Statement of Mission

The Potsdam Public Library provides materials, programs and services to residents of all ages in St. Lawrence County to assist in their pursuit of information and resources to meet their educational, professional and personal needs. Particular emphasis is placed on delivering quality reference services and providing popular materials of high interest to the residents of the Potsdam Central School District. The library also serves to stimulate young children's interest and appreciation for reading and learning.

Philosophy and Goals

The Board of Trustees and staff of the Potsdam Public Library affirm the following objectives:

• to serve all the people
• to provide a variety of materials and programming for informational, educational, recreational and cultural needs
• to provide qualified staff to give guidance in the use of materials
• to provide access for all people
• to initiate a leadership role in the community to serve as a link between the individual and the community
• to inform the public of library resources and services
• to support intellectual freedom
• to provide materials and programming to pre-school and grade school children to encourage and promote continued use of the library
• to purchase current materials proportionate to levels of demand and use, taking care to anticipate and respond to indications of significant new needs
• to keep abreast of technological changes which affect the development of the collection
• to be aware of the resources available in surrounding libraries to avoid duplication of resources while ensuring wide coverage of subjects

The Potsdam Public Library adheres to the principles of the Library Bill of Rights, the Freedom to View, and the Freedom to Read statements adopted by the American Library Association.
In a free society, information on different points of view should be readily available to allow individuals to decide which ideas are meaningful to them. The public library is the institution that provides free access to these ideas. The library, consequently, has the responsibility for selecting materials that reflect a wide variety of ideas and may contain controversial points of view. Since the library has a responsibility to protect the rights of all users, it does not limit the use of its collection. Although librarians may offer guidance in selection, monitoring the reading, listening, and viewing of children is the responsibility of their parents or legal guardians.
The needs, interests and points of view of the Potsdam Public Library's community range over the spectrum of all subjects inherent to contemporary society. The Potsdam Public Library has a responsibility to provide a diversity of materials in both print and non-print forms. Materials are selected to reflect changes in educational, cultural and intellectual ideas and the impact of new technology within the limitations of budget and space.

Materials Selection

Selection is a discerning and interpretive process, involving a general knowledge of the subject and recognition
of the needs of the community. Materials are judged on the basis of the content and the style of the work as a whole, not by selected portions or passages. Material selections are made by trained staff and an Acquisitions Committee composed of the Director/Adult Librarian, Senior Circulation Clerk and three patrons recommended annually by the staff for their background in various information and literary materials. Tools used in selection include professional journals, trade journals, subject bibliographies, publishers' promotional materials, and reviews from reputable sources. Purchase suggestions from patrons are welcome and provide Librarians with useful information about interests or needs of the community. Patron suggestions will be governed by this Collection Policy in making additions to or deleting items from the collection.

• The Majority of best-selling fiction and non-fiction materials will be purchased during the extent of their popularity.
• Materials that are updated annually or every few years may be put on standing order.

Criteria for Selection

While a single standard cannot be applied to each potential item for selection, materials are judged by appropriate criteria. In some instances, these criteria include artistic merit, scholarship, or the value of the materials to the informational needs of the community. In other instances, the criterion may be substantial demand.
To build a diversified collection that supports the library's mission, the following criteria are used. These criteria apply to purchased and donated materials as well as special collections.

• Availability and suitability of format
• Suitability of subject, style and level for the intended audience
• Critics' and staff's reviews
• Reputation of the publisher or producer; authority and significance of the author, composer, filmmaker, etc.
• Timeliness or permanence of the material
• Quality of writing, design, illustrations, or production
• Relevance to community needs
• Potential and/or known demand for the material
• Relative importance in comparison with existing materials in the collection on the same subject
• Availability and accessibility of the same material in the local area
• Price, in relation to total budget

Material Format

Materials are purchased in the most appropriate format for library use. Books are generally purchased in hardcover editions for durability. Paperback editions may be purchased in cases where the hardcover edition is expensive and the title would be either used infrequently or is an item that would be weeded from the collection in a few years. Paperbacks may be purchased as added copies of popular titles to meet patron demand and/or as part of the paperback browsing collection.

New formats will be considered for the collection when, by industry reports, national survey results, and evidence from local requests, a significant portion of the community population has the necessary technology to make use of the format. Availability of the items in the format, the cost per item, and the Library's ability to acquire and handle the items will also be factors in determining when a new format will be collected. Similar considerations will influence the decision to delete a format from the Library's collection.

Special Collections

From time to time, the Potsdam Public Library may establish a special collection on a temporary basis or as a permanent collection. A special collection may be developed to meet a particular need in the community or may be established to provide a comprehensive collection of works deemed necessary to address a topic in greater detail. The rules governing the purchasing of books and materials for special collections will be applied the same as the general collection.

Weeding

Weeding of the collection is performed in order to keep the collection responsive to patrons' needs, to insure its vitality and usefulness to the community, and to make room for newer materials. Weeding identifies lost or damaged items, ephemeral materials that are no longer used, out-of-date materials and extra copies that are not being used. Weeding also helps evaluate the collection by identifying areas or titles where additional materials are needed, older editions need to be updated, and subjects, titles, or authors that or no longer of interest to the community. As materials become worn, dated, damaged or lost, replacement will be determined by the appropriate staff members, who will determine whether or not:

• The item is still Available and can be replaced
• Another item or format might better serve the same purpose
• There remains sufficient need to replace that item
• Updated, newer or revised materials better replace a given item
• The item has historical value
• Another networking agency could better provide that or a comparable item

Gifts and Donations

The library welcomes gifts from individuals and groups. The library, however, reserves the right to make the final selection for any materials that will be added to the collection. The library also reserves the right to withdraw materials from the collection when they are no longer appropriate under the collection policy.

Librarians will not give appraisals of gifts and donations for tax purposes.

Evaluation of the Collection

Continuous evaluation of the collection is necessary in order to ensure that the library fulfills its mission to provide materials which meet patrons' interests and needs. Statistical tools are studied to determine hoe the collection is being used and how it should change to answer patron usage. The materials themselves are examined for their physical condition and frequency of use. Patron input and community surveys are also used in evaluating the collection.

Reconsideration of Library Materials

A singular obligation of the Library is to reflect differing points of view within its collection. The Potsdam Public Library does not endorse particular beliefs or views, nor does the selection of an item express or imply endorsements of the viewpoint of the author. Library materials will not be marked or identified to show approval or disapproval of the contents, nor will items be sequestered except for the purpose of protecting them from theft or damage.

Comments from members of the community about the collection or individual items in the collection frequently provide librarians with useful information about interest or needs that may not be adequately met by the collection. The Library welcomes expression of opinion by patrons, but will be governed by the following procedures before removing items from the collection:

1. If a patron objects to the Library's ownership of a particular item or items, the Library will be governed by the guidelines set forth in the America Library Association's "Challenged Materials: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights."
2. The challenger will be offered the opportunity to complete a "Patron's Request for Reconsideration of Library Material" Form.
3. The request will be reviewed by the Director and a recommendation will be formulated. The challenger will be notified in writing of the recommendation within 14 days and a copy will be sent to the Board of Trustees.
4. If the challenger is not satisfied with the recommendation, written appeal must be made to the Board of Trustees with in 30 days. The appeal will be added to the agenda of the next regularly Scheduled meeting of the Board of Trustees.
5. A final determination will be made in writing to the challenger within 30 days.
6. The challenged material will remain in the collection until a determination is made.

Policy Review and Revision

This collection policy will be reviewed annually by collection development staff and the Library Board.