The collection development plan supports the Library in its mission and defines the goals and outcomes of the Library collections. The plan provides an approach to selecting and acquiring materials. How successfully the Library serves the community depends on the availability of a well-selected, well-maintained collection, one that meets the informational, educational, cultural, and recreational needs and interests of a changing community.
The Library takes into consideration the principles of intellectual freedom as expressed in the Library Bill of Rights and contained within the Freedom to Read and Freedom to View principles outlined by the American Library Association. It is the purpose of the Arlington Public Library to provide equal access to quality lifelong education, regardless of age, origin, ethnic background, nationality or socioeconomic status.
It is the Library’s aim to offer a wide diversity of views and expressions responsive to community needs. Although the library provides materials presenting various points of view, the decision to acquire material does not constitute an endorsement of the material’s content, viewpoint, implications, or means of expression of the materials. The library evaluates material for inclusion in the collection on the total effect of the work rather than specific illustrations, words, passages, or scenes.
Members of the community may object to the inclusion of material in the collection and request in writing that the Library reconsider the inclusion or location of an item in the collection. Although we welcome input from the community, a title may only be reviewed every two years. A Request for Reconsideration Form and the Request for Reconsideration Appeal form are available at all Arlington libraries and online. After the library receives a request, a committee of three professional librarians will be formed in coordination with Library Administration. A confirmation acknowledging the request will be sent within five business days and will include an estimated time frame for the review process. The committee’s decision will be communicated to the requestor by Library Administration. The requestor has the option to appeal in writing within 10 days of receiving notification of the committee’s decision. The decision of the appeal committee is final and will be communicated in writing to the requestor by Library Administration. During this process, the material under reconsideration will remain accessible to patrons.
The Library believes that individuals have the freedom to accept or reject an item from the library’s collection for their personal use. Responsibility for overseeing children’s use of the library collections rests with their parents and/or legal guardians, not the library. The Library permits youth (age 17 and under) to borrow material in the adult collections with parental consent. Selection of material, in print and non-print, will not be inhibited by the possibility that an item may inadvertently come into the possession of a child.
The Library uses resources from other libraries in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metropolitan area and strives to avoid needlessly duplicating functions or materials. The resources of other libraries may be available to Arlington city residents through cooperative agreements with the Texas State Library and municipal, county and academic libraries within Texas. Arlington residents may request materials through the Interlibrary Loan Program at any location or via the library’s website.
The Arlington Public Library system serves the culturally diverse population of Arlington. The seven locations house general and special interest circulating collections for all age groups. Each location also provides materials in a variety of formats: print, audio-visual and electronic.
Collection Goals and Outcomes:
Laws governing obscenity require that materials be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, considering the work as a whole. The Library does not maintain pornography or obscene materials in the collection.
Nature of Materials:
The Library collects traditional and current mediums: print, non-print and electronic. Since people communicate and learn in different ways, the Library does not limit itself to the print medium and offers access to a variety of media and resources. The Library recognizes that the technologies of sound, image and electronic resources continue to evolve. The Library explores all new formats to offer current technology within our collection. In the delivery of electronic resources, the Library takes into consideration the American Library Association’s best practices on Access to Electronic Information, Services, and Networks.
Material Selection:
General criteria for the evaluation of library material include:
The Library works with standard review sources common to the library profession. Review sources used in this process include but are not limited to Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, School Library Journal, New York Times Book Review, Foreword Reviews, VOYA and Video Librarian.
Self-published works must meet the same criteria as materials purchased from traditional publishing houses. In evaluating local authors criteria include quality of writing, professional level editing, art and illustrations, quality of binding, and overall accuracy.
Additional criteria for selection of electronic media include:
Child Access
The children’s collection at Arlington Public Library is curated for children from birth through 6th grade, as well as their parents, teachers, caregivers, and other professionals working with children. The children’s collections are designed to encourage an interest in reading, provide information, and supplement grade school curriculum. Due to the wide range of ages served by this collection, materials will differ significantly in reading level, maturity level, and age appropriateness. To assist in identifying materials within the children’s collection the Library divides the collection:
Criteria for the evaluation of books and other media for all children’s age groups include literary merit, quality of art and illustrations, accuracy and timeliness of factual material, and award nominees/winners. The Library reviews the following children’s literary awards that include but are not limited to: Bluebonnet, Caldecott, Newbery, TLA 2X2 Reading List, and state recommended reading lists.
Teen Access
The teen (young adult) collections at Arlington Public Library are curated for students in grades 7 to 12. These collections are intended to form a bridge between the children’s and adult collection, providing materials for a wide range of maturity levels and reading interests. The social, emotional, and intellectual maturity required to read Teen Fiction and Nonfiction makes this collection differ significantly from materials in the Children’s Collection, as it serves a wide range of ages and reading levels.
