Groves Public Library

Collection Development Plan 2005

Groves Public Library operates primarily as a Popular Materials Library. We feature current, high-demand, high interest materials in a variety of formats for persons of all ages. We promote and encourage the use of our collection. A substantial percentage of our collection has been published within the last five years. Our facility promotes browsing, has attractive displays and good signage. Our second focus is as a pre-Schoolers door to learning. Through the purchase of award winning literature, classics titles, study aids, and accelerated readers and by presenting interesting programs (story times, summer reading, Bookworms, educational puppet presentations) that encourage the young to read, we strive to instill in the young an interest in lifelong reading and learning.

A. Our Mission

The mission of Groves Public Library is to establish, improve, and enhance the love of reading by providing our patrons access to a wide variety of materials, programs and services.

Our Collection Development Goal is:

· To select, organize, preserve, and make freely and easily available to all individuals in the community printed and other materials which will aid them in the pursuit of information, education, research, recreation, culture and creative use of leisure time.

In addition, we strive to provide and maintain the best possible collection with the financial resources available. The decision to purchase or not purchase any item for the collection is based on

· Demand,

· Anticipated need,

· And the effort to maintain a diverse collection that reflects major viewpoints on a variety of subjects.

Groves Public Library strives to maintain materials representing all sides of an issue in a neutral, unbiased manner. Selection of materials by the library does not mean endorsement of the contents of views expressed in those materials. The existence of a particular viewpoint in the collection is an expression of the library’s policy of intellectual freedom, not an endorsement of that particular view. The library provides service to all within the framework of its rules and regulations and does not knowingly discriminate in its material selection regarding race, creed, sex, occupation, or financial position.

Groves Public Library endorses the Library Bill of Rights, the Freedom to Read Statement, and the Freedom to View statements of the American Library Association, all of which are included at the end of this policy, and are intended to be a part of this policy statement.

Community Description:

The communities of Port Arthur, Port Neches and Nederland surround Groves, Texas. It is located in Jefferson County. In 1918, Asa E. Groves, a pioneer originally from Wisconsin formed a company along with partners and purchased 300 acres of land near Port Arthur, Texas. In 1919 he engaged a local nursery to plant 2,500 pecan trees on that acreage. The area becomes known as “the Groves.” Total population of Groves, Texas according to the 2000 census is 15, 733.

Level of education in the community:

Of the total population 25 and over: 35.6% have finished high school, 26.6% have some college, with no degree, 7.6% have an associate degree, 11.2 have a bachelor degree, and 3.3% are at the Graduate or professional level.

Income level in the community: The median household income in Groves, Texas is $42,692. 231 families in Groves live in poverty---56 of those are female householders. Of the 231, 165 families have children under 18 years and 81 have children 5 and under. 5% of the population is below poverty level.

Major age groups in the community and community diversity: Median age group in Groves is 39.2. 15.3% of the population of 15, 733 are 35 to 44 years, 13.4% are 45 to 54 and 9.6% are 65 to 74. Majority of Groves public school students are in grades 1-8 and 9-12. Groves is home to mostly English speaking citizens. The prominent ancestries are: English, French, German and Irish. Only 9.6 of the total population speak a language other than English. 93.5 of the population of Groves are Caucasian, and 1.3 is African American. Of the total population of 15, 733, 7.8 are Latino or Hispanic.

Nearby libraries including schools and colleges:

Port Neches, Port Arthur, Nederland, Beaumont, Bridge City and Jefferson County libraries are all within a 20 miles radius of Groves Public Library. The Groves community is served by the Port Neches Groves School District. Lamar University and Lamar Institute of Technology, as well as Lamar-Port Arthur are within close driving distance of Groves, Texas.

On the whole, Groves is a community of well educated, mostly middle-income families comprised mostly of middle age to senior adults. It is a predominately Caucasian population. It lies within an area that has many educational opportunities. Although, some non-English speaking citizens live in the community, it is still made up of mostly English speaking families.

