Collection Development		Patron Requests
Computer Use by Children		Philosophy and Principles
Donation of Books and Other Materials		Program Room Use
Internet Use		Public Conduct in the Library
Library Card Registration		Reference Services
Library Loan Limits		Replacement of Lost or Damaged Library Materials
Overdue Materials Fines		Supervision of Children in the Library
		Wireless Network Use

Collection Development Policy
Effective July 1, 2002

Introduction
Materials selected for the collections of the Sunnyvale Public Library are intended to meet the cultural, informational, recreational and educational needs of the community. In support of this, library staff selects, maintains and organizes materials representing diverse points of view in a variety of languages and formats for people of all ages. In addition, the library extends access to information beyond its own collections by participating in resource sharing with other library systems on the local, regional and state level and by providing access to online sources of information through the Internet and other electronic databases.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for the development and management of the collections of the Sunnyvale Public Library. It provides guidance for the librarians, as they strive to build a collection of library materials that will meet and anticipate the needs of the Sunnyvale community, and informs the public about the principles that govern the selection and deselection of library materials. It states the Library’s position on intellectual freedom and censorship and finally, defines the scope and standards of the various collections contained within the library.

Library Description

The Sunnyvale Public Library is a full-service community library located in the heart of Silicon Valley. It serves a community of great cultural, linguistic and educational diversity.  The library is comprised of two major components, the Main Library and the Bookmobile.

The Main Library is the information center for the Sunnyvale community offering a strong reference collection that supports an in-depth and extensive reference service, including a special research collection known as the Sunnyvale Center for Innovation, Invention and Ideas, SC[I]3. It also provides a broad choice of circulating print and nonprint materials that are selected to accommodate the diversity of tastes, reading levels, languages and interests of users of all ages. Access to information in electronic formats such as magazine indexes, ebooks, and the Internet is also provided.

The Bookmobile serves people in the community for whom there are barriers to visiting the Main Library. The Bookmobile stops at approximately twenty places in the city in a twoweek rotation. The stops include schools, retirement homes, mobile home parks and city park sites.

Intellectual Freedom

The library supports each patron’s fundamental right of access to all expressions of knowledge, creativity and intellectual activity. Similarly, each patron has the right to freedom from censorship by others.

As a public institution committed to the principles of intellectual freedom, the library recognizes its obligation to provide as wide a spectrum of materials as possible. In practice, the choice of library materials by users is an individual matter. Parents and legal guardians retain responsibility for the reading/viewing/listening materials used by children and adolescents from the library collection. The City Council and Board of Library Trustees, on behalf of the library and the community, has adopted and declared support for the following:

1. American Library Association Library Bill of Rights (Appendix A)

2. American Library Association Freedom to Read statement (Appendix B)

Selection Guidelines

Authority and Responsibility

The Director of Libraries has the authority and responsibility for the selection of library materials. Under his or her direction, the selection is delegated to the professional library staff who are assigned responsibility for ordering materials in prescribed subject areas. All staff members and the public are encouraged to recommend materials for consideration.

Selection Criteria

Library materials are selected with the purpose of carrying out the goals of the library. The librarians responsible for selection of materials use a variety of resources to make their selections. These include trade journals such as Library Journal, School Library Journal, Booklist, and Publisher’s Weekly. Other resources include publishers’ catalogs, suggestions from patrons and the librarian’s professional knowledge of the subject.

Each selection is evaluated on its own merit and in relation to the collection as a whole, using some or all of the following criteria:

-Current and future relevance to community needs

-Demand

-Accuracy

-Style, clarity, presentation

-Literary merit, significance

-Importance of author or artist (authority and reputation)

-Relationship to other items in the collection (will the book enhance existing collection?)

-Price

-Format

-Availability

Multiple Copies

The library purchases multiple copies of certain titles based on anticipated popularity and patron demand. In order to improve customer service and limit the time spent waiting for current titles, the library maintains a ratio of one copy for every three reserves.

