Policy & Material Development

The purpose of the Wyandanch Public Library is to provide all individuals in the community with multicultural literary resources and other materials. Because of the volume of publishing, as well as the limitations of budget and space, a library must have a selection policy with which to meet community interests and needs.  The materials selection/collection development policy is used by the library staff in the selection of materials and also serves to acquaint the general public with the principles of  selection.   The Library Bill of Rights and The Freedom to Read Statement have been endorsed by the Wyandanch Public Library Board of Trustees and are integral parts of the policy. The materials selection/collection development policy, like all other policies, will be reviewed and/or revised as the need arises.  
  1. Responsibility for Selection
The ultimate responsibility for selection of library materials rests with the Library Director who operates within the framework of the policies determined by the Wyandanch Public Library Board of Trustees. This responsibility may be shared with other members of the library staff; however, because the director must be available to answer to the library board and the general public for actual selections made, the director has the authority to reject or select any item contrary to the recommendations of the staff.
  1. Criteria for Selection
I.The main points considered in the selection of materials are:
  1. individual merit of each item
  2. popular appeal/demand
  3. suitability of material for the clientele for the library patrons
  4. existing library holdings
  5. budget
 
  1. Reviews are a major source of information about new materials. The primary
source(s) of reviews is (are)  the lack of a review or an unfavorable review shall not be the sole reason for rejecting a title which is in demand. Consideration is, therefore, given to requests from library patrons and books discussed on public media. Materials are judged on the basis of the work as a whole, not on a part taken out of context.   3D. Interlibrary Loan Because of limited budget and space, the library cannot provide all materials that are requested. Therefore, interlibrary loan is used to obtain from other libraries those materials that are beyond the scope of this library collection. In return for utilizing interlibrary loan to satisfy the needs of our patrons, the Wyandanch Public Library agrees to lend its materials to other libraries through the same interlibrary loan network, and to make an effort to have its current holdings listed in a tool that is accessible by other libraries throughout the state.

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