Collection Development (Adopted October 26, 2006. Revised February 23, 2012; July 27, 2017; August 27, 2020)
Mission Statement
The mission of the Orrville Public Library is to:
- provide contemporary high-interest materials,
- supply information for lifelong learning,
- offer a gateway to outside resources,
- stimulate young children's interest in reading and learning, and
- supplement the educational needs of school-age children.
Community Served
The library was instituted in 1925 and became a school district library to the residents of the Orrville City School District. We are committed to providing service to people of all ages, education, religious beliefs, economic level, ethnic origin, and sexual orientation.
Resource Sharing
Though Orrville Public Library serves a small town, the library offers rich resources through membership in CLEVNET. In 1985, Orrville Public Library joined the consortium to supplement the collection. The consortium offers an integrated library system (SIRSI), technology support, electronic databases, and training. CLEVNET is composed of 43 library systems in 12 counties of northern Ohio with combined holdings of over 12 million
When CLEVNET’s collection is insufficient to patron needs, materials from library collections throughout the country can be acquired for Orrville Public Library patrons through InterLibrary Loan Service. Charges may apply depending on fees to mail items from the loaning library.
Collection Development Philosophy
Orrville Public Library’s collection is intended to meet the civic, educational, informational, cultural, and recreational needs of its users through a wide variety of print and non-print materials. The library strives to provide a collection that also balances viewpoints across a broad spectrum of opinion and subject matter. Collection development at Orrville Public Library is founded on the principles of intellectual freedom and equal access for all. The library supports the individual choice and judgment of its users in seeking information and upholds the American Library Association’s Freedom to Read Statement (copy follows).
Collection Responsibility
Selection of library materials is made by qualified staff responsible for Collection Development; this includes the Director and other professional staff who are qualified by reason of education and training. Staff will be responsible for purchasing materials that creates a collection that reflects the interests of all its patrons.
Staff compiles monthly use statistics for all parts of the collection for the purpose of analyzing usage patterns and evaluating collection needs. These notes are reviewed every month by department heads and the Director. Patron suggestions are recorded and passed to the selection team. Within the limits of our budget, every effort shall be made to maintain a collection of high quality materials that represent a variety of points of view.
Any library material so selected shall be held to have been approved by the Board of Trustees.
Materials Selection Criteria
In order to invest the library’s funds wisely in its efforts to serve the needs of the community, the following criteria are considered:
Relationship to the collection*
- Authority, accuracy, and objectivity of information
- Literary, educational, informational or recreational value
- Reviews in professional literature
- Overall balance of collection
- Timeliness, social significance or permanence of value
- Popular interest or demand
- Extent to which subject is represented in current collection or within CLEVNET holdings
- Readability or literacy style
- Community need
- Cost and availability
- Physical durability of format for library purpose
- Inclusion in standard bibliographies & indexes
*Works by local authors of regional interest may be given special consideration
Collection Maintenance
In order to maintain a vital, current collection that meets the needs of the community, examination and evaluation of materials is an ongoing process. When library materials lose the value for which they were originally selected, they may be withdrawn.
Staff use the following criteria in choosing retention or withdrawal of items:
- Relevance to community need/inherent value
- Accuracy of information (obsolete, misleading or outdated)
- Number of copies in the collection
- Circulation statistics
- Physical condition of material
- Space availability
Gifts, including memorial items, are subject to these withdrawal and replacement policies.
Removal of Materials from Collection
The physical restraints of the library require that some items are discarded to make room for new or replacement materials. All decisions to discard are made by a member of the library professional staff. Weeding of materials will be based on the Crew Guidelines.
Items withdrawn from the collection are plainly marked and may be donated to the Friends of the Library for sale.
Patron Requests
The library welcomes patron interest in the collection and will seriously consider all requests that specific materials be acquired. The library is under no obligation to fill any particular request if not deemed suitable to the collection. Patron requests will be reviewed using the Materials Selection Criteria.
