Collection Development and Maintenance Policy
PURPOSE
This Collection Development and Maintenance Policy serves to articulate the principles and criteria that guide the Canton Public Library staff in selection and withdrawal of library materials and to inform the public about those standards.
No library can reasonably acquire all published materials, nor can it keep all purchased materials indefinitely. This policy shall guide library staff in the selection and withdrawal of library materials within the financial and physical space constraints of the library.
As part of this policy, the Canton Public Library subscribes to and affirms the Library Bill of Rights and its interpretations, the Intellectual Freedom Statement, the Freedom to Read Statement, and the Freedom to View Statement adopted by the American Library Association.
Per Public Act 25-168 Sec. 322f, any librarian or staff member of a public library who, in good faith, implements these policies shall be immune from any liability, civil or criminal, that might otherwise be incurred or imposed and shall have the same immunity with respect to any judicial proceeding that results from such implementation.
GOAL OF MATERIALS SELECTION
The mission of the Canton Public Library is to provide a vibrant, welcoming, accessible space to enhance community connection, enrich lifelong learning, and promote a dynamic exchange of ideas for all residents in all stages of life.
In keeping with this mission statement, the library collection is developed to meet the needs, interests, and enlightenment of people of all ages who live in or pay taxes in the town of Canton, Connecticut.
As described in the Cooperation With Other Libraries policy, the Canton Public Library is able to obtain materials from other libraries through the Library Connection consortium and the State of Connecticut borrowIT and interlibrary loan programs. This extends the scope of the library collection through these shared resources; however, the Canton Public Library and its staff have no say in the collection development policies of other libraries.
INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM
Public libraries are places for voluntary inquiry, the dissemination of information and ideas, and promotion of free expression and free access to ideas by residents. As such, the Canton Public Library has a responsibility to provide materials presenting varied and diverse points of view in the collection as a whole. The ownership of specific materials does not constitute an endorsement by the library of the ideas or viewpoints expressed within those materials, nor does the failure to purchase an item imply the library’s disapproval of these ideas.
CONTROVERSIAL MATERIALS
The library recognizes that some materials may not be considered appropriate by all patrons. Selections will not be made based upon anticipated approval or disapproval, but by the merits of the work and relation to the collection as outlined in this policy. It is the right of the individual not to read, view, or hear materials that the individual considers objectionable, but it is never the right of a library user to deny access to library materials to others.
Library materials will not be marked in such a way as to indicate approval or disapproval of viewpoint and/or content. Items are not separated from the general collection except for the purpose of protecting them from damage or theft. In all cases, the quality of resources will be judged on the content as a whole, not by detached excerpts.
The selection of materials for the community as a whole cannot be restricted by the possibility that specific items could come to the attention of minors. Many items not suitable for children are appropriate and can be in demand by older library users. Please see the “Choice of Library Materials by Minors” section of this policy.
All library materials are evaluated and made accessible in accordance with the protections against discrimination set forth in section 46a-64 of the Connecticut General Statutes, including, but not limited to, discrimination based on race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR SELECTION
The responsibility for selecting materials for purchase and withdrawal is delegated by the Library Board of Trustees (the “Board”) to the Library Director and, under their supervision, to other staff members who are qualified for this activity by reason of training in the principles and practices of materials selection; experience; subject area expertise; and knowledge of the current collection and community needs and interests.
SOURCES FOR SELECTION
Reviews in library and publishing industry journals are primary sources for materials selection. Reputable bibliographies, booklists by recognized authorities, and the advice of competent individuals and/or entities in specific subject areas also are used. The Library also considers suggestions from library staff and the general public. Special consideration is given to books and audiovisual items created by local authors or pertaining to local history in keeping with the Collection and Usage Policy of the Margaret H. “Peg” Perry Local History Room.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
Library materials are diverse in topic, format, and other considerations. Each type of item must be considered in terms of its own merit and the audience for whom it is intended. No single set of selection criteria can be applied to all cases. Works of fiction are judged by different standards than nonfiction/informational works; in selecting fiction, it is the library’s goal to provide items which meet the needs of users of varied backgrounds, interests, and reading abilities.
In general, the selection of books and other materials for all ages will take many factors into account, including but not limited to the following:
- Currency and accuracy
- Authority, expertise, or reputation of the author/artist
- Clarity, presentation, readability/sound quality/visual quality
- Suitability of the physical format for library use
- Relevance to the existing collection and historic circulation data
- Relevance to the experiences and contributions of diverse populations
- Value based on literary or scholarly excellence and other inherent qualities considered without regard to popular demand
- Value as resource or reference material
- Anticipated public demand, interest, or need
- Critical reviews and publicity
- Budgetary considerations and physical limitations of the library building
- Availability from other sources in the area
- Special needs of library patrons for materials in accessible formats
It is the library’s goal to build a balanced collection comprising materials of popular interest as well as materials of permanent worth. Anticipated popular demand is a significant basis for selection. Conversely, many great works of scholarship and literature are keystones of modern knowledge and culture but may not necessarily be high demand items. The library will select popular-demand items as well as materials of permanent value, regardless of whether or not they will be widely used.
