Public Library Group #3 Page 1

Public Library Group #3

Jessica Gonzalez, Gerri Hawkins, Ashlea Johnson, Chamberlyn Marks, & Penelope Mason
Dr. N. Bird / LIS 610-01
15 April 2018

2018-2023 Collection Management Plan of Smalltown Public Library

INTRODUCTION
Smalltown Public Library is committed to developing a stellar collection of library materials that are broad in
scope, culturally diverse, and relevant to the needs of today’s information users. In this document, we have
outlined our current plans for collection management, as well as goals for the future.

PURPOSE
Mission
 Smalltown Public Library promotes literacy, education, and recreation through its provision of information
services; reaches out to the entire community for its information needs; promotes life-long learning through
its support of all users; and is a vibrant center for community life in Smalltown, NC.

Service Responses
 The library will create a collection to reflect the growing diversity of its community.
 The library will meet the needs of senior community members through increased outreach and expanded
collections in targeted genres.
 The library will support the literacy development of its children and youth through updated collections that
reflect the newest titles.
 The library will respond to new technologies and different learning styles by incorporating new information
formats into its collection.

Goals
 In order to support the needs of non-English speakers in the community, the library will expand its
collection of foreign language materials in both youth and adult collections.
o Evaluate the current collection for foreign language resources
o Utilize census data to determine the language needs of the community
o Acquire resources to meet the community’s need in the desired collection areas
 The library will evaluate its current collections for diversity and augment the collection with titles to reflect
the diversity of its service community.
o Evaluate the current collection and determine its gaps
o Utilize organizations like “We Need Diverse Books” in order to identify appropriate diverse titles to
add to the collection
o Acquire resources and promote the new additions to ensure visibility
 To increase its visibility in the community and increase its outreach, the library will provide book club kits
for use with senior communities and area social clubs.
o Identify the community groups that would best utilize book club kits
o Select genres and titles that would appeal to chosen groups
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o Acquire resources needed for book club kits

o Promote kits through active outreach to community groups
 The library will increase its offerings in genres in higher demand by senior community members to continue
its support of this demographic.
o Utilize circulation data to determine the most popular genres amongst this demographic
o Solicit feedback from senior community members for desired genres
o Evaluate current collection for gaps and research new releases in selected genres
o Acquire and promote new materials
 To ensure young readers have access to in-demand titles, the library will keep its youth collection current
and updated with the latest resources.
o Establish schedule for new additions to youth collections
o Determine reputable review sources for new title selection
o Establish weeding and storage policy to accommodate collection increases
 The literacy development of children and youth will be supported through targeted programming and active
promotion of resources through displays, book talks, and partnerships with local youth organizations.
o Evaluate current offerings and efficacy for literacy development
o Identify local organizations and schools for partnership possibilities
o Create schedule for programming and promotional activities to ensure continuity in efforts
 Community members will have access to information in various formats through an increase in eBook,
audiobook, and DVD offerings.
o Promote resources available through NC Live to the service population
o Develop plan to move some resources to digital formats
o Utilize additional funding to increase offerings in diverse formats
 The library will ensure community members have access to the digital resources required to meet their
information needs through the provision of sufficient software, devices, and bandwidth.
o Perform a technological needs assessment to identify strengths and growing areas
o Create a technology plan to meet these needs on an ongoing basis

COLLECTION DESCRIPTION
Smalltown Public Library’s collection consists of about 75,000 items of various formats and genres. Our
collection includes fiction and nonfiction print materials for adults, children, and teenagers. We also offer
DVDs, video games, audiobooks, e-resources, and music. Other materials of note in our collection include local
history, reference, and professional resources; periodicals, and foreign language books.