Donations
Donations of materials in any format must meet the criteria used for selection before being added to the collection. Memorial and gift books must also meet selection criteria, including necessity to the collection. The library reserves the right to accept or refuse conditions placed upon gifts of materials or funds.
Intellectual Freedom
Orrville Public Library believes in freedom of information for all and does not practice censorship. This principle applies to all formats in the Orrville Public Library collection. Some materials are controversial and may offend some patrons. Selections are not made on the basis of disapproval but on the merits of the material and collection needs. Exclusion of materials may occur because of cost, accessibility, and lack of demand, but not solely on the basis of language, content, viewpoint, or other matters.
Parents or legal guardians are responsible for monitoring materials used by their children.
The Board declares that it adopts and will support and be guided by the American Library Association (ALA) Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read Statement.
Requests for Reconsideration
A formal process has been developed to assure that complaints and request for reconsideration are handled in an attentive and consistent manner. A “Request for Reconsideration of Library Material” form is available for such issues. The completed form will be referred to the Director. A review procedure will follow. The Director will report the outcome of the review to the petitioner in a timely manner. If the complainant is not satisfied, they may request it to be reviewed by a committee of the Director, one staff member, and two board members. If the complainant is still not satisfied, they may request that the Library Board review the request. Any decision of the Library Board of Trustees will be final.
Collection Overview
In keeping with the library’s role as a center of lifelong learning in the community, the library’s collection includes a variety of formats with materials that cover general and specific topics that are of interest to the community.
Children’s Collection
The Children’s Department serves children from birth to 12 years, as well as adults working with children. The collection includes both print and non-print materials. Children’s recreational and educational needs are considered in purchasing all materials. Extra consideration is given to topics covered by the Orrville City Schools. Every effort is made to provide topical materials on a variety of reading levels.
The Children’s Department video collection only contains DVDs that are rated “G” / (TV Y7) or that are not rated but generally considered appropriate for children 12 and under.
YA Collection
The Young Adult collection includes fiction and non-fiction books, graphic novels, audio-books, express music CDs, and periodicals. Target audience for this collection is students in grades 6-12. The items in the young adult area fill recreational and informational needs. Efforts are made to include materials that support the school curriculum. A special “Summer Reading” collection is maintained to provide titles recommended by teachers for student reading assignments.
Adult Fiction
The library’s fiction collection is made up of popular and literary fiction based on community interest and positive book reviews. The collection contains many genres including, but not limited to, fantasy, inspirational, family reading, mystery, romance, science fiction, and westerns. Books are selected in regular and large print.
Adult Non-Fiction
The library has a balanced, up-to-date circulating collection of authoritative, well-recognized books in multiple fields for the general reader. Websites, databases, and other electronic resources complement the in-house collection. Books are selected in regular and large print.
Reference Materials
Reference materials are intended for use only in the building and are not available to be circulated. They are used to provide quick answers or as a primary source of information for frequently asked questions. Examples are dictionaries, atlases, encyclopedias, financial and investment resources, and business directories.
Reference materials that become outdated or worn may be discarded from the collection at the discretion of the librarians. New editions are purchased when deemed necessary based on available funds and relevancy to collection need.
Non-print Materials
The library acknowledges the popularity of many different formats of audio-visual and other non-print materials for both learning and entertainment. The same criteria for print materials are used when purchasing non-print materials. The collection contains many formats including, but not limited to, DVDs, Music CDs, Audio Books, Playaways, mobile data devices, and downloadable media. As the formats and technology change, the library will make adjustments based on community needs and funding.
Periodicals
The Orrville Public Library subscribes to approximately 134 titles to serve the needs of a variety of age groups and interests. The library’s selection criterion is applied equally to periodical selection. Titles are evaluated annually using circulation statistics and new magazine titles are considered.
Local History Collection
Items are purchased if they relate to the Orrville community. Items in the collection include non-fiction, reference, periodicals, newspapers, microfilm, and DVDs. The collection also encompasses genealogical resources and materials on some surrounding communities.