Purchase requests from library users are welcome. These requests are considered using the same criteria as above. The library will make every effort to obtain items that do not meet our selection criteria via Interlibrary Loan.
The library maintains a small collection of books by local authors, defined as authors who live or have lived in the town of Canton. Donated books by local authors, including self-published titles, will be considered for the library collection if they meet the library’s standards of quality. Once in the collection, they are subject to the same withdrawal criteria as other items in the collection.
MATERIALS FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS
As a rule, the Children’s Room collection contains materials best suited to the abilities and interests of library users from birth through approximately Grade 6, while teen materials are those best suited to the abilities and interests of library users from approximately Grades 7 to 12. Library materials for children and teens will be selected by professional staff who specialize in youth library services with the same care and judgment, and following the same criteria, as materials for adults.
In serving children of school age, the library’s role is to provide supplementary materials to enrich the resources available to them and their teachers through the educational system. Textbooks will not be purchased unless they constitute the best available source of information on a subject. The purchase of multiple copies must consider the usefulness of the items for general library purposes; the library will not purchase multiple copies of books or other materials specifically for use by students. Responsibility for providing materials for student use rests with the Board of Education.
CHOICE OF LIBRARY MATERIALS BY MINORS
The library recognizes the role of the parents or legal guardians in supervising the borrowing choices made by their minor children.
The library staff and Board are charged with the responsibility of providing free and equal access to library materials and services to all people. Moreover, it is impossible for them to know or predict the opinions of parents and guardians regarding the specific borrowing selections made by minor children.
Therefore, it is the policy of the Canton Public Library that parents and guardians, not the library staff or Board, are responsible for monitoring and approving borrowing of materials by their minor children. Only parents or guardians may restrict their own children from accessing or borrowing specific library materials. Parents or guardians who wish their children not to have access to certain materials should accompany or otherwise inform their children. The library staff and Board cannot and do not act in loco parentis.
GIFTS
The library accepts gifts of books and other materials without commitment as to final disposition. It assumes unconditional ownership of all items donated and retains the right to use gifts, give them to the Friends of the Canton Public Library to sell, or otherwise dispose of them as it sees fit.
Gift items added to the collection must meet the same selection criteria as do purchased materials. Materials in poor physical condition or containing out-of-date or inaccurate information will not be accepted. Duplicate copies of items already in the collection will be added only if needed. Gift materials will not be accepted with restrictions or conditions that necessitate special and separate housing, processing, or treatment. The only form of donor or memorial identification will be a gift plate.
Special consideration is given to items being donated for archival purposes in the Local History Room. Please refer to the Local History Room Collection and Usage Policy for details.
The library staff cannot appraise gifts for tax purposes, but upon request will provide a donor with a statement verifying the number and type of materials donated and accepted. Appraisals are the responsibility of the donor.
WITHDRAWING MATERIALS
Maintaining a well-rounded, vital collection necessitates not only purchasing new items, but also weeding ones that no longer meet selection criteria. Materials are regularly assessed for their condition, currency, circulation, relevance, and accuracy following standard professional guidelines. Qualified, trained staff evaluate the collection on a continuous and systematic basis in order to identify materials that should be withdrawn or replaced.
Materials withdrawn from the library collection may be offered to the Friends of the Library for their used book sales; offered to other community organizations; recycled; or disposed of, as appropriate.
The decision by an author, publisher, or other content creator to withdraw their work from the market and stop selling or publishing it will not alone be considered sufficient reason for the library to withdraw the work from its collection.
The library is prohibited by state statute from removing, excluding, or censoring any book or other material on the sole basis that an individual finds such material offensive.
DIGITAL CONTENT
Some of the Library’s digital content is provided via third-party vendors. These vendors, not library staff, use their own criteria to determine the specific titles and resources available through these services. The Library also participates in a shared collection of electronic books and other materials. Materials selection for this shared resource is cooperative among the participating libraries and is governed by its own collection development policy.
REQUESTS FOR RECONSIDERATION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS
Formal complaints about items included in the collection must be made in writing on the form provided by the library. The form must be filled out by a Canton resident.
Please see the Review and Reconsideration Policy for further information on this process.
Adopted by the Library Board of Trustees, October 14, 2009
Revised, February 9, 2022
Revised, September 10, 2025