Proposed changes to the materials policy AM 310
Submitted by jbrooks on Mon, 02/06/2017 - 12:02
All staff, following are two documents for the Collection Policy Review. The first document provides background for the policy review and the second is the draft revised policy. Please review both documents and submit feedback. The comment section of the policy review will be open through closing Monday, February 13th. Thank you so much for your feedback.
Referenced Policies & Procedures:
Supporting Documents:
Comments Close:
Feb 13 2017 - 9:00pm CST
Comments
Does "[l]ibrary material will not be labeled to restrict access" and "[t]he [l]ibrary collection, as a whole, is available to all members [...] and what materials are suitable for particular children should be made by their parents or guardians" mean that we no longer will have the partially secluded collection of RDVD?
Does this also mean that we are discontinuing the Family Talk section?
Hi Gatlin and Sarah,
Thank you so much for your feedback. We appreciate you taking time to comment. The policy committee did not include either item (Family Talk and RDVD) in the proposed policy revisions, since neither is part of the current materials selection policy. Tim is looking into the necessary processes for changing historical actions of the Commission that were not included as part of the official policy manual. We'll have more info later!
The new collections policy looks great!! Very streamlined. I do have one question:
In section F. Reconsiderations, it says "The executive director will send a written response to the individual initiating the comment." I have no doubt the director would do an admirable job, but is it really the best use of his time and expertise? I'm wondering why this task isn't delegated to someone at a lower grade.
Hi Margo,
Thanks for your feedback and question. The procedures for who will handle what and how will be addressed after the policy is approved. Until then, here’s some info that hopefully explains our rationale for the policy revision you are concerned about. The statement right before the one you reference says, "Designated staff members will evaluate the materials considering the member’s request, using published reviews and the criteria contained in this policy." This is pretty much what we currently do. The procedures that we now follow indicate that selection staff will do the re-evaluation and draft a response. The draft and the supporting documentation goes to the director. He adds to our draft, rewords, etc. as he deems necessary. The final response goes out under his signature. I don't think this procedure will change much if the policy is approved. It seems that it will still be appropriate since the director is ultimately responsible for the collection. The first sentence in the statement of responsibility says, "The ultimate responsibility for building, maintaining and managing the Library's collection rests with the executive director, who in turn, delegates specific responsibilities to appropriately-trained professional staff members." Also as an aside, I think having the response come from the director let's our members know that the director cares about and listens to what they have to say about our collections! Let me know if there are other concerns you have about this that I didn’t address! I appreciate your feedback on this important policy! Thanks! Janet
I forgot that Procedures are a thing! If the procedure is that he just has to read & sign, that's a lot less work. I agree that it's good for the members to know that their concerns are being heard and considered at the highest level.
Thanks for the answer!