B. Responsibility for Selection and Funding Sources

The ultimate responsibility for the selection of library materials resides with the Groves Public Library director and/or staff delegated by the director.

The library director has the authority and responsibility for selection and management of all print, non-print and electronic materials, within the framework of this policy. The recreational, educational, and informational needs of the Groves community will be considered first in any purchase decisions. The director will allocate time to study reviews and research titles suitable for purchase. At the beginning of every budget year, the director will take time to consult with the staff and review the past years circulation figures in an attempt to fill gaps in the collection where needed. Bestsellers are a priority only if the director feels that the materials will circulate well with the Groves Public Library patrons considering their past preferences. Selection resources used by the library director may include: Library Journal, Booklist, New York Times Review, Publisher’s Weekly, Amazon Bestseller List, etc.

Individual Requests

An individual request from a patron is usually honored if the request conforms to the guidelines outlined in this policy statement. The library maintains a means whereby patrons may suggest titles. Suggestions regarding services and other aspects of library operations are encouraged. However, popularity and patron requests will not be the only basis for selection.

Important selection criteria include: timeliness, relevance, points of view, community interest, current or anticipated demand, reference or research value, literary or artistic quality, awards or honors, suitability for intended audience, contribution to the collection either in whole or in part, suitable and durable in format, price and availability of funds, accessibility through interlibrary loans, etc.

Funding for materials is primarily provided for in the city budget of the City of Groves, Texas. Current funding for 2005-2006 is $17,000 for books and AV materials. Houston Area Library System also provides funding for materials. Houston Area Library System allocates the funds through monies provided by the federal and state funding sources. Additional funds for materials may also come from grant sources.

C. Scope of collection and priorities:

Currently Groves Public Library maintains print and non-print materials. We offer area newspapers, periodicals, books, videocassettes and DVDs, government documents, audiocassettes and books on compact disc, and databases.

Print Materials

· Groves Public Library will purchase print over non-print materials, and hardcover materials over paperback materials.

Videos

· Videos are purchased for their ability to circulate. This means that, from time to time, we will purchase popular videos. However, our focus will generally remain videos that are based on books, how-to videos, study aids, travel, classics, and Texas history. We will add to our video collection in both cassette and DVD format. Although we will add more titles in DVD than cassette. Videos that are based on a book title will be labeled as Based on Book and titles that are more than 50 years old will be labeled as Vintage.

Children’s Videos: Titles will be added to this collection at the discretion of the director and according to funds availability.

Other purchase priorities:

· We will purchase single volume overviews rather than multi-volume works.

· General treatments over those, which are specialized, scholarly, or primarily for professional use.

· Generally Groves Public Library will purchase single copies of a wide range of titles rather than multiple copies of the same title. Multiple copies may be purchased when public demand, or when the title is of local interest and may go out of print, or if it is the definitive title on a particular subject.

· Currency. Collection emphasis is on up-to-date information. Older materials which remain accurate will be retained and replaced according to patron demand,

· Popular/Recreational Titles will be current titles, best sellers, and hot topics in a variety of forums.

· Basic or general Titles will be carefully selected materials in appropriate formats based on quality and popularity and intended to meet the reading needs of a diverse reading public.

· Instructional titles will be a broad collection that includes virtually everything in all formats. Includes a considerable number of retrospective titles and all of the works of significant writers in the field. Most-recommended reference materials will support circulation collection. Materials will be discarded when they have outlived their usefulness.

· Multiple copies and reserves: Generally, unless a book or video is unusually popular, we will not purchase two copies. Another exception might be if the title is needed for classrooms in the area. Reserves are placed for patrons. We will call the patron when the book comes in. The patron will then have 48 hours to pick up the book. If the book is not picked up after this period, we will move to the next patron on the list or return the book to the shelves.

Adult Fiction: Groves Public Library provides a collection of standard and contemporary fiction titles as well as genre fiction for intellectual enrichment, information, and entertainment needs and interests of the adult population of Groves, Texas. Large print and audiocassette and compact disc copies of some popular titles are also available. In choosing titles for adult fiction we will take into account the collection’s need to reflect minority as well as majority cultures and literary merit.

