Mission Statement
The mission of the Field Memorial Public Library is to serve the educational, informational, cultural and recreational needs of the community as a whole and to ensure every citizen’s freedom to access all library resources.
Collection Development Policy Purpose
The purpose of the collection development policy is to provide guidelines for acquisition and withdrawal decisions, the allocation of resources, and strategic planning in accordance with the library’s mission statement to establish a collection of works that meets the educational, recreational, and business needs of the community. This policy is developed in accordance with Massachusetts General Law Chapter 78 Section 33.
The library seeks to provide a welcoming environment, a qualified staff, a wide variety of materials in all formats, programs for patrons of all ages and access to current technology. In so doing, the library subscribes to the principles in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, the Library Bill of Rights adopted by the American Library Association, and the Freedom to Read Statement of the American Library Association and the American Book Publisher’s Council.
Responsibility for Selection
Ultimate responsibility for materials selection rests with the Director who works within the framework of policies as established by the Board of Trustees. The selection of materials is the responsibility of the library director and the library staff under the director’s supervision.
Criteria for Selection
Materials will be selected to meet the informational, educational, and recreational needs and interests of the community. Materials will represent a variety of viewpoints on current and historical issues. Staff will select materials in a variety of formats using published reviews, professional and trade publications, and patron requests and recommendations. General
selection criteria for all materials includes:
- anticipated and popular demand
- accuracy and currency of information
- age appropriateness
- cost
- historical significance
- literary and/or artistic merit
- significance of the author
- the strengths and weaknesses of the existing collection
An item need not meet all these criteria to be selected. Local authors, self-published materials, and patron requests will be evaluated based on the above selection criteria as well as the availability of materials in the CWMARS Library Network.
Resource Sharing
The Field Memorial Library is a member of CW MARS, an automated resource sharing network of public, academic, school, and special libraries covering a wide geographic area. For patrons with needs beyond the local library and the Network system, interlibrary loan allows access to materials in libraries throughout the Commonwealth and the rest of the United States through cooperative interlibrary loan agreements. The library does not have control over the content of certain electronic collections, including those administered by Network or the state, or over materials that may be available through interlibrary loan from other libraries.
Collection Maintenance and Weeding
A strong collection requires ongoing evaluation and maintenance. Materials will regularly be weeded from the collection based on the following criteria:
- outdated or superseded
- infrequent use
- physical condition
- relevance
Replacements and updated editions are purchased when warranted. Discarded materials may be sold, donated, or recycled as the library determines. Standards for materials withdrawal are detailed in the CREW Manual.
Gifts/Donations
The Field Memorial Library welcomes gifts of funds and materials to enrich the collection New or used donated materials are subject to the same criteria as purchased materials. Gifts of materials are accepted with the understanding that they may be utilized or disposed of at the Library’s discretion. Monetary gifts will be applied to the selection of materials by the director in consultation with library staff and the donor as appropriate. The Library reserves the right to determine the use and disposition of all gifts unconditionally.
Reconsideration of Material
Any resident of Conway and an active CWMARS card holder who wishes the Library to reconsider the acquisition or removal of an item opened by the Library must fill out a
“Request for Reconsideration of Material” form stated below. These forms are available at the desk. Each household may submit one Reconsideration form at a time, for one title per form.
The request is reviewed by the Director. The Director will issue a response. If the complainant is not satisfied, they may appeal to the Board of Trustees. The decision of the Board is final. A title will be reviewed by the Board of Trustees only once within a five-year period unless the content has undergone major revisions, or at the discretion of the Library Director or the Library Board of Trustees.
Approved by the Field Memorial Library Board of Trustees, 11-20-2023
Appendices
Library Bill of Rights:
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill
Freedom to Read Statement:
http://www.ala.org/offices/oif/statementspols/ftrstatement/freedomreadstatement
People’s Right to Libraries:
http://www.njla.org/content/peoples-rights-libraries
The First Amendment:
http://www.ala.org/offices/oif/firstamendment/firstamendment
CREW Manual:
Library Home Page 