“Selection” refers to the decision that is made either to add a specific item or types of material to the collection or to retain material already in the collection. It is a means of collection development to meet user needs and does not reflect the opinions or values of the individual selectors.
The words “book,” “library materials,” and other synonyms as they may appear in this policy have the widest possible meaning; all forms of recorded communication, from the traditional printed forms to the latest development in nonprint media, are therefore included in this definition.
The word “collection” refers to a group of books or other library material having a common characteristic or located in one place.
Purpose of the Selection Policy
The purpose of this policy is to guide librarians in the selection of materials of contemporary significance and of permanent value and to inform the public about the principles upon which selections are made. Its primary objective is to ensure that public moneys are spent wisely so that the Library can provide the community with relevant materials in sufficient supply to make the Library a dependable resource for most people most of the time.
Responsibility for Selection of Library Materials
Ultimate responsibility for selection of materials rests with the Library Director, who operates within the framework of policies, goals, and objectives. The Director will delegate to appropriate staff members authority to interpret and apply the policy in daily operations. It is the responsibility of each employee to record and communicate user requests and needs so that they may be considered in selection.
Centralized Selection Committees provide for a range of materials with differing viewpoints and reading levels while streamlining technical services processes to ensure that all points of service receive new materials at the same time. Centralized Selection Committees take a system- wide approach to limit duplication of materials, evaluate collections, and create collections which are more responsive to customer needs.
Members of Collection Development Committees are credentialed, professional librarians employed by Knox County Public Library.
The Adult Collection Development Committee selects all adult materials.
The Children’s and Teen Collection Development Committee selects all children’s and teen materials.
The McClung Collection Manager selects all materials for the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection.
General Materials Selection Criteria
All or some of the following general criteria will be considered when making selection decisions:
- Suitability of subject, style, and format for intended audience.
- Relevance to present and potential informational, educational, and leisure-time needs
- Importance as a document of the times
- Reputation and/or significance of author or illustrator
- Professional reviews
- Relation to existing collections and other materials on the subject
- Availability of material elsewhere in the community
- Volume and nature of requests by the public
- Contribution to the formal and informal goals of education
- Acceptable literary and artistic quality
- Subject matter of current interest
- Attention by critics and/or awards
Materials may be considered unacceptable for certain general or specific deficiencies, including but not limited to:
- Lack of lasting quality in subject, format, or style
- Lack of sufficient usefulness or appeal
- Presentation of obsolete or inaccurate information
- Inadequacy in comparison with other similar materials already in the collection
Exclusions
The Library does not purchase textbooks unless they provide the best or only coverage available in a subject area. Workbooks, maps, flashcards, and teaching materials are not purchased.
Toys, games, display items, tools and equipment, or other items that are not suitable for cataloging and/or circulation are not added to the Library’s collection.
Abridgements in either print, audio recording, or other formats are not purchased.
Use of the Library’s Collection
The Library recognizes that some materials are controversial and that any given item may offend some patrons. Selections will not be made on the basis of any assumed approval or disapproval, but solely on the merit of the work as it relates to the Library’s objectives and serves the expressed or anticipated needs and interests of the community.
The use of rare and scholarly items of great value will be controlled to the extent required to preserve them from harm.
Responsibility for the reading of minors rests with their parents and legal guardians. Selection of adult materials will not be limited by the possibility that books may come into the possession of minors.
Patrons not finding desired material in the Library’s collection may request that it be borrowed on interlibrary loan or that it be purchased by submitting a Suggest a Purchase request.
Materials available in the library present a diversity of viewpoints, enabling citizens to make the informed choices necessary in a democracy. The Library also selects a wide variety of materials that satisfy the diverse interests of our community. The Library respects the right of individuals to access these resources. The Library’s varied collection is available to all; however, it is not expected that all of the collection will appeal to everyone.
Patrons finding certain library material objectionable are encouraged to discuss their concerns with the location manager. If the patron is not satisfied with the response to their concern, the patron will be provided with information about the reconsideration process and a Request for Reconsideration of Library Material form. Patrons may submit up to three Request for Reconsideration forms in one calendar year.
Suggestions for Purchase
The Library makes every effort to be responsive to patron needs and wants, and as such provides an opportunity for patrons to suggest that particular items or materials on a subject be purchased. Suggestions for Purchase may be submitted through the Library’s public catalog interface. All suggestions for purchase are subject to the same selection criteria as other materials and are not automatically selected for the collection. Suggestions for purchase are intended to help the Library develop collections that serve the broad interests and needs of the community.