Adult Non-Fiction: Groves Public Library maintains a collection of general interest non-fiction titles to provide for the information needs and browsing interests of library patrons. Materials for which there is heavy demand may be selected with less emphasis on the general criteria listed above. Special criteria may also include: suitability for intended audience (research-level books not purchased) and ease of use, including index, bibliography and illustrations.

Adult Audio Cassettes and CDs: Audiocassettes and abridged versions of book-on-tape will be added to the collection. We will strive to purchase unabridged editions when possible. We will purchase both cassettes and books on compact disc.

Periodicals: Groves Public Library maintains a collection of magazines for informational and recreational reading. We retain periodicals for one year.. Purchasing criteria is generally at the discretion of the director in consultation with the staff. As a rule, most magazines highlighting the state of Texas are subscribed to such as Texas Gardener, Texas Highways, and Texas Parks and Wildlife. Some young adult titles are subscribed to as funds allow. Community interest as measured by surveys, purchase requests and interlibrary loan request also is used to decide which periodicals will be subscribed to. Other criteria are availability of shelf space, storage space, and cost of subscription. See periodical policy for further information.

Newspapers: Groves Public Library selects newspapers to provide state, regional, and national coverage. Local newspapers, plus one or more major newspaper is purchased. Issues are retained as space allows.

Reference Materials: Groves Public Library provides reference materials that are timely and accurate on a wide variety of subjects. Our reference collection meets or exceeds the core reference collection criteria of the Houston Area Library System. Because cost, method of use, or rarity these materials are not available for use outside the library. Special criteria may include: currency of the material, thoroughness of coverage, importance of subject matter to the collection, community interest, and ease of use.

Databases: Groves Public Library will contribute toward a collaborative purchase of databases, which will be useful to the majority of our patrons. We will not however, spend over $500 toward a database fee at this time.

Adult Paperback Fiction: Groves Public Library purchases paperbacks in the following genres on a limited basis: Romance, Harlequin, Western, and Inspirational Romance. To refresh these sections, or upon special request titles may be added, however, we do not regularly purchase for these sections. We depend on donations to keep these sections viable.

Adult true crime books are purchased whenever money becomes available to expend on this section. We will not make this a high priority section.

Adult Christian Fiction: Groves Public Library will maintain and purchase titles for the Christian Fiction section because it has proven to be a widely circulating part of the adult fiction paperback collection. We will strive to maintain an author’s series by purchasing the next title in a series as it is released, but because of the volume of authors writing in this genre, we may depend on patron requests to keep us alert to new titles. If we decide not to purchase a title in the series, we may order it instead through interlibrary loan.

Easy and Junior Fiction and Non-Fiction: Groves Public Library will strive to buy the current, popular titles in Easy and Junior fiction. We will pay special attention to the titles that are award winners such as Caldecott, Newberry, and Bluebonnet titles.

D. Selection procedures and vendor relations: After researching materials to purchase the director will place an order with the vendor. At this time the majority of the materials are ordered through either Amazon.Com or Baker and Taylor. Baker and Taylor is generally used most because of the 40% discount the library receives and Amazon.Com is used primarily when materials are needed expeditiously.

E. Evaluation, weeding, and maintenance: The library’s collection is a dynamic one and, as such, is subject to continuing evaluation. The director periodically reviews the collection with the staff. Materials that no longer meet the stated objectives of the library (including those that have become damaged or obsolete) will be systematically withdrawn on a continual basis according to the accepted professional practices described in the CREW Method. Disposition and replacement of library materials will be at the discretion of the director. Groves Public Library reserves the right to weed donated items, memorial books and special collections according to the accepted practices. Any donated item that the director feels does not meet the selection criteria or fails to continue to meet the criteria shall be removed from the library’s collection. Once the materials are withdrawn Groves Public Library reserves the right to dispose of the materials as directed by the director and the Groves City manager. As of this time, weeded materials are given to the Friends of Groves Public Library who may consider the materials for resale in their yearly book sale. All proceeds of the book sale go toward the benefit of the library.

