Selection Sources
A wide variety of sources may be consulted when making selection decisions, for example: customer recommendations or requests; critical reviews; awards and honors lists; publisher or vendor catalogs; and promotional information.

Selection Criteria
Librarians/selectors use their subject knowledge and expertise in combination with criteria including, but not limited to those listed below (not in priority order) to select and evaluate collection items. Gifts and purchases are held to the same standard. An item need not meet all criteria to be selected.

General Criteria

• Format or physical form suitable for library use and reflecting customer preferences
• Cost relative to the value the item contributes to the collection
• Space required relative to the value the item contributes to the collection
• The extent to which the item supplements, expands on, or supports the existing collection, rather than duplicates it
• Relevance to observed and anticipated community needs and desires
• Reputation and qualifications of the author, creator or publisher of the work
• Local significance of the author or creator of the work

Content Criteria

• Comprehensiveness of treatment, including breadth and depth
• Skill and purpose of the author or creator
• Consideration of the work as a whole, rather than a specific passage or passages
• Evaluation of the currency and accuracy of the information contained, to the extent that is possible
• Representation of diverse points of view
• Representation of important movements, subjects, genres or trends of local, regional or national significance
• Long-term or historical significance or interest
• Relevance of the information to immediate local requirements

Electronic Format Criteria
Additional considerations may apply to the selection of electronic resources.

• Ease of use of the product
• Accessibility to multiple users
• Access to needed equipment
• Enhancement of the print equivalent (if any), in terms of speed, flexibility, combinations of search terms, or general utility
• Continued access to retrospective information when necessary or desirable
• Reduction of space requirements over print products
• Reduction in number of copies of a print source when purchased for multiple locations

Gifts
The Library gratefully accepts gifts of money and materials under the circumstances outlined below.

Materials
The Library accepts donations of materials that are in good condition if deemed valuable to the collection. The Library reserves the right to make final disposition of all gifts received. Gifts may be added to the collection or rejected at the discretion of the Library. Gift materials not added to the collection are not returned to the donor. Unused gifts may be given to the Friends of the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library for public sale or disposed of in some other way.

The Library will, if requested, provide a written acknowledgement of the receipt of gift, but in accordance with income tax regulations, will leave the determination of the value of the material to the donor.

Gift collections will be accepted only by the Director, with the counsel of the Collection Development Coordinator as appropriate, with the understanding that the collection may not be kept intact or retained forever.

Funds
The Library accepts monetary gifts intended for the purchase of library materials. Consideration will be given to the interests of the donor or honoree. The Library reserves the right to make the ultimate selection decision based on its needs and consistent with the criteria in this policy.

Substantial cash offerings, securities, endowments and bequests will be handled by the Director, who, with the Board of Trustees, will work out terms of acceptance that are in agreement with the Library’s needs and policies, the donor’s intent and applicable laws.

Retention and Preservation Criteria
The Library views any decision to retain or preserve as another type of selection choice. Applying the same criteria used to select new materials, the Library retains or preserves materials of long-standing value to its mission and collections.

Retention and preservation decisions regarding items in the collection are the responsibility of the Director and delegated to the Collection Development Coordinator and designated professional staff.

Retention
Condition, content, inherent value and use are the primary criteria used to determine the continued retention of materials in the collection. Many materials do not withstand the test of time and repeated handling. Likewise, many fields of knowledge are drastically altered by new discoveries and changes in culture. As demand declines, the Library selectively removes multiple copies, making exceptions for areas of special importance to the overall collection. The Library also removes worn, damaged and obsolete materials that cannot be repaired and are no longer usable. An item that is damaged or lost may be replaced if it is deemed still useful and is still available for purchase.

Preservation
The Library takes appropriate action to preserve those materials that cannot be replaced, but that continue to have long-standing or permanent significance to the overall collection. The Library may use a variety of means to preserve such materials, including but not limited to replacement of content through purchase of another edition, rebinding and use restriction. The Library also encourages preservation of materials by educating the public and staff about care of materials and by instituting procedures for proper handling and storage of materials.

Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation techniques are used to measure collection usefulness in terms of scope and depth, as well as strengths and weaknesses. Measures and evaluation techniques used by library staff may include, but are not limited to:

• Age and condition of items in the collection
• Comparison of the collection with accepted core collection lists
• Frequency of holds and interlibrary loan requests
• Circulation Relevance to observed and anticipated community needs and desires
• Long-term or historical significance or interest
• Compliance with collection-related Standards for Public Library Service in Ohio

Statements of Concern
Library users occasionally express concern about titles that have been selected for or omitted from the collection. Persons registering strong concern regarding a book, dvd, compact disc, or another item may download and complete the form “Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials” found at the bottom below. The Library, upon receipt of the completed form, reviews the item for inclusion in the collection in light of the Library’s mission and overall objectives, its Collection Development Policy, the Library Bill of Rights, and ALA guidelines on intellectual freedom.