Taylor, Better World Books, EBSCO, ProQuest, Scholastic, Playaway
Library, Learning Express and OverDrive. Through these vendors we are able to provide the patrons of
Smalltown Public Library with the following types of resources on a variety of topics:
o Fiction & Nonfiction: Adult, Young Adult, Children
o Media: audiobooks, CDs, DVDs, video games
Public Library Group #3 Page 4
To purchase popular and award-winning Young Adult Historical Fiction texts to connect teenagers to events
that occurred in the 20th century, while promoting leadership, cultural tolerance, and empathy.
DEACCESSIONING
Smalltown Public Library takes pride in making sure that its facilities and collections are as relevant, updated,
and in good condition as those of the larger regional libraries. Our collection management plan includes a
regular schedule for weeding and deaccessioning materials. Collections will be assessed for weeding semi-
annually.
Each librarian will be responsible for deaccessioning his or her collection with input from managerial staff.
Librarians will review print resources, databases, e-resources, audio books, videos, and digital collections.
In order to make sure that our newly purchased collections will have room in the library, we will follow a
schedule that is already in place to weed annually. The materials should reflect the needs of the community,
should be driven by the data collected from our needs assessment, and should remain in compliance with the
vision and mission statements of our library system.
In accordance with the American Library Association’s weeding recommendations, Smalltown Public Library
will use the MUSTY acronym to guide its process for weeding outdated materials from its collections.
M – Misleading – Books and materials that are obsolete, contain stereotypical information, are racially
and culturally offensive, or contain outdated Library of Congress subject headings will not be retained.
U – Ugly – Materials that are physically worn, are frayed and dirty, and are beyond repair will not be
retained.
S – Superseded – Materials that have newer versions that can be purchased with additional funding will
be discarded.
T – Trivial – Materials that are ‘cheesy’, poorly written, contain inaccurate information, and are
inappropriate for our patrons will be discarded.
Y – Your collection – Materials that are not relevant to the collections in Smalltown Public Library will
not be retained.
Public Library Group #3 Page 6
PRESERVATION
Smalltown Public Library believes in the importance of providing appropriate physical and environmental care
to the materials in its collection and is committed to preserving materials that warrant such measures. When
determining if preservation of an item is necessary, as well as physically and fiscally feasible, the staff evaluates
the items against the following criteria:
LOANING POLICIES
Patron Eligibility
Patrons who wish to borrow items from Smalltown Public Library must have an active library card.
To be eligible for a library card, patrons must provide proof of county residency such as a tax bill. Non-
residents must pay an annual fee of $10.00.
Parents or guardians must register all patrons under the age of 18.
Borrowers with fines totaling above $50 are not eligible to borrow or use public computers until all fines
have been paid.
Fine Forgiveness
If an item was not checked in when it was returned by the patron, the late fees will be forgiven.
During the library’s fall and spring canned food drives, patrons will be able to donate nonperishable food to
remove fines from their account. For each item donated, $1.00 of any fine will be forgiven.
Fines will also be forgiven due to the decease of a patron or extenuating circumstances as evaluated by the
branch manager.
SCHEDULED REVIEW
As communities evolve, so should the collection items available to them. In order to ensure that the resources
Smalltown Public Library provides to patrons are accessible, relevant and of good quality, library staff will
regularly review physical and digital holdings against the following criteria:
Relevance to the public’s interest and needs: Applicability to patrons’ intellectual interests and pursuits for
both scholarly and personal enrichment purposes.
Quality: The level of technical proficiency and creativity of the work or item; the long-term relevance of the
item’s content and format; the reputation of the author, publisher, contributors, etc.
Discoverability, usability, and accessibility: Ability of users to locate materials in the library, or in the
library’s databases. The intuitiveness of the database design, and accessibility of online materials for users
with disabilities will also be analyzed.
Cost: Expense of acquiring, processing, cataloging, shelving, and preserving the print materials will be
reviewed.
Renewal rates: When a renewal rate for a subscribed resource is set to increase by five percent or more, the
item is automatically subject to review to assess rationale of significant cost increase. This may result in
cancellation.
Language and country of origin: Optimal language and perspective for our diverse community’s needs.
REFERENCES
Appalachian Regional Library. (2015). Appalachian Regional Library long-range plan: 2015-2020. Retrieved
from http://www.arlibrary.org/images/documents/ARL_Long_Range_Plan.pdf
California Department of Education. (1976). Weeding the School Library. Retrieved from
https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/lb/documents/weedingbrochure.pdf
Craig County Public Library Board of Trustees. (2014, May 15). Craig County Public Library strategic plan.
Retrieved from http://vpl.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2015/02/CraigFYP_2013to2017.pdf
Essex Public Library Board. (2011). Five year plan of the Essex Public Library. Retrieved from
http://vpl.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2015/02/EssexFYP_2011to2016.pdf
Public Library Group #3 Page 8
Evans, G.E. & Saponaro, M.Z. (2012). Collection management basics (6th ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries
Unlimited, ABC-CLIO, LLC.
Gleason Public Library. (2011). Gleason Public Library Collection Development Policy. Retrieved April 12,
2018, from http://www.gleasonlibrary.org/collectiondevelopment.htm
Granville County Library System Fee Manual. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.granvillecounty.org/wp-
content/uploads/2018/02/Fee-Manual-FY-2017-2018-Approved.pdf
Library of the University of Connecticut. n.d. Collection Development Program, Policies, and Guidelines.
Retrieved April12, 2018, from https://lib.uconn.edu/about/policies/collection-development-program-policies-
and-guidelines/#eight
Mary Riley Styles Public Library Board of Trustees. (2015). Five year plan, 2015-2019. Retrieved from
http://vpl.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2015/02/MRStylesFYP_2015to2019_Rev043014.pdf
The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. (2011). The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton
County Collection Development Policy. Retrieved April 12, 2018 from
http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/policies/collectiondevelopment.html
Vendors for public libraries. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.wils.org/services/cooperative-
purchasing/cooperative-vendors-for-public-libraries/
Villa Park Public Library. (2015). Collection Management Plan. Retrieved from http://www.vppl.info/wp-
content/uploads/2016/05/Collection-Management-Plan-Feb_2016.pdf