Collection Development Policy

The Purpose of the Collection Development Policy of the Harrington Park Public Library is to provide a framework for the creation and maintenance of the collection of resources that implements the Library’s overall mission.  It also seeks to provide the public with information about the principles upon which materials purchasing decisions are made.  This policy will serve as a guideline for selection and purchase, the acceptance of gifts, the ongoing management of the collection and the reconsideration of materials in the collection.  This policy cannot cover every situation and is not intended to replace the judgment of the professional library staff.

The Harrington Park Library’s collection includes materials in a variety of formats to serve a wide range of ages, reading, listening and viewing skills and educational backgrounds.  The collection emphasizes materials that aid in promoting early literacy, lifelong learning, reading for pleasure and popular cultural entertainment.  Parents and legal guardians are responsible for the use of the library’s collection by children.  It is only the parent or legal guardian who may restrict their children from access to library materials.  The selection of library materials will not be limited by the possibility that items may be viewed by minors.

Acquisition of Materials:

Budgetary constraints play a major role in the acquisition and replacement of Harrington Park Public Library materials. The ultimate responsibility for the direction, purpose and scope of collection development rests with the director with the approval of the Library Board of Trustees.  As part of the Library’s annual budget, the materials budget is divided into four main categories:  Books, Newspapers and Periodicals, DVDs and audio books. Material is selected based on a variety of criteria including:

• Demonstrated or perceived interest, need, demand by library users

• Contemporary Significance, popular interest of permanent value

• Quality, including accuracy, timeliness, clarity, and suitability of the format for public lending

• To provide support to the general curriculum of the local schools

• Request for patrons

Suggestions from review sources including, but not limited to BOOKLIST (Journal of the American Library Association) and the New York Time Book Review,

The library aims for a broad representation of viewpoints and looks for materials that will supplement, expand upon, or support the existing collection.

The Library’s collection is evaluated by the Director on an ongoing and systematic basis.  Items that are outdated, superseded, and are no longer of interest or are in poor condition will be withdrawn, given away, sold or recycled.  The collection evaluation process is based upon The Crew Method as outlined in EVALUATING AND WEEDING COLLECTIONS IN SMALL AND MEDIUM –SIZED PUBLIC published by the American Library Association.

As a member of the Bergen County Cooperative system (BCCLS), the Library is able to easily access the collective resources of all BCCLS member libraries.  Sharing materials of all types is crucial to the success of the consortium and is a factor in making purchase decisions.

Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials

Patrons who have concerns regarding the content of any library materials will be asked to formally present their opinions to the Library’s Board of Trustees by using the Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials Form available here. The completed printed form should be given to the Library Director who will forward it to the Board of Trustee for a decision.