New Formats

The library is continually seeking out and evaluating new formats in order to provide the most current products to our patrons. Decisions to add a new format are based on the following considerations:

-Patron demand

-Emergence of format and necessary hardware as industry standard

-Availability of titles

-Cost, not only to purchase, but to catalog, process and maintain

-Amount of training and technical support needed

-Enhancement or replacement of existing formats

Suggestion for Purchase

The library welcomes suggestions from the community for additions to the collections.  Suggested items are subject to the same selection criteria as other materials and are not automatically added to the collection. Books and media suggestions are considered on an ongoing basis, while new periodicals are considered annually.

The Supervising Librarian for Collection Development, in consultation with subject specialists, makes all purchase decisions based on the foregoing criteria. If patrons question a decision about a request, their concerns will be referred to the Supervising Librarian.

Reconsideration of Library Materials

The role of the Library is to collect materials representing varying points of view and different ways of life. Materials are selected using the guidelines presented in this policy and in no way indicate an endorsement of the author’s viewpoint by the Library.

Patrons who request the removal of items from the collection will be referred to the Supervising Librarian for Collection Development, who will discuss the selection of the material in question. If the patron’s concerns are not answered, the patron will be asked to complete the form “Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials”. (See Appendix C) The Library Director will review the completed form and respond in writing within ten working days. If the patron remains dissatisfied, the patron may pursue the issue at a regular meeting of the Board of Library Trustees, who will make a recommendation to the City Council.

Donations

The library accepts donations for the collection, either in the form of money or actual materials.

Monetary donations are accepted for the collection by the Library Director who sees that they are placed into the proper fund. Donors may suggest subjects or titles to be acquired with the donation, but the library reserves the right to make the final decision.

Donations of books, compact discs, videos and audio cassettes will be added to the collection only if they are in good condition and meet the library’s selection guidelines. Library staff will determine the library location and circulation period according to standard operating procedures. Staff is unable to provide an assessment of the value of any gift.

The library reserves the right of final disposition of all donations received. Items may be added to the collection, given to the Friends of the Library for booksales, or discarded, at the discretion of library staff. Donations cannot be returned to the donor.

The Collections

Library materials are organized into various collections. The following is a description of these collections, stating the purpose and scope of each collection and selection criteria specific to that collection.

Adult Collections

Fiction

The fiction collection is designed to serve the reading interests of a highly diverse community.  It includes classics, bestsellers and critically acclaimed works as well as representative works of new authors and works from a variety of national and cultural traditions. Genre collections shelved separately are mystery, science fiction/fantasy and westerns. Multiple copies are purchased based on popularity of the title and patron demand.

Nonfiction

The nonfiction collection contains circulating materials in a wide range of subjects supporting the learning and information needs of library users. Included are books on job skill enhancement, self-help and individual growth, cultural awareness, business and consumer information, community affairs, recreational pursuits and general knowledge. Materials for the nonfiction collection are selected by subject specialists and are organized using the Dewey Decimal Classification System. Duplicates of popular titles are purchased when indicated by demand.

Reference

The reference collection provides timely, accurate and useful information to library users.  These materials are intended to remain in the library to be readily available to the librarians and all library users.

Reference materials include bibliographies, indexes, directories, dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, atlases and statistical compendia. Heavy use is made of electronic databases and periodicals that support the reference collection. Selection criteria of particular importance to reference materials are: currency, accuracy, arrangement, uniqueness of information, authority, documentation and level of indexing.

The Business Reference Collection serves all facets of the business community. It contains national and local company directories, industry surveys, trade and association directories, and national and local manufacturing directories.

The Sunnyvale Collection provides historical and current information about the city and community of Sunnyvale. It includes books, newspapers, city documents, photographs, pamphlets and audiovisual materials.

Non-English Language

The Non-English Language collection provides recreational and information materials to meet the needs of community members who use materials in languages other than English.  Resources include books, magazines, newspapers, videos, and sound recordings. Most of these materials circulate.

