CITY OF SCOTTSDALE PUBLIC LIBRARY

Collection Development

Effective Date: 10/19/2011 | Revised: 03/10/2025 | Pol. No: COL-2

Policy Statement:

The library’s collection development policy guides staff decisions regarding selection and deselection of materials to ensure collections that are useful, relevant, current, and of interest to the diverse communities the library serves. The library practices ongoing collection management using output measures and other data for continuous collection evaluation.

A. Basis for selection

A combination of factors will influence the selection of a title. Selection criteria and purchasing levels vary by subject area, but in general all materials are considered based on the following factors, in no order:

1. Positive review from a nationally known reviewing source
2. Popular interest or demand
3. Cost
4. Breadth of the subject matter
5. Currency of information
6. Quality of organization, readability, and style
7. Permanent value as a standard work
8. Physical durability, quality of condition, and format
9. Inclusion in standard local bibliographies or indices
10. Physical space required for shelving
11. Any factor deemed relevant by the Library Director, the Library Board, or the City Council
12. Patron suggestions that fall within collection criteria or scope

Though a title may meet some of the preceding criteria, it still may not be selected for the library collection. The reasons for not selecting materials vary, but in general include at least one of the following factors, in no order:

1. Topic is out of scope of the collection
2. Cost
3. Format cannot be processed or circulated
4. Does not meet the needs of the broader community (i.e. not in demand, is transient or obscure, does not fill a gap or broaden the collection, or is too highly specialized)
5. Duplicative of other titles in the collection
6. Negative review(s) from a nationally known reviewing source
7. Material unavailable from City contracted vendors

Serials (i.e. magazines and newspapers) are selected to provide recreational reading and basic informational resources.

B. Resource Sharing

The library participates in several cooperative resource sharing networks, including an interlibrary loan service and MAX (a network of public libraries located in Maricopa County), to expand the range of materials available to patrons while minimizing duplication of infrequently used materials already owned by other libraries. As such, not all materials selected by each library in the consortia necessarily meet the library’s collection criteria.

C. Suggestions

When Scottsdale Public Library does not own a particular book, article, or other item, patrons are encouraged to suggest a purchase. Suggestions are evaluated using the same guidelines as with any selection decision, as outlined above. The submission of a request does not guarantee its purchase. If a work is not selected for purchase, the patron may be encouraged to request the book through interlibrary loan or MAX.

D. Gifts

The Scottsdale Public Library accepts donations in the form of money, books, and certain media in memory of or in honor of individuals or groups. Due to difficulties in subscription maintenance and renewals, serial gift subscriptions are not added to the library’s collections.

Financial donations may be used to buy materials, and the choice of items will follow the same guidelines as outlined above. Donations of specific titles or requests for specific titles in memory of or in honor of someone will be reviewed using the same criteria as the selection of purchased materials. New, bestselling and local or unique titles that are donated may be added to the collection. Materials that are not accepted for addition into the library’s collection will be sold at the Library Shop or recycled. Once a gift item has been processed and added to the collection, it is subject to the same standards as any other material and may be weeded in the course of time. Self-published books are evaluated on the same selection criteria as all other books.

E. Collection Maintenance/Weeding

The collection is not archival. Systematic weeding or removal of library materials occurs to maintain a current and accessible collection. The library follows a weeding schedule to identify items that should be weeded based on circulation history. To ensure consistent weeding practices, the library observes the CREW method.

Weeding identifies damaged items, dated materials, and items that need replacing. Materials which have been withdrawn and are in good condition will be given to the Library Shop for its book sales, donated to other non-profit agencies, or recycled where appropriate. No items can be held for or given to individuals.

Titles that are discarded, lost, or withdrawn are not automatically replaced or reordered. The need for a replacement is based on the existence of adequate coverage of the subject, the timeliness of the title in question, the demand for the specific title, and the availability of the item.

F. Reconsideration of Library Material

Scottsdale Public Library recognizes that a diverse collection of material may result in some requests for reconsideration. The library has established procedures to ensure objective and fair reconsideration of questioned materials.

When an item has been challenged and is in the process of being reviewed by the staff, the title in question will not automatically be removed.

The library does not segregate items nor place warning labels on them. Items are not labeled to indicate a point of view or bias. Materials are evaluated as complete works and not on the basis of a particular passage or passages. A work will not be excluded from the library’s collection solely because it represents a particular aspect of life, because of frankness of expression, or because it is controversial.

The library believes the responsibility for a child’s reading, listening, or viewing of library material rests with the parent and/or legal guardian. The library encourages previewing materials if parents and/or legal guardians are concerned about content.

G. Reconsideration Policy

Authority and responsibility for selecting library materials rests with the Library Director and is delegated to the Senior Manager of Support Services and the Collection Development Coordinator. The role of the Senior Manager of Support Services and Collection Development Coordinator is to identify, assess and acquire the materials that support the library’s mission system-wide and in response to the needs and interests of a diverse population.

Materials that have been selected or excluded on the principles indicated in this policy may be re-evaluated upon request. Recognizing that freedom of access is a fundamental tenet of a public library, the library subscribes to the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, Freedom to Read Statement and Freedom to View Statement. A patron requesting reconsideration of a title in the library may be asked to first read these ALA statements:

To proceed with a formal review, a customer may complete and submit the Patron Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials form.

When the Library Director, Senior Manager of Support Services and the Collection Development Coordinator receive a completed form, they will examine the title and respective reviews. They will respond to the patron in writing within four weeks of receipt of the completed form. If an appeal is made, the Senior Director and/or City Manager will determine the appropriateness of the item for the library collection as a final ruling.