Collection Management Policy

THOMAS CRANE PUBLIC LIBRARY

COLLECTION MANAGEMENT POLICY

Purpose
Community Overview
Historical Preface
Mission Statement
Definition
Policy
Cooperation With Other Libraries and Information Services
SouthEastern Massachusetts Regional Library System (SEMLS)
Old Colony Library Network (OCLN)
Online Computer Library Center (OCLC)
Statement of Purpose and Goals
Scope of the Collection
Collection Development Objectives
Non-Fiction
Fiction
Videocassettes and DVDs
Sound Recordings
Music
CD-ROMs
New Reader
Foreign Languages
Children's Materials
Young Adult Materials
Reference Collection
Quincy Room
Parker Collection
Periodicals and Newspapers
Microfilm
Gifts
Use, Maintenance and Review

Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to help patrons and staff understand why certain materials are added to the library's collection and others are not.

Community Overview
The Thomas Crane Public Library is located in Quincy, Massachusetts, nine miles south of Boston and is the 8th largest city in the Commonwealth. According to the 2000 census, there are 88,025 individuals from all walks of life, all political persuasions, various religious beliefs, and many ethnic heritages in Quincy. 70,066 (80%), of Quincy residents are White; 1,947 (2%) are Black; 13,545 (15%) are Asian; and 1,835 (2%) are of Hispanic origin. 20% of Quincy's population is foreign born. 85.2% of Quincy residents are high school graduates or higher. 31.8% of Quincy residents have a Bachelor's degree or higher.

Quincy has experienced an influx of immigrants during the past decade. Most of these emigrated from Asia, but the nationalities of the minority population are varied. The Quincy School Department of Pupil Personnel Services lists that in the 2002 school year, of the 9,138 students, there were 1,483 students who needed ESL services. Languages represented by ten or more students in the school system are: Albanian, Arabic, Chinese (includes Fukian, Cantonese, Mandarin), Hindi, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, and Vietnamese.

There are 63,657 registered voters in Quincy. 47% of those voters are Democrats, 14% are registered Republicans, and 38% are unenrolled. The median family income is $59,735. The city is run by a Mayor, one city councilor from each of the city's six wards and three councilors-at-large.

Quincy has twelve public elementary schools, four middle schools, and two public high schools. There are five private schools, one private college, and one two-year college in the city. There are 41 houses of worship in the city. Quincy also has 6 museums or historic houses and many historic sites, mostly relating to the Adams family.

The Mayor appoints six library trustees in February of each year for a one-year term. They may be reappointed each year. The Board of Trustees legally runs the library and works closely with the Director and Assistant Director.

Historical Preface
Since its founding in 1871, the Thomas Crane Public Library has sought to provide quality library service to the residents of Quincy. Explicit in its mission as a "people's working and educational institution" (Annual Report, 1892), the library has based its book selection on the sound principles of utility and service. The goal of selection at the outset was to assemble a "considerable collection of books which were of general interest, and would therefore be read" (Annual Report, 1871). The original book collection as described in that report consisted "mainly of fresh and new books by the most approved and most popular modern authors."

Wisely eschewing both research and archival functions due to the proximity of extensive Boston resources, the early trustees charted a firm course for the library as the "people's university." "It must be understood that the primary object of a library like this is to minister to the needs of the people" (Annual Report, 1896).
The goal of book selection was to obtain:

"The classes of books useful to the largest number of people. These will naturally consist of the past standard works of the language, of the most desirable of the books published during the past twenty-five years, and of the important issues of today. For the future, to supply the wants of all classes, provision should not only be made to add moderately to the older books, but also to keep fully up to the demands of modern knowledge and civilization" (Annual Report, 1872).

The progressive spirit of the young library rings familiar to modern ears: The trustees felt that the library should be "always a little in advance of the demands of its public upon it" (Annual Report, 1897). Nor did the library shy away from controversy: "The call for books along the lines of trade unionism, socialism and other sociological subjects has continued, and we have purchased as far as we could to satisfy the demand" (Annual Report, 1912).

Mission Statement
The Thomas Crane Public Library provides information, materials and services to meet the educational, professional and recreational needs of the community. The library seeks to encourage independent learning and lifelong reading enjoyment. Community outreach and collaborative efforts are made to involve new readers of all ages, and to provide community access to information and technology.

Definition
The word "materials" has the widest possible meaning; it may include books (hardbound and paperbound), audiocassettes, videocassettes, newspapers, CD-ROMS, microfilms, CDs, DVDs, DATs, periodicals, maps, etc.

