Collection Development Policy

Purpose of Collection Development Policy

The collection development policy serves as a guide for Library staff in regard to collection development, management, and materials selection. It defines what comprises the collection, specifies the types of materials that are included, and explains the basis for making collection management decisions, including the selection and deselection of materials. This policy also establishes a process by which patrons can request reconsideration of any materials. This policy adheres to the California Freedom to Read Act and follows as closely as possible the principles established by the American Library Association in the Library Bill of Rights and The Freedom to Read statement. 

Library materials are provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people, and present diverse points of view in the collection as a whole. The San Bruno Public Library acknowledges the right of the public to receive access to a range of social, political, aesthetic, moral, and other ideas and experiences. The Library serves as a center for voluntary inquiry and the dissemination of information and ideas. As such, the Library’s collection meets the broad and diverse interests of the community and respects both the Library’s autonomy and their specific community needs. The selection of any material or resource does not constitute an endorsement by the Library, the City of San Bruno, or its staff. 

Library Mission Statement

The San Bruno Public Library serves as a center for voluntary inquiry and the dissemination of information and ideas, provides materials and services of popular interest to the community, emphasizing and encouraging reading by children, supporting local school curriculum, supplementing the educational needs of the community, and furnishing timely, accurate information.

Responsibility for Material Selection and Deselection

All materials considered for acquisition or removal are carefully reviewed under the direction of qualified staff. Final responsibility for collection management, including material selection and deselection, rests with the Library’s Community Services Superintendent. Suggestions from the general public are always given serious consideration. 

Material Selection Criteria

The San Bruno Public Library follows a philosophy of the public library as a popular materials center. The Library focuses on developing a collection that is current, is of popular interest, and addresses community needs while maintaining an intellectual balance and integrity that represents a diversity of viewpoints. The Library’s collection meets the broad and diverse interests of the community and respects both the Library’s autonomy and specific community needs. In selecting materials for purchase, the following are taken into consideration:

• Community needs
• Local business, professional and industrial needs
• Local school assignment needs
• Literary and artistic quality of the item
• Timeliness and significance of the subject
• Reliability and accuracy of factual material
• Providing representation to all possible viewpoints
• Opinions expressed by publishers and reviewers in recognized periodicals (e.g. Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, School Library Journal)
• Appropriateness of format to the library collection
• Cost of material in relation to funds available
• Duplication of material already in the library
• Availability of materials in nearby libraries if local interest is limited to specialized groups or few individuals

The Library is not responsible for supervising children’s use of the Library or Library materials, as that responsibility rests solely on their parents, legal guardians, or caretakers.

Due to staff and budget constraints, the majority of Library materials are usually purchased from one major distributor. Library staff does not meet with individual publisher’s representatives to purchase materials.

Request for Reconsideration

San Bruno residents wishing to recommend the removal or re-assignment of a specific item in the Library collection may submit a “Collection Re-evaluation Form.” Only one title may be included per Collection Re-evaluation Form. A separate Collection Re-evaluation Form must be filled out for each title for which a patron requests review. 

To submit a request for reconsideration, patrons may choose one of the following options:

1. In person: Pick up a printed Collection Re-evaluation Form at the Library and return it to a Library employee.
2. Online: Fill out and submit the form directly on the Library’s website.
3. Download and email: Download the form from the Library’s website, complete it, and email it to sbpl@plsinfo.org.

Requests are forwarded to the Selection Librarians, who evaluate the recommendation and decide upon the action to be taken. The factors influencing this evaluation may include, but are not limited to, reviews and criticism relating to the work; the work’s presence in, or absence from, the collections of libraries similar to the San Bruno Public Library; the treatment and characterization of the work by similar libraries; and the principles set forth in the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights and The Freedom to Read. Every decision of a Selection Librarian is reviewed by the Library’s Community Services Superintendent before the decision is finalized. Within 30 days of the initial request for re-evaluation, the customer is informed, in writing, of the Library's decision. Once a decision is made to retain, re-assign, or remove a particular title, the Library will not review that title again for a period of two years. Please note that during the review process, the Library will preserve access to the material for all patrons. 

This process does not guarantee anyone the right to have a title removed from the collection, as the decision is ultimately one made by the Library itself. Rather, this review process allows residents who use Library resources to voice concerns regarding titles in the Library’s collection so that the Library can be made aware of local concerns. Library staff have broad discretion in making Library collection decisions. This procedure is not meant to be interpreted as granting any resident a privilege to remove a title from the Library’s collection.

Material Deselection Criteria

Library collections are constantly evolving. Just as our Librarians must select new materials for the Library on a regular basis as new information is published, they must also review the collection for materials that may have outlived their usefulness. The removal of Library materials at the San Bruno Public Library is based on a number of criteria employed to keep the Library collection as relevant as possible to community needs. The main guidelines used in determining when an item should be removed include, but are not limited to:

• Age: Library materials may have been published so long ago that the information they contain is now inaccurate or misleading. 
• Condition: Library materials that are tattered or torn or in otherwise poor condition that would prevent someone from borrowing them.
• Use: Items that go for long periods of time without being checked out may indicate that the subject matter no longer fills a community need.
• Space: Severe space constraints at the San Bruno Public Library may also make it necessary for staff to choose only a limited number of items on a topic representing the best diversity of viewpoints. Additional materials on the same subject may also need to be removed from the collection due to space considerations.
• Local Significance: Materials of local significance, including those created by local authors and related to local history are given special consideration.

What Happens to Materials Once They Are Removed

• When items are removed from the collection, they are sent to an organization which attempts to sell the items online before pulping. 
• Materials are discarded only when they are irreparably damaged or contain outdated or misleading information.
• Because Library materials are the property of the City of San Bruno, discarded items cannot be given to specific individuals.

Originally Adopted 5/61
Revised 6/67
Revised 5/97
Revised 10/02
Revised 1/06
Revised 3/22
Revised 9/25