The library currently collects materials in Chinese, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese. Each language collection varies in breadth and depth depending on public needs and availability of materials and resources.

The library is committed to developing and maintaining this collection in order to respond to the changing demographics in the population served. New languages may be added to reflect community needs. Inclusion of languages in the collection is based on annual patron surveys and local demographic data.

Large Print

The Large Print collection serves the visually impaired. The majority of the collection is popular fiction with an emphasis on romance, mystery, and suspense. The few non-fiction titles are biographies, travel books and personal narratives.

College and Careers

The College and Careers collection provides test preparation materials for students and job seekers preparing for a broad range of employment and school entrance examinations.  Examples of examinations represented are GED, SAT, SAT II, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, College AP tests and civil service examinations.

College and Careers

The READ collection provides material in print and audiocassette formats to support adult new readers or new readers in English as a second language. Some materials are suitable for use in teaching or tutoring situations, while others can be used for individual study and recreational reading. The materials, consisting of both fiction and non-fiction, are written on a first to fifth grade reading level. In addition to reading, the collection also supports other areas of interest to learners of English, such as pronunciation, conversation, vocabulary, and grammar.

Children's and Teen Collections

The Children’s Collection is intended to encourage children to become lifelong readers and information seekers. It includes materials in a variety of formats and a number of languages with a broad range of reading levels, including books, magazines, audio tapes, CD’s, videos and DVD’s. The primary users of the collection are children from infancy through 6th grade, their parents and caregivers, and their teachers.

Librarians select materials that children enjoy and which satisfy curiosity, stimulate intellectual development and support emotional growth. The collection contains materials that are the best available for children, as well as items selected for popular appeal. Curriculum related materials are purchased which duplicate and supplement materials available in school libraries. Textbooks are not purchased. Librarians review the collection continuously for currency and relevance to a changing community.

The Teen Collection is a browsing collection of popular materials for students in grades 6-12.  It is designed to encourage teens to be readers and library users, as well as to attract other teens who have not frequented the library. Popular Young Adult titles in paperback, as well as classics included on school reading lists, form the core of the fiction collection. The nonfiction collection is not intended to be inclusive, but rather to cover subjects of interest to teens and topics frequently assigned for school projects. “Hot topics” of instantaneous but short-lived interest are a strong influencing factor in purchasing for this collection. Other factors are patron demand, ethnicity of the community, and input from middle school and high school teachers.

Bookmobile

The Bookmobile Collection consists of about 3500 items, which are drawn from the Main Library collection or purchased specifically for the Bookmobile. Librarians choose and regularly rotate materials that match the reading, listening and viewing interests of the adults and children who use the Bookmobile. A typical Bookmobile collection emphasizes popular fiction and non-fiction in a variety of formats, including Large Print, Audiobooks, and Non-Feature videos. Main Library materials that have short loan periods are not part of the Bookmobile collection.

SC[I]3/Patent and Trademark Information

The Sunnyvale Center for Innovation, Invention and Ideas is a special research collection providing information about patents and trademarks. As part of the Patent and Trademark Depository Library program, as well as being a partner to the USPTO, the library receives copies of U.S. patents, patent and trademark materials and provides access to the USPTO web sites. An extensive training program featuring experts from the USPTO and elsewhere is also offered by the library. In addition, the library purchases additional reference materials about intellectual freedom and copyright issues.

Nonbook Collections

Periodicals

The Periodicals collection provides current and retrospective information on a wide range of special interests in the areas of health, hobbies, business and finance, education, sports, entertainment and current events. It includes newspapers, magazines and newsletters for adults, teens, and children. Periodicals are retained for varying periods of time. Included in the adult and teen collections are a number of periodicals in languages other than English.

Although certain long-established titles remain staples of the collection, others change frequently in response to community demand, publishing trends, and lifestyle changes. Indexing in standard sources also influences inclusion in this collection.