F. Intellectual Freedom Statement, Library Bill of Rights: See insert

G. Gifts, Donations and Memorials: Patrons are encouraged to remember a loved one, or honor a loved one with the purchase of a memorial book. The suggested donation for a memorial book is at least $25.00, which is the accepted value of a hardcover adult book or library bound easy or junior title plus processing time. The library will send a letter to the family of the deceased stating that the library has received a donation in the person’s honor and informing the family of the title purchased. The staff will place a memorial plaque in the book and the family is welcomed to come view the material.

Patrons wishing to donate materials to the library are required to sign a waiver stating their understanding of the conditions set forth by the library concerning the collection development criteria. If the donated item is not needed it will either be placed for sale or disposed of accordingly. If the donated materials are placed in honor of someone, they need to meet the selection criteria to be placed on the library shelves. The library will not send any notice apprising the patron that their materials have been disposed of. The library staff will not place a monetary value on donated materials. We will only furnish the patron a receipt for the number and type of items donated. The patron is responsible for making his or her own itemized list.

All gift items are subject to the same criteria as the materials collection. This includes artwork, special collections, gift books, memorials, endowments, securities and properties, equipment, and furnishings. While generosity may well afford the library with an useful item it could not normally afford, the library director must be careful to see that the library is not saddled with an expensive piece that is difficult to maintain, expensive to insure, restore, store, display, dispose of or has a definite impact on staff time. The library, through the director, must reserve the right to say no to inappropriate gifts or donations. Donations should be made in consultation with the library director in order to make the benefaction of the greatest possible use for the present and for the future. In the case of artwork and special collections or historical documents, the library will generally favor rotating displays instead of permanent ones. Gifts of cash, securities, real property and bequest that support the mission of the library will be handled by the library director and the City of Groves who will work out terms of acceptance that are compatible with library policies, the donor’s intent, and applicable laws. Generally the library will not make a special collection to house gifts or donations since this tends to leave the collection disjointed and confusing.

H. Reference Policy statement: Groves Public Library attempts to collect materials for our reference section that will be of pertinent use by the majority of our patrons. However, because of cost factors and the advent of the Internet, reference materials in print may not always be considered a priority purchase. Usually reference materials in the subject of consumer products, law, computers, travel and medicine change rapidly and must be purchased on a yearly basis. We will instead strive to maintain a core collection that is available at all times to all patrons. At the discretion of the director, a reference title may be loaned overnight. This is not generally done, however, and a patron must not depend on using reference materials anywhere aside from the library.

I. Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials and Patron Complaint of Library Services and Staff: Objections to the library’s collection should be made in writing using the forms provided in the policy notebook. Library staff should present this form to the patron, have the patron fill out the form and either mail it to the director or leave it for the director.

After receiving the form, the director will review the material and the objection complaint and confer with the patron. The director will strive to satisfy the questions of any patron seeking to understand why a certain title was purchased or left out of the collection. However, it is virtually impossible to ascertain the full content of every piece of material purchased for the library during the ordering process. The director’s expertise is relied upon to make judgment calls after the material enters into the collection and begins to circulate. Creating controversy is never the aim of a good library director.

If the library director cannot satisfactorily answer the patron’s inquiry, then the director will consult with the Groves City Manager.

Patrons who are dissatisfied with services provided by the library, a staff member or the director or assistant director are urged to complete the form entitled Patron Complaint of Library Services/Staff form and mail it to the library. The library director will review the complaint and contact the patron to attempt to resolve the problem.

J. Materials in Languages Other Than English: Generally we will order materials in English language format only. We may from time to time decide to purchase a Spanish language edition of a popular title when the above criteria warrant our doing so.

Date this policy was adopted_________________Signed_________________________________

Library Director