Unsolicited Author Submission
Authors may submit physical copies of materials to be considered for inclusion in the Library’s collection. The Library uses the same selection criteria for independently published and unsolicited material that is used for any materials purchase or gift, including but not limited to:
- positive reviews in professional review sources
- physical suitability and format for library use
- quality content and presentation
- relevance to the needs and wants of the community
To be considered for inclusion in the Library’s collection, authors must complete an Author Submission form and submit the form with a physical copy of the item. The Library does not consider materials submitted in electronic format or formats not currently circulated.
Material may be submitted in person at any Knox County Public Library location or submitted by mail. A confirmation of receipt of the material is sent by mail. Unsolicited items are not returned. Materials not added to the collection are given to the Friends of the Library for their book sales.
Materials submitted for consideration are reviewed by the appropriate collection development selection committee. Review of unsolicited materials takes place quarterly. Notification of decisions are mailed after each quarterly review period. Library staff will not critique individual items with authors.
Material selected for inclusion are added to the Library’s catalog on a quarterly basis. Some materials may be added more quickly depending on community need and interest. Items requiring original cataloging may take longer to add to the collection. The Library is under no obligation to purchase additional copies for the collection, and additional copies will not be directly purchased from the author, but from an intermediary vendor.
Donations
The Library welcomes donations of needed material or funds for the purchase of such material. The Library reserves the right to evaluate and dispose of donations in accordance with the criteria applied to purchased material. The Library discourages the attachment of conditions to donations, and no conditions may be imposed relating to any donation after its acceptance by the Library. Donations which do not meet the Library’s objectives and policies will be declined.
Materials donated by the public are added to the library collection if suitable and in excellent condition. Donated items not needed for the library collection are given to the Friends of the Library for use in the annual book sale.
Memorials and In Honor Gifts
Monetary or physical gifts can be donated to the Library in memory of a deceased person, in honor of a person or organization, or in recognition of a person or organization. Memorial and In Honor gifts have a commemorative plate placed in front of the book. Memorial and In Honor gifts are shelved with the general collection in the location appropriate to the material.
The appropriate Collection Development Committee chair selects material for Memorial and In Honor gifts using the same selection criteria used for all purchases and gifts. The selector consults with the agency or department manager where the gift will be placed for collection needs.
Donors may suggest specific titles or donate materials in pristine condition for Memorial and In Honor gifts. Requested titles and/or donated material must meet the same criteria for all Library selections and must be approved by the appropriate Collection Development Committee chair before the material is purchased and/or processed.
Children’s Materials
The children’s collection provides materials that serve children’s educational, informational, recreational, and cultural needs from infancy through eleven years old, and for all levels of ability. The materials are selected with consideration of the stages of emotional and intellectual development of children, and with particular appeal to children in format and presentation.
Selection of children’s materials is made by the Children’s Collection Development Committee following the same general materials selection criteria as all other material purchases and guided by professional review sources.
In addition to print books, children’s materials include graphic novels, magazines, audiobooks, sound recordings, DVDs, eBooks, downloadable audiobooks, Playaways, Launchpads, and Wonderbooks, all selected following the material selection criteria and with particular appeal to children.
Teen Materials
The Library’s Teen collection is intended for young people ages 12–17. Its focus is on the recreational preferences and informational interests appropriate to teens. Teen materials are selected by the Teen Collection Development Committee and follow the same general materials selection criteria as all other materials.
In addition to meeting selection criteria, Teen material is current and attractive to teen readers, and includes fiction and non-fiction that:
- Has believable characters, dialogue, and plot
- Is in demand and of high interest
- Helps young adults understand themselves and others
- Broadens the reader’s viewpoint of the world
- Expands reading ability and enjoyment
- Has a format appealing to Teens
In addition to print books, Teen materials include graphic novels, magazines, audiobooks, eBooks, and downloadable audiobooks, all selected following the material selection criteria and with particular appeal to Teens.
Media Materials
The Library’s movie, music, and audiobook collection include a broad selection of current and historical recordings representing the performing arts and humanities. The movie and music collections are housed in the Sights and Sounds Department at Lawson McGhee Library and are available for lending throughout the Library system.
Online download and streaming services make some materials available 24 hours a day to Knox County library cardholders. The audiobook collection mirrors the print collection in authors and titles chosen when possible. The Sights and Sounds Department maintains a permanent collection of audiobooks and branches maintain a small permanent collection and a floating collection.
Media Selection Criteria
The standards of the general materials selection criteria apply to the selection of media materials. The following criteria are also applied:
- Format
- Reputation of producer/distributor
- Component materials
- Distribution and purchase/lease restrictions
- Price constraints
- Product contracts
- Size of intended/anticipated audience
- Technical quality
- Appropriateness and uniqueness of content to the media
- Regional accessibility
Media Formats
Rapid changes in technology increase the pace of introduction of new audiovisual media. The Library keeps abreast of new forms, trends, and forecasts for expected growth and demand and introduces new formats that offer immediate and long-term benefits such as financial savings and accessibility to larger numbers of patrons. The Sights & Sounds Department maintains obsolescent formats (such as VHS and audiocassettes) for as long as it is feasible.