To be relevant to teens, the collections need to be browsing in nature, to contain current interest material, to be changing constantly, and to be aesthetically pleasing. Selection of teen material follows the general materials selection guidelines listed above, with additional emphasis on customer demand, popularity, critical reception, significance of topic or theme, and significance of the author/series/artist. Key resources used in the process include but are not limited to School Library Journal and VOYA as well as the following Young Adult lists and awards: Maverick List, Lone Star List, TAYSHAS List, Odyssey Award, William C. Morris YA Debut Award, YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults, Edgar Award for Young Adult Fiction, and the Michael L. Printz Award.
Languages Other Than English
The Library maintains International Language collections that include works of fiction and non-fiction, as well as language-learning materials, in both print and media. Languages represented in the collection support our ethnically and linguistically diverse community.
Local History and Genealogy
The Genealogy and Local History Collection at Arlington Public Library resides at the Downtown Library and comprises books, microfilm, maps, online databases, and digital archives. This reference collection is intended to support both personal family history research and research on the history of Arlington and surrounding communities. It seeks to complement, not compete with, similar collections in the area at institutions such as UTA, the Fielder House Museum, the Fort Worth Public Library, and the Dallas Public Library.
Genealogy acquisitions focus on research methodology, and increasing holdings on underrepresented people groups and places, while building on existing collection strengths of Texas, neighboring states, and migratory routes to Texas. Local History acquisitions focus on primary and secondary materials on the history of Arlington, its institutions, organizations, and individuals in the community, including selected City of Arlington municipal documents, though we do not function as an official archive or repository for municipal documents.
In accordance with the Texas State Library’s C.R.E.W. Method guidelines, local history reference materials in this collection will be retained ‘except when the item is shabby and beyond repair. Genealogy reference materials, likewise, will ‘not be weeded without careful consideration and deliberation. Items that are not selected will be offered to a clearinghouse of local history and genealogy materials.
Audiovisual Materials
The audiovisual collection of the Library serves all citizens of Arlington, regardless of age, by providing audiovisual materials for recreational and informational needs, striving to provide a quality collection that reflects customer demand. Selection of audiovisual material follows the same guidelines as selection of print material and endeavors to provide a diversity of viewpoints. Audiovisual material is selected to make the best use of the unique features of each medium, for the artistic and technical quality, and for the content and impact of each work. The Library’s film collections focus on sought-after, well-reviewed, and award-winning films. In selecting films, the Library takes into consideration movie reviews, ratings, monitors major awards and film festivals, and actively acquires bodies of work from award-winning directors, actors/actresses, and screenwriters. The audiovisual collection as a whole is intended to be browsing in nature, contain current interest material, have lasting appeal, and reflect the needs and interests of the community.
Weeding and Collection Maintenance
The Library conducts periodic and continuous evaluation of materials as an integral part of collection development. It is considered of equal importance to the acquisition of new materials. When information becomes outdated or the materials become damaged beyond use, they should be removed from the collection. In evaluating materials for removal from the collection, the Library uses the Texas State Library’s C.R.E.W. Method as a guideline. As part of the Texas State guidelines, collection maintenance involves inspection of materials for age and condition, monitoring materials for changes in interest and use, reviewing the collection for content, recommending titles for replacement, determining materials to be mended, and relocating materials to other collections.
Patron Requests for Materials
The Library provides several mechanisms to facilitate community involvement in the selection process by soliciting patron suggestions, monitoring active holds placed by patrons for specific titles, and conducting questionnaires and surveys. The same criteria used to purchase materials for the Library applies in evaluating customer requests. In addition, the Library will not fill customer requests that require on-going costs (memberships, subscriptions), not accessible to more than one patron over the life of an item, or current textbooks.
Gifts
The Library accepts gifts of books and other materials with the understanding that items added to the collection must meet the same selection criteria as purchased materials. The Library retains the right to accept or reject gifts and to make all decisions as to their use, housing, and final disposition. Gifts may be added to the collection, made available to the public through the Friends of the Arlington Public Library’s semiannual book sale, or recycled. Upon request and if available, a patron can request information about their donation and the deciding factor for its inclusion or exclusion in the collection. The Library will provide a receipt for gifts but will not give a monetary valuation for materials received. The Library accepts memorials and gift monies and will acknowledge contributions and provide a memorial/gift plate when the donor requests it.
Last Reviewed and Supported by the Library Advisory Board, 05/24/2023