I. Mission

The Boca Raton Public Library provides quality library services and resources necessary to meet the educational, recreational, cultural, business, and other informational needs of its users. The Library is committed to providing information in all appropriate formats and shall select and organize its resources to benefit persons of all ages and abilities.

II. Definitions

Collection Development includes the planning, evaluating, selecting, acquiring, and weeding of the Library's collections.

Library materials include, but are not limited to, the following; books, periodicals, reference works, newspapers, microfilm, audiocassettes, CDs, DVDs, videos, large print materials, CD-ROM software, online databases, the Internet, and new formats as they evolve.

Weeding is the regular, ongoing, and systematic evaluation process whereby Library materials are withdrawn from the collection based on specific criteria such as being outdated, worn, damaged, and/or duplicated.

III. Objectives

Boca Raton Public Library strives to select, organize, preserve and make freely and easily available printed and other materials that will aid all individuals in the community in the pursuit of information, education, research, recreation, culture, and in the creative use of leisure time. The primary goal of collection development is to provide the best possible collection with the financial resources available. The decision to select any item for the collection is based on demand, anticipated need, and the effort to maintain a wide and balanced collection. In addition, roles for materials and services are reviewed on a regular basis by staff, thus aiding in the overall process of materials selection.

The Library patron is an important part of the selection process. An individual request from a patron for a title is usually honored if the request conforms to the guidelines outlined in this policy statement. Request forms are found at public service locations in the Library and on the Library's web site.

The Library strives to maintain materials representing all sides of an issue in a neutral, unbiased manner. Selection of materials by the Library does not mean endorsement of the contents or views expressed in those materials. The existence of a particular viewpoint in the collection is an expression of the Library's policy of intellectual freedom, not an endorsement of that particular point of view. The Library provides service to all within the framework of its rules and regulations and does not knowingly discriminate in its materials selection regarding race, creed, sex, occupation or financial position.

The Boca Raton Public Library endorses the Library Bill of Rights, the Freedom to Read and the Freedom to View statements of the American Library Association, as well as the Boca Raton Public Library Internet Use Policy.

IV. Selection Criteria

Library materials are selected on the basis of informational, educational, cultural, and recreational value. The following general criteria are also used in selecting materials for addition to the collection:

• Authority, accuracy, and artistic quality
• Cost, budgetary, and spatial constraints
• Current appeal and popular demand
• Importance and value to the collection and to Library users
• Local interest
• Positive review from a professional journal
• Significance of the subject matter

V. Responsibility for Selection

The ultimate responsibility for materials selection and the development of the Library collection rests with the Manager of Library Services, who operates within the framework of policies determined by the Boca Raton Mayor and City Council, the City Manager, and the Code of City Ordinances. Professional Library staff under the general supervision of the Manager accomplishes the actual selection of materials.

VI. Formats of Materials

Materials may be available in a variety of formats. Factors governing the choice of format include anticipated use, storage requirements, ease of access, cost, and the format of earlier editions. When all other factors are equal, ease of access by the public shall be the primary consideration.

VII. Gifts, Memorials, and Donations

The Library accepts gifts and donations, and will gladly purchase memorials. The Library reserves the right to evaluate all gifts, donations, and memorial requests in accordance with the criteria applied to purchased materials. Items that do not meet the Library s objectives and policies may be refused, sold or otherwise disposed. No other conditions may be imposed relating to any gift, donation, or memorial either before or after its acceptance by the Library. Bookplates shall be provided for memorials, and a letter will be sent to the donor as well as notification to the donee.

VIII. Weeding or Withdrawal of Materials

The withdrawal of materials from the collection, also called weeding, is an ongoing process directly related to collection development. Materials that are outdated, worn, damaged, and/or duplicated may be removed from the collection. The professional staff of the Library, under the direction and supervision of the Manager of Library Services, will be solely responsible for the weeding of the collection.

IX. Access

The Boca Raton Public Library recognizes that full, confidential, and unrestricted access to information is essential for patrons to exercise their rights as citizens. The Library believes that reading, listening, and viewing are individual, private matters. While patrons are free to select or reject materials for themselves or their own minor children, the freedom of others to read or inquire cannot be restricted. The Library does not stand in loco parentis. Parents and guardians, not the Library, have the responsibility to guide and direct the reading, listening, and viewing choices of their own minor children. Selection of materials shall not be inhibited by the possibility that children may utilize the items.

The Library collection will be organized and maintained to facilitate access. No materials will be labeled, restricted, sequestered, or altered because of any controversy about the author, subject matter, or intended or potential audience.

X. Concerns and Requests

The Boca Raton Public Library considers all materials selected under this policy to be constitutionally protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. If a patron claims that a particular item is not constitutionally protected, the burden of proof rests with the patron.

Any individual who desires may express his or her objections to particular library materials by completing a "Patron Request for Reconsideration of a Work" form. After the form is completed, it will be referred to the Collection Development Librarian who will evaluate the original reasons for the purchase of the material. The professional staff will consider whether the material meets the selection criteria outlined in this policy. The patron will receive a response from the Collection Development team concerning the disposition of the request; if the patron wishes further or different action, he/she has two weeks to appeal in writing to the Manager of Library Services. The Manager of Library Services will then respond in writing to the patron.

Revised 12/2006