Policies

Collection Development Policy

Pender County Library maintains an attractive, up-to-date, and useful collection that supports the mission and roles of the library while providing a wide array of titles and formats on many topics. The Collection Development Policy is the guiding philosophy that provides the basis for the systematic development of the library's collection. The policy serves the following functions:

• Clarifies the relationships among the Library Advisory Board of Trustees, the library staff, and the community, and establishes their respective responsibilities in selecting materials.
• Establishes guidance for the materials selection team that ensures consistency in selecting responsive collections.
• Provides patrons with information regarding selection and withdrawal principles.
• Provides information on the library's commitment to developing a materials collection that reflects the community's needs.

The Library Advisory Board of Trustees delegates the authority and responsibility for selecting library materials to the library director, who may in turn delegate to library staff who are trained in selecting materials. Titles are considered according to existing budget and space constraints and the following selection or acceptance criteria:

• Current and anticipated needs and interests of a continuously growing and changing community.
• Suitability of reading level, interest, and treatment of subject for intended audience.
• Relationship to existing collection.
• Positive reviews and/or awards.
• Reputation/significance of the author, illustrator, editor, publisher, producer, or performer.
• Price of material.
• Clarity, readability, visual appeal, production quality, or ease of use.
• Accuracy and currency of information.
• Contemporary significance or permanent value of the material.
• Availability of materials elsewhere in the community, or via InterLibrary Loan.

The above selection criteria are not listed in order of importance, and the number and weight of applicable criteria may vary in a selection decision. Selection of a given item for the library's collection should not be interpreted as an endorsement of a particular point of view.

The public library is a place where people of all ages and all points of view can find information on issues of importance and interest to themselves. Parents and guardians are responsible for overseeing their children's exposure to and use of materials, including online resources and the internet.

The library provides a formal review process to enable eligible cardholders to communicate their comments concerning materials to library staff and the Library Advisory Board of Trustees. Items may only be formally reviewed once every twelve months unless specific new information is provided which would prompt further action. An individual patron may request reconsideration of no more than three items in any twelve-month period. Anyone requesting reconsideration of an item must have been a library cardholder for at least 30 days and be in good standing. A patron is considered in good standing if they have no outstanding fines, no overdue or lost materials, no history of repeatedly losing or damaging materials, and no significant violations of the library’s code of conduct. Materials undergoing a formal request for reconsideration will remain in the collection pending final action. The Library Advisory Board of Trustees retains responsibility for the final decision in requests for reconsideration.

The Library welcomes donated items that meet the same criteria as purchased materials. The library retains unconditional ownership of donated material and makes the final decision on the material's acceptance, use, and disposition.

Materials that are worn, outdated, or no longer in demand are removed on a systematic and continuous basis. Individual items deleted from the Materials Collection shall not require prior approval. These items shall be offered at public sale by a Friends of the Library group dedicated to supporting one or more Pender County Library location or by an authorized third party. Discarded items may also be donated to another publicly funded entity or a non-profit organization.

Adopted by the Pender County Library Advisory Board of Trustees, July 26, 2000.

Revised and adopted by the Pender County Library Advisory Board of Trustees, November 18, 2024.