Policy
The Acquisitions Librarian wrote this policy with input from librarians in various departments of the library.

Cooperation With Other Libraries and Information Services
A single library cannot meet all of the needs of its users. Cost effective services are achieved through sharing of resources and materials, automated networks, and interlibrary loan services.

Southeastern Massachusetts Library System (SEMLS)
The Thomas Crane Library is a member of SEMLS, one of six multi-type library systems funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. This system includes public, academic, school and special libraries. Within this regional system there are three separate automated library networks: SAILS Library Network, CLAMS (Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing), and OCLN (Old Colony library Network), of which the Thomas Crane Library is a member. As a contracting library for SEMLS, the Thomas Crane Library is responsible for providing reference services to its member libraries and acts as an interlibrary loan processing center for the SEMLS region. Developing the collection with regional reference and ILL services in mind is a priority.

Old Colony Library Network (OCLN)
The library, as a member of the Old Colony Library Network, can draw upon the collections of member libraries to help satisfy demands for materials that we may not own. If the material wanted by a patron is new and not available through the Network, the information is forwarded to the Acquisitions Librarian for possible purchase. If the material will not be purchased, the information is forwarded to the Interlibrary Loan Department. According to ILL policy, this department will attempt to borrow the material from a library in SEMLS, other regional library systems in Massachusetts, or any library available through OCLC (Online Computer Library Center).

Online Computer Library Center (OCLC)
OCLC is a nonprofit, membership, library computer service and research organization dedicated to accessing information from libraries worldwide. This service is divided into regional networks. The Thomas Crane Library's access to OCLC is through the regional network called NELINET (New England Library Network). This network is a cooperative of more than 500 academic, public, and special libraries that promote resource sharing and interlibrary loan services.

As a contracting library for the SouthEastern Massachusetts Library System, the library is responsible for providing interlibrary loan and reference services to its members. The library will therefore ensure that materials selection and collection development meet the library's obligations under this contract.

Statement of Purpose and Goals
The ideals which brought free public libraries into existence are as vital now as when they were formulated. The primary goal of the Thomas Crane Public Library is to select, organize, preserve and facilitate use of those books and other library materials, which best serve individuals of the Quincy community in their educational, informational, recreational, cultural and intellectual growth.

Materials selection, within the guidelines established by the Board of Trustees, is the responsibility of the Director of Libraries, who delegates the work to the appropriate staff professional librarians, especially the Acquisitions librarian and the Coordinator of Children's Services. Selection is based on these factors: the community's interests and needs; the individual merit of each item; and the library's existing collection, budget, and services. Competent and authoritative reviewing media and standard bibliographies are consulted by professionally trained librarians to provide the balance of opinion, which serves as the basis for selection. Although a variety of criteria is used, final decisions are based on the value of the material to the library and its public, regardless of the personal taste of the selector.

Materials are not selected or rejected because of the race, religion or politics of the author. The library's objective is to uphold the right of access to all sides of controversial issues and questions. Basic to the library's book selection policy is the American Library Association's Library Bill Of Rights with its Interpretive Statements, including the Freedom to Read Statement. The library recognizes the need to select materials not only for those who use the library regularly, but, where possible, to anticipate the needs of non-users in the hope of extending service to them.

Scope of the Collection
The scope or service limits of the library, especially in relation to the other libraries in its service area, requires careful delineation to ensure the delivery of well-rounded total service, avoidance of needless duplication, and optimal allocation of resources. The following scope statements will serve to further refine the library's collection goals.

Specialized research and archival functions cannot be provided on site unless the information is available through the Internet or World Wide Web. The Interlibrary Loan Department is used if resources in house are insufficient.

Specialists and advanced level college students are best referred to the extensive library collections available in the metropolitan area. Many of these libraries are accessible through the Internet and materials may be borrowed through the ILL Department.

Coordination with Quincy's public and private schools is always desirable, though our missions differ distinctly: materials to support the curriculum must be the schools' responsibility, while the public library gives priority to the collateral and recreational reading needs of students. This library, except in subject areas where material in another form is not conveniently available, does not purchase textbooks. Outlines and plot study guides are not purchased, being considered more appropriate items for individual student ownership.

