The Graves County Public Library will provide all individuals in the community with books and other materials to assist the individual in the pursuit of education, information, research, enjoyment, and the creative use of leisure time.
The Library Bill of Rights and The Freedom to Read Statement have been endorsed by the Graves County Public Library Board of Trustees and are integral parts of the policy.
The materials selection/collection development policy, like all other policies, will be reviewed and/or revised as the need arises.
The ultimate responsibility for selection of library materials rests with the library director who operates within the framework of the policies determined by the Graves County Public Library Board of Trustees. This responsibility may be shared with other members of the library staff; however, because the director must be available to answer to the library board and the general public for actual selections made, the director has the authority to reject or select any item contrary to the recommendations of the staff.
Criteria for Selection:
Materials will be selected based on patron’s requests, positive reviews in professional journals, or actual examination and evaluation of materials. Popular genres (romance, Christian fiction, westerns, etc.) are placed on a standing order list to ensure timely delivery.
Selection of materials are:
Individual merit of each item
Popular appeal/demand
Suitability of material for the clientele
Existing library holdings
Budget
Price and availability
Authority and accuracy
Relevance to the existing collections’ strengths and weaknesses
Relevance to the history of Graves County, Mayfield, and the state of Kentucky
Format
Reviews
Reviews are a major source of information about new materials. The primary source(s) of reviews is (are)
Publisher’s Weekly
Best Seller lists
The American Library AssociationPublisher's and jobbers catalogs
Patron requests
Newspapers, radio, TV, & other media publicity
Internet sources
Standard lists
The lack of a review or an unfavorable review shall not be the sole reason for rejecting a title that is in demand. Consideration is given to requests from library patrons and material discussed on public media. Materials are judged on the basis of the work as a whole, not on a part taken out of context.
Electronic Sources for Collection:
The Graves County Public Library is part of Kentucky Libraries Unbound, a consortium of Kentucky Public Libraries powered by OverDrive. This consortium provides electronic books as well as a variety of audio/visual materials to GCPL patrons for download loans. Each library in the consortium selects materials based on their own adopted criteria. Materials purchased by GCPL are selected by the Director based the on materials selection criteria.
The Graves County Public Library subscribes to Hoopla an electronic database for downloadable electronic books, music, audio/visual, and graphic novel materials to GCPL patrons. Materials are provided by Hoopla with no input from the Graves County Public Library.
Duplication and Multiple Copies:
The library will acquire multiple copies of an item when demand warrants the purchase. Demand for individual items is monitored and additional copies are purchased to meet the demand. The Director will determine when additional copies are needed.
Self-Published Materials:
In most cases, the library will not purchase self-published materials that are not reviewed in established review journals. Exceptions may be made for self-published materials of local interest that meet selection criteria of the collection policy.
Interlibrary Loan:
In the development of its collection, the library recognizes that it is impossible for a medium-sized public library to provide a balanced, comprehensive collection that is strong enough to meet all community needs. The Graves County Public Library cannot expect to fill every patron request from its own shelves. Libraries are being used more than ever before and more is being printed and produced. Therefore, the Graves County Public Library supplements its resources with materials borrowed from other libraries. The purpose of Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is to assist the library in meeting patron demands for materials that lie outside the scope of the library’s collection. Interlibrary Loan, however, is not a substitute for the development of adequate collections based on the needs of the library’s service area and patron. In addition, when areas in the collection are inadequate to meet regular patron demand (i.e. subject areas, or a particular author or series that is still in print) purchases are made to correct the situation rather than relying on ILL. The ILL Librarian will note such needs and will convey the collection needs to the Director.
Weeding/Deselection of Materials: Materials that no longer meet the needs of the community and no longer support the library’s collection will be withdrawn and disposed of in accordance with the library’s “Collection Weeding” policy.