Main Collections Electronic Collections Miscellaneous Collections

 Adult: 43,000 items
 Children: 17,000 items
Preschool: 6,129 items
School-Aged: 11,066 items
 Young Adult: 3,051 items
 Audiobooks: 854 items;
20 play-away devices
 DVDs: 1,454 items
 Video games: 48 items
 Music CDs: 786 items
 E-resources: 25+ subscriptions
 Large print: 2,894 items
 Local history: 2,613 items
 Professional: 146 items
 Periodicals: 72 subscriptions
 Foreign language: 258 items
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ACQUISITIONS
Smalltown Public Library is committed to providing its patrons with a diverse selection of library materials in
various formats in order to satisfy their informational needs and personal interests. To do this, we have crafted
an extensive acquisition plan which outlines the kinds of materials our library will purchase, which sources we
will purchase from, how often purchases will be made, and how the needs of our patrons will influence these
acquisition decisions.
Our acquisition practices are driven by data collected from users during needs assessments, which are
conducted every five years. The results from our most recent needs assessment have been used to develop a
strategic plan, of which acquisition is a major component. As our plan is implemented, ongoing formative
assessment will help us monitor our progress and the effects these changes have had on patron usage of library
materials. Below is an overview of our acquisition procedures and policies, as well as a summary of goals
Smalltown Public Library has for five collections that have become considerably popular and will be further
developed using funds acquired from a desired budget increase.
General Practices
 We will select materials of various types and genres that are useful and interesting to patrons.
 Collections will be organized so that they are accessible, relevant, and easy to maintain.
 Materials will be available in multiple formats to appeal to preferences and needs of different patrons.
 Before items are selected, the acquisitions librarian will consider its content, price, and potential uses.
 Funds designated for acquisitions will be distributed among collections based on the age and condition of
materials, popularity among patrons, and relevancy to the library community.
 Every effort will be made to offer library materials that represent diverse backgrounds, opinions, and beliefs
as we attempt to purchase objectively without the influence of personal bias.
 Donations will be assessed on a case-by-case basis by the collection management team before admittance
into the collection.
 Because Smalltown Public Library is part of a state-wide consortium and offers interlibrary loan services to
patrons, potential acquisitions will also be assessed based on their availability through our partner libraries.
 Collection management decisions will be heavily influenced by our library consortium’s integrated library
system, which provides circulation and interlibrary loan data that helps to inform our choices for
acquisitions. Our system also helps us keep track of purchases and processing.
Collection Management Team
 The adult services, youth services, branch manager, and acquisitions librarians will make up the collection
management team. The team will also include 2-3 patron representatives. The rest of the library staff will be
consulted and asked to provide input on acquisition decisions as well.
 Although the entire staff will be involved in the acquisition process, when necessary, the acquisitions
librarian in tandem with the branch manager will make final decisions about library selections.
 Often, acquisitions decisions may be made through the collaboration of all branch managers within the
library system, headed by the library director, with resources being distributed to various branches as the
director instructs.
Vendors and Material/Service Offerings
 Our vendors include Baker & Taylor, Better World Books, EBSCO, ProQuest, Scholastic, Playaway
Library, Learning Express and OverDrive. Through these vendors we are able to provide the patrons of
Smalltown Public Library with the following types of resources on a variety of topics:
o Fiction & Nonfiction: Adult, Young Adult, Children
o Media: audiobooks, CDs, DVDs, video games
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o Serials: magazines, newspapers

o Digital resources: e-books, online journals, databases, media streaming
o Reference resources: dictionaries/thesauri, atlases, encyclopedias, archives, indexes/bibliographies
Purchases & Scheduling
 When deciding on items to acquire, the collection management team may review various selection aids such
as bibliographies, OCLC’s WorldCat database, national library catalogs, Books in Print, Wilson Core
Collections, ALA suggested lists, and publishers’ websites.
 Although not required for an item to be purchased, the collection management team will diligently seek to
obtain items that have been reviewed by reputable sources, won notable literary awards, and/or have
received critical acclaim. Reviewers we will consult include (but are not limited to) Publishers Weekly,
Horn Book Guide, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, and Library Journal.
 Our library desires the acquisition process to be timely, keeping the period between when a decision is made
to purchase an item to the time it is made available for checkout as short as possible. We also desire our
purchasing procedures to be informed, accurate, and cost-effective.
 All staff on the collection management team should be well-aware of purchasing procedures, keeping
detailed records to prevent double-orders or buying the wrong items.
 Most purchases will either be individual firm orders or within approval plans with our vendors. Standing
orders will be maintained for books by authors who are in high-demand. Subscriptions will be maintained
by the library for our newspapers, magazines, online journals, and databases. All purchases will be made
while keeping in mind the holdings of other libraries in our consortium.
 Large firm orders for print and media materials will be placed quarterly each year. Others will take place as
needed according to patron demand. Acquisition reviews of digital resources will take place twice a year
before upcoming subscription renewals.
Patron Impact on Acquisitions
 Smalltown Public Library will work to regularly add multicultural materials that reflect the diverse user
groups that we serve. We commit to providing library items that are inclusive of all racial and ethnic groups,
religions, nationalities, orientations, political views and other facets of diversity.
 Our librarians will work to provide materials in a variety of languages to meet the needs of non-English
speaking patrons, focusing primarily on the languages of our largest minority groups, which include native
speakers of Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, and Cherokee.
 Patron input on the purchasing of new library materials will be obtained via suggestions which can be made
on paper at the circulation desk or using an online form available on our website.
 When spaces come available, patrons who have been residents of Smalltown and active patrons of the
library for at least five years, are 18 years or older, and have an account in good standing with the library
have the invitation to apply to serve as one of (at most) three patron representatives on the collection
management team and will be involved in making key acquisition decisions.
Goals for Target Collections
 To purchase Adult Fiction: Thriller/Suspense book club kits for general checkout and to local senior centers
and social clubs.
 To purchase books for the Adult Nonfiction: Biographies collection to be used for bibliotherapy discussion
groups.
 To purchase foreign language religious texts to diversify the Adult Nonfiction: Religion collection and make
it more accessible to non-English speakers.
 To purchase literature and traditional stories from various cultures for the Children’s Fiction collection to
facilitate literacy and global-awareness initiatives.
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 To purchase popular and award-winning Young Adult Historical Fiction texts to connect teenagers to events
that occurred in the 20th century, while promoting leadership, cultural tolerance, and empathy.