Collection Development Objectives
The collection development plan centers around three levels of service: the main Library, branch libraries, the bookmobile and some outreach services. Materials are purchased to meet the objectives of good library service to the whole spectrum of the community's population, young and old. The library aims to provide the fundamental, significant, and standard works in most subject areas. Aiming at ready access rather than occasional availability, the library attempts to supply materials in sufficient quantity to make the library a dependable source for most general users most of the time. No special attempt can be made to provide material for specialist or research students, except through interlibrary loan.

Inclusion of an item in the collection does not indicate library endorsement of its contents. The library aims to offer the broadest available selection of materials to mature users who, by experience and education, are presumed to exercise the privileges of choice.

Non-Fiction
The Thomas Crane Library attempts to acquire materials of both permanent and current interest in all subject areas.
Among the criteria used in the selection of non-fiction materials are:

Levels of materials funding
Current interest and usefulness
Authoritativeness, comprehensiveness, and accuracy
Reputation, authority, and significance of author, publisher, performer or filmmaker, etc.
Permanent value and durability of author, performer, filmmaker, etc.
Literary quality, clarity and readability
Reputation and standards of publisher or producer
Effectiveness of presentation
Importance as a record of the times
Relevance to community needs
Political and social significance
Balance and objectivity
Importance of the subject and relevance to the existing collection
Relative importance in comparison with other works on subject
Provides information or presentation that is unique to or only available in a particular format
Physical format and price in relation to the individual title and its importance to the collection
Accessibility to the title through indexes and bibliographies
Availability of materials elsewhere in the region

It must be remembered that since any item probably has something in it that is objectionable to somebody, there would be few materials in the library if selectors tried to choose only items to which there could be no possible objections.

Fiction
In selecting fiction, whether it is book, audiocassette, or CD, the library has set up no arbitrary single standard of literary quality. Since an attempt is made to satisfy a public varying greatly in educational and social background and taste, competent, pleasing and successful novels in varied categories are chosen. Due attention is paid to maintaining a basic collection of standard novels, the classics and semi-classics of world literature and the works of great novelists of the past.
Among criteria used in the selection of fiction are:

Plausible plot and good plot development
Effective characterization
Imaginative writing and originality
Appropriate level for the age that it is intended
Literary merit
Accurate descriptions of the particular era or country in which it is set
Ability to sustain the reader's interest
Significant contributions in a new or special way if a new edition or translation.

Materials are judged on the basis of the content as a whole rather than on isolated passages or incidents. Inclusion is the basis of the library's selection policy. That is, the Director and staff seek reasons to include materials rather than reasons to keep them out. Hence, language, situations, subjects and story-lines which may be offensive to some do not disqualify an item which has value as a whole or which is useful to library patrons generally.

Videocassettes and DVDs
The selection of videos follows the same standards as for print material, however, videos are recognized to have some fundamental differences, and should be evaluated accordingly. Video programs are evaluated as a whole and not on the basis of particular scenes or segments. Some videos may be judged primarily on artistic merit or documentation of the times, etc. In a few instances, the criterion for inclusion in the collection may be substantial demand. As with print material, videos are selected to satisfy the recreational and informational needs of the community. Review sources such as Library Journal, Booklist, and Video Librarian are especially helpful when selecting nonfiction titles.
Criteria for consideration are:

Is of present and potential relevance to community needs
Provides insight into human and social needs
Accurately presents factual information
Satisfies public demand resulting from the attention of critics and reviews
Provides high quality performances and accurate content
Is produced with technical skill
Provides a presentation most effectively delivered by the video format
Provides information or presentation that is unique to or only available in the format
Currency and timeliness of the material
Commercialism should be minimal, not distracting from theme or content

Sound Recordings
For the purpose of this policy, sound recordings means books on audiocassette or CD. Most of the library's collection of books on tape consists of unabridged audiocassette titles. The Acquisitions Librarian attempts to read reviews before purchasing these tapes because the voice of the narrator, or the sound quality, is very important to the listener when the book is significantly long. Audiocassette titles are purchased from reviews in Publisher's Weekly, Library Journal, AudioFile and Kliatt. The abridged books on tape are mostly bestseller titles. The library now has a growing collection of books on CD. These are both abridged and unabridged titles. The collection contains fiction and non-fiction titles that parallel most areas of the general collection. Effort is made to select on a variety of topics and to appeal to a variety of interests.