The Spoken Word

The Spoken Word collection contains audio books for adults, teens, and children. Titles in this format are chosen for their appeal to a wide variety of interests. The collection contains abridged and unabridged fiction and non-fiction. Audio language learning materials are also part of this collection. The availability of replacement pieces for multi-item sets is a factor in selecting materials for this collection along with durability of the product and its packaging.

Music Sound Recordings

The adult music collection consists of works by major classical and contemporary composers, as well as popular genres. It is comprised primarily of compact discs due to their popularity and availability. The children’s music collection includes folk music, popular children’s songs and introductions to classical music. Music recordings are selected based on popularity and patron demand. Careful attention is given to selecting popular international music as well as music from this country. The library recognizes that some music lyrics can be controversial.  Selections will be made on the merits of the work according to general selection criteria.

Videocassettes and DVD’s

The library’s videocassette and DVD collection is primarily a browsing collection and includes both feature and nonfeature films in a variety of languages to appeal to children, teens and adults. Films are selected for their intellectual and imaginative content and to reflect the varied ethnic backgrounds and other demographic and social issues of the community.  Multiple copies of the most popular items are purchased to increase patron access.

Factors influencing purchase decisions for the videocassette and DVD collection include patron demand; popularity of the film (based on theater box office figures and sales rankings of commercial video/DVD vendors); and film reviews. An effort is made to select films from other countries, time periods and genres; and to provide films about topics that are enriched by a visual presentation such as travel, the arts, performance tapes, and natural history.

The library purchases films with United States Motion Picture Association of America ratings of G, PG, PG13 and R. X-rated films are not purchased.

Films from other countries that have not been rated by the MPAA are also purchased for the collection. Films containing extremes of sex and violence will be excluded when these experiences are an end to themselves, rather than part of the movie theme. The library recognizes that many films are controversial. Selections will be made on the merits of the works according to general selection criteria.

Adult Vertical File

The general adult vertical file provides concise or specialized information in four principal areas: health and medicine; geography and travel; social and political issues; and various practical topics. It contains print and map materials in non-book formats, including booklets, pamphlets, brochures, maps, information sheets, newsletters, and other uncataloged items that are not duplicated elsewhere in the library’s collection.

Map File

The map collection includes world maps of various regions, countries, and major cities, as well as state and major city maps. It contains an in-depth collection of maps of California counties, major cities, local Bay Area cities, and topographic maps. Also included are Santa Clara County flood maps and regional earthquake maps of special use to home-builders, homebuyers, or city planners.

Electronic Database Collection

The Electronic Database Collection serves the information needs of library users and librarians alike, providing easy, Web-based access to databases covering a wide range of subjects, including business and finance, health, current events, consumer information and a variety of popular and academic topics. Library members may gain remote access to a number of these subscription databases.

The databases provide indexing and often full-text for numerous magazines, journals, newspapers, and reference sources, many of which are held by the library. They also offer access to articles, reports, and listings that may not otherwise be available in the library’s print collections. The majority of the databases are in English. Full-text Spanish-language periodical and newspaper coverage is also offered.

Collection Maintenance

The Library’s collection is systematically evaluated to ensure that the materials remain current and in good condition and continue to reflect the needs of the Sunnyvale community.  Statistical tools such as circulation reports, collection turnover rates, and customer surveys help the selectors determine how the collection is being used and what items are candidates for discard, repair or replacement.

Library materials are discarded based on the following criteria:

1. The information is obsolete or inaccurate

2. The number of copies is no longer in demand.

3. The material is not being used.

4. The material is damaged or in poor condition.

As an alternative to discarding or replacement, some materials are repaired or rebound.

Materials that are discarded are given to the Friends of the Library.  They decide whether an item should be recycled or sold at the Friends of the Library booksale.

Review of Policy

This collection development policy will be evaluated and revised no less than once every five years.

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Computer Use by Children
Effective July 21, 1995