The Sights and Sounds Department collects and lends the following formats:
- Audiobooks on compact disc, and via streaming and download
- Music on compact disc, vinyl record, and via streaming and download
- Videos on Blu-ray, DVD, VHS, and via streaming
Videos
A diverse collection of videos (on Blu-ray, DVD, and VHS) is maintained for home use by individual patrons. It consists of informational, instructional, recreational, and cultural materials for a variety of ages and preferences.
Because of the copyright restrictions on audience size mandated by most distributors of home video, most materials are purchased for the individual viewer. If the cost is not prohibitive, some materials may be purchased with public performance rights.
Because film is a highly collaborative art form, a motion picture which achieves high quality in one aspect (cinematography or acting, for example) may fail to do so in others. Such films may be added to the collection if their strengths outweigh their weaknesses. Sometimes a film may be purchased both for entertainment value and as an example of how artistic intentions can go wrong.
Foreign films editions using the original soundtrack are purchased when possible, as opposed to a soundtrack dubbed in English.
Serious works which present an honest aspect of life are not excluded for frankness of expression.
Music
The music collection includes basic works of the standard classical composers, often in several versions; historical and current recordings of all genres of popular music including but not limited to jazz, rock, country, folk, bluegrass, and world music. Most recordings are added in their original versions.
Audiobooks
The audiobook collection mirrors the print collection in authors and titles chosen. In certain areas where print versions of a title are not available (such as radio programs, lectures, and motivational speakers) the criteria for selecting other media and print material apply. In most cases, the Library buys only unabridged audiobooks.
Reference Materials
A balanced reference collection includes a broad selection of up-to-date and historical sources representing the body of published knowledge. Materials are chosen by reading reviews, previewing, or through recommendations from other staff or patrons. Because materials are available in many formats (print, microfilm, and online), staff must choose the best format for the intended use while considering costs. In most cases the Library does not purchase the same reference material in more than one format.
Print materials collected by the Library are available in two formats.
Books: Reference books are selected using the general materials selection criteria, with emphasis given to quality of indexing, timeliness, and accuracy of information.
Periodicals: Periodicals are selected using the general materials selection criteria, with emphasis given to the quality of the item determined by reviews and examination of the publication, availability of indexing, and customer demand.
Microfilm
Microfilmed periodicals and newspapers are purchased to save space when long backfiles of the issues are desired. Other considerations are frequency of use, the presence of color illustrations, and the cost of photocopying.
Online
The Library selects and catalogs online resources. Content, quality, ease of use, frequency of updates, and costs are considered in selection. Online resources are previewed, and professional reviews are used whenever possible. In many cases, online services allow the Library to discontinue purchase of equivalent paper sources.
Government Documents
As a member of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), the Library works to provide access to government information for all citizens. Materials are selected and maintained according to procedures established by law, the FDLP, and reference selection policies. While most documents are considered reference material and do not circulate, some books are added to the circulating collection, and pamphlets (which are placed in the pamphlet file) may circulate. The Library cooperates with the University of Memphis Regional Depository Library and other depository libraries, especially the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, to provide access to documents not available at a particular depository.
Select online FDLP resources are cataloged for easy access and retrieval. Libraries will extend computer time to allow citizens, including those from out of county, to complete the use of any online federal document available through FDLP.
The Library also collects publications from state agencies. These are often the only sources for statistical and historical information on the state, county, and city level. In conjunction with the McClung Historical Collection, the Reference Department works to maintain a comprehensive collection of documents published by Knox County, City of Knoxville, and Town of Farragut governments.
Collection Development and Maintenance
The Library evaluates its collection on a continuing basis in response to the changing nature and needs of our community. The criteria used in the selection of material is used in its withdrawal.
In order to maintain the collection in its most useful and attractive condition, professional staff considers for withdrawal material that is no longer in demand, that has been superseded by newer or more accurate resources, or that is in poor physical condition. When appropriate and possible, items will be repaired or rebound. Replacement of a withdrawn item is not automatic; the decision to replace is based on the selection criteria. Materials in good condition with low circulation are considered for transfer to other locations within the system. Materials of local interest or significance may be transferred to the McClung Collection for preservation.
Withdrawn items are given to the Friends of the Library for book sales. The Library does not sell withdrawn items directly to individuals or organizations.
Review and Revision of Selection Policy
Library staff regularly reviews the Materials Selection Policy to ensure that it meets community needs.