Music
Music titles are selected to provide examples of the best recordings in a variety of musical styles; classical, semi-classical, popular, folk, jazz, ethnic, rap, etc. A representative sampling of the works of major composers from all periods of music history is acquired, as are recordings of major performers both instrumental and vocal. The library has a small collection of music on audiocassettes. Because of the popularity and durability of CDs, most of the music collection is on compact discs.

CD-ROMs
The library has a growing collection of recreational and instructional titles on CD-ROM. These have proven to be very popular due to the increasing popularity of home computers.

New Reader
This collection is designed for adults who are beginning to read, and for tutors who are involved in the library's literacy program. The collection includes fiction and non-fiction and it is meant to be both recreational and instructional. It is housed in the main library.

Foreign Languages
The library maintains a collection of non-English language books that provides reading material for people proficient in a language by birthright or by study. The collection has many titles in Spanish, French, and German, the three languages most commonly taught in schools. Smaller collections of Greek, Italian, Russian, Finnish, Hebrew, Latin, Norwegian, and Swedish are also maintained.

A substantial collection of books in Chinese and Vietnamese has been purchased to help serve the growing Asian population in the city. Requests for more specialized material are referred to the Boston Public Library's extensive foreign language collections.

The library owns a fairly extensive collection of foreign language learning audiocassettes, videocassettes, CDs, and CD-ROMS. The TCPL also has an English as a Second Language audiocassette collection for people learning English from Cambodian, Mandarin, Spanish, Cantonese, etc.

Children's Materials
The library's selection policy applies equally to children's materials and adult materials. It is important, however, to note some aspects specifically related to children's materials. The children's collection is designed to meet the needs and interests of children newborn through age twelve and adults working with them.

Age is a determining factor in selecting children's materials. Reading level, interest level, appropriate format and treatment of the subject for the intended audience are all considered. Formats may include, but are not limited to: "board" books, small size books printed on sturdy cardboard for the youngest children; picture books with many illustrations which for preschoolers contribute to the understanding of the story; beginning readers, short, simple stories with bold clearly printed text for emergent readers; short novels or "chapter books" for transitional readers in grades three and four; novels for children through age twelve in which emphasis is placed on material for voluntary reading. Paperback books supplement the collection and are often duplicates of hardcover titles. Popular though ephemeral titles are also purchased in paperbacks.

Non-fiction materials are included for all ages with an emphasis placed on timeliness and accuracy. Materials are selected that serve as complements to, not substitutes for, classroom and media center materials. Textbooks are purchased only when coverage of the material is not available elsewhere. Materials in the reference collection include: general encyclopedias, which are updated regularly; special interest encyclopedias in areas such as science, geography and wildlife, which are updated periodically; ready reference tools, bibliographies, indexes, atlases and collective biographies are also included. Vertical file materials supplement this collection with local history materials and information on other hard to find topics.

Audiovisual materials are selected based on the same criteria as print materials. Current formats include filmstrips, audiotapes, videotapes, compact discs and CD-ROM. New formats are added as they become available and obsolete formats, phonograph records, for example, are discarded.

Magazines are selected for recreational as well as informational use. Heavily used and popular interest titles such as Baby Bug and American Girl are only retained for one year while informational titles such as Cobblestone and Muse are retained longer. Special format materials, such as Braille, signed English, large print, and bilingual books are purchased for use by children with particular needs.

The Professional Collection is a circulating collection of materials of special interest to children's librarians, parents and teachers of young children. The collection includes materials on children's literature, curriculum development and programming for young children.

Children have access to the entire library collection (see ALA's Free Access to Libraries for Minors: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights). While staff is encouraged to guide children's choices of reading matter, it is the responsibility of parents or guardians to define their reading.

Young Adult Materials
The library tries to keep up with the leisure reading interests of today's young adults. The Acquisitions Librarian and the Coordinator of Children's Services read the young adult reviews in various professional sources and purchase those hard cover titles that are highly recommended. Young adults prefer paperbacks, so most books are purchased in that format and ordered with plastic cover-ups that prolong their life considerably. For many years, there has been collaboration with the Quincy School Department's Director of Curriculum for the selection of recommended summer reading list titles for all grades. The TCPL purchases at least one copy of each title on the list and tries to have a good selection available at each branch.

