Collection Development Policy

General principles

The Baxter Memorial Library supports the American Library Association Library Bill of Rights, and the Freedom to Read and Freedom to View Statements. The library provides unrestricted access to items in a variety of formats and expects users to make their own choices as to what they use. Responsibility for a child's use of library items lies with his or her parent or guardian.

In addition to these guiding principles, purchasing decisions take into account budgetary limitations and the library's participation in the Minerva consortium. As members of the consortium, we are required to maintain a strong and updated collection. The availability of items within the consortium may be taken into account when making purchasing decisions.

Scope of collection

The Baxter Memorial Library provides items in a variety of formats: print and non-print. Decisions about which format is acquired depend on published availability, the suitability of any particular medium for its content, and our materials budget. We strive to maintain an up-to-date online catalog of our items.

Criteria for selection

Purchasing decisions are the responsibility of the Library Director and his/her designee(s), each of whom uses standard library selection tools and additional resources to identify items of value to the library's collections. Suggestions from staff and the public are welcomed and considered.

Gifts of potential library items, in any format, will be reviewed and added to the collection at the discretion of the Library Director or his/her designee(s). We do not accept items donated conditionally; e.g. items donated with the understanding that they either be added to the collection or returned to the donor. If, for any reason, a donated item is not added to the collection it may be included in the library's book sales, donated to another entity, or discarded completely, at the discretion of the Library Director or his/her designee(s).

Employees and members of the Board of Trustees shall not give appraisals of the monetary value of donated items. Donors desiring to claim tax deductions for the value of donated items shall retain an independent appraiser.

Minerva and Interlibrary loan

The Baxter Memorial Library is a member of the statewide MINERVA consortium which has over 60 member libraries. This membership allows our patrons access to the collections of member libraries through inter-Minerva lending. The Baxter Memorial Library also provides access to items not available through Minerva by utilizing standard interlibrary loan practices.

Weeding, storage and withdrawal

Decisions about keeping materials as part of the active collection depend on the amount of space available, the condition of the item, its relevance to our collection, whether the information it contains is still current or of value, whether there is a better format available, how many copies of the item are available within the consortium, and how often it is used.

Items withdrawn from the collection may be included in the library's book sales, donated to another entity, or discarded completely at the discretion of the Library Director or his/her designee(s).

Reconsideration of a library item

We recognize that some individuals may object to items in our collection. If an individual has concerns about a particular library item or items, that person should address them to the Library Director. Individuals wishing to have an item's inclusion in the library's collection reconsidered may be asked by the Director to complete a Request for Reconsideration of a Library Item form. The Library Director will respond to all requests for reconsideration.

Recommended by the Board of Library Trustees
May 7, 2015
Approved by the Gorham Town Council
July 7, 2015