Reference Collection
Selection of new reference materials is the responsibility of the Head of Reference, with input from the reference staff. Reference material is designed to be consulted for items of information rather than read thoughout. Reference Sources for Small and Medium Sized Libraries (ALA) is used to help identify and maintain a core collection at TCPL. Reference books not included in basic bibliographies are selected from reviews in professional journals. Collection development will follow identified needs of the City of Quincy and the SEMLS communities, with special emphasis on our collections in careers and employment, law, and business. Standing orders are maintained for books with regular editions such as almanacs, directories, government manuals and yearbooks; at least two sets of encyclopedias are updated yearly. Prior years of regularly updated materials are transferred to branches or offered to the region. We rely on Boston Public Library, Norfolk Law Library and others to retain historic volumes of reference materials in many cases, but we are committed to keeping all back years of commonly used items such as city directories and Moody's Manuals. A vertical file of clippings and pamphlets of local interest is maintained by the reference staff.

Quincy Room
The library acknowledges a particular interest in Quincy history. Books, pamphlets and other material relevant to the history of Quincy are purchased for this collection. The Quincy Room contains material about the history of Quincy, its industries and its residents. Local history in Quincy, home of two presidents, naturally generates a great deal of interest. In regard to the Adams family, the Quincy Room offers a representative selection of works by and about them. The major Adams research library, located in Boston at the Massachusetts Historical Society, houses a comprehensive Adams library including over 300,000 manuscript pages of diaries, letters, etc. The personal libraries of John Quincy Adams and Charles Francis Adams are housed at the Quincy Mansion. John Adams' personal library, once housed at the Thomas Crane Library, now rests at the Boston Public Library. While some local biographical and geographical books are kept in the reference department to facilitate patron inquiries, all titles are duplicated in the Quincy Room. A collection of books by local authors is also housed in this room. All Quincy Room material is non-circulating by order of the Trustees.

Parker Collection
This collection was added to the library in 1944 when the city council made a special appropriation of $2400 to purchase the unique collection of Warren S. Parker. Mr. Parker was an avid student of Quincy history and his position as City Building Inspector gave him access to records not ordinarily available. At the core of the collection are the lantern slides (over 2,000 of them) which Mr. Parker used in giving his illustrated lectures. There are also negatives, prints, extensive notes, newspaper clippings, deeds, indexes, and other miscellaneous material.

Periodicals and Newspapers
The library subscribes to 13 newspapers and approximately 240 magazines. Online databases funded by the SouthEastern Massachusetts Library System, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, and the Old Colony Library Network enable patrons to search hundreds of periodicals and newspapers. Many are full text articles that patrons can print or download onto floppy disks or their home computers. The periodical collection is reviewed annually for additions and deletions.

Microfilm
Because the library allows periodicals from 1991 on to circulate, microfilm is often necessary as a backup. The reference department has holdings of 134 periodical titles on microfilm, five of which are newspaper subscriptions. Standing orders have been placed for most of these titles to insure the automatic and prompt receipt of new reels as they become available. The microfilm collection is made up of 35mm, both positive and negative film.

Gifts
The library welcomes gifts of books and other library materials with the understanding that it will evaluate them in accordance with the criteria applied to purchased materials. When the library receives a cash gift for the purchase of a memorial book, the Acquisitions Librarian or the Children's Supervisor in consultation with the donor will make the selection. The name of the donor or person memorialized may be entered on a bookplate or attached to the item as is fitting. The library is under no obligation to accept, acknowledge, or return unsolicited materials sent through the mail (as per U.S. Code, Title 39, Sec. 3009) and may dispose of such merchandise in any manner it "sees fit without any obligation whatsoever to the sender."

Use, Maintenance and Review
Library materials are not marked or labeled to show approval or disapproval of the contents. No book or other item is sequestered except for the purpose of protecting it from injury or theft. The library aims to give vitality, purpose and relevancy to the entire collection by replacement of worn materials with fresh editions and outdated subject treatments with new titles on a regular basis. The same criteria will be used in weeding materials from the collection as are used in their acquisition. The decision to withdraw library material shall be based on the physical condition, use of the material as determined by the last date of loan, or by number of loans in the last five years, and the age of the material as a misinformation factor, especially in the area of technology.

Materials no longer useful to the library may be given to other libraries or sold for the benefit of the library. The library aims to concentrate each year on at least one area of the collection, evaluating it against bibliographies, standard lists, and subject guides, and bolstering it with needed works from current publications. The library will review decisions regarding specific materials upon written request. A form for this purpose is available at the circulation desk. However, the library resists at all times the efforts of any individuals or organizations to dictate purchase or the removal of so-called objectionable materials from the shelves.

Adopted by vote of the Library Board of Trustees, March 10, 2003