DEACCESSIONING
Smalltown Public Library takes pride in making sure that its facilities and collections are as relevant, updated,
and in good condition as those of the larger regional libraries. Our collection management plan includes a
regular schedule for weeding and deaccessioning materials. Collections will be assessed for weeding semi-
annually.

Each librarian will be responsible for deaccessioning his or her collection with input from managerial staff.
Librarians will review print resources, databases, e-resources, audio books, videos, and digital collections.

The librarians in charge of the deaccessioning will consider the following:

 Content – The library will review the relevance of the materials of each of its collections and determine
whether or not the items are suitable for a progressive public library collection.
 Physical Condition – Items in poor condition will not be retained.
 Number of circulations – Items that do not generate interest among our patrons will not be retained.
 Superseded items – Items that are outdated should not be retained.

In order to make sure that our newly purchased collections will have room in the library, we will follow a
schedule that is already in place to weed annually. The materials should reflect the needs of the community,
should be driven by the data collected from our needs assessment, and should remain in compliance with the
vision and mission statements of our library system.

In accordance with the American Library Association’s weeding recommendations, Smalltown Public Library
will use the MUSTY acronym to guide its process for weeding outdated materials from its collections.

 M – Misleading – Books and materials that are obsolete, contain stereotypical information, are racially
and culturally offensive, or contain outdated Library of Congress subject headings will not be retained.

 U – Ugly – Materials that are physically worn, are frayed and dirty, and are beyond repair will not be
retained.

 S – Superseded – Materials that have newer versions that can be purchased with additional funding will
be discarded.

 T – Trivial – Materials that are ‘cheesy’, poorly written, contain inaccurate information, and are
inappropriate for our patrons will be discarded.

 Y – Your collection – Materials that are not relevant to the collections in Smalltown Public Library will
not be retained.
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PRESERVATION

Smalltown Public Library believes in the importance of providing appropriate physical and environmental care
to the materials in its collection and is committed to preserving materials that warrant such measures. When
determining if preservation of an item is necessary, as well as physically and fiscally feasible, the staff evaluates
the items against the following criteria:

 Cost of the item

 Cost of preservation (materials, staff time, etc.)
 Significance of the item to the collection
 Intellectual content
 Intrinsic value
 Significance/uniqueness of item to the collection
 Storage/environmental requirements of item and availability of space at Smalltown Public Library

LOANING POLICIES
Patron Eligibility
 Patrons who wish to borrow items from Smalltown Public Library must have an active library card.
 To be eligible for a library card, patrons must provide proof of county residency such as a tax bill. Non-
residents must pay an annual fee of $10.00.
 Parents or guardians must register all patrons under the age of 18.
 Borrowers with fines totaling above $50 are not eligible to borrow or use public computers until all fines
have been paid.

Due Dates and Late Fees

 All books are to be returned to the library three weeks after the date that they were loaned. All electronic
resources (DVDs, CDs, video games, audiobooks) are to be returned to the library one week after the date
that they were loaned.
 The late fine for items which are not returned by the due date is $0.15 per day for books and $1.00 for
electronic resources. The maximum late fine for unreturned items is $5.00.

Fine Forgiveness
 If an item was not checked in when it was returned by the patron, the late fees will be forgiven.
 During the library’s fall and spring canned food drives, patrons will be able to donate nonperishable food to
remove fines from their account. For each item donated, $1.00 of any fine will be forgiven.
 Fines will also be forgiven due to the decease of a patron or extenuating circumstances as evaluated by the
branch manager.

Damaged or Lost Items

 All damages to items will be assessed by the library and will be charged to the account of the patron who
returned the item in that condition. The condition of the item will be assessed prior to checkout and after it
has been returned.
 Items which are six weeks overdue will be considered lost and assessed at the cost of the item. An additional
replacement fee of $5.00 will be applied to the cost of the item as well. If the item is returned in good
condition after the six weeks, only the late fine will be required, not the replacement fee or cost of item.
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Library Card Replacement

 There is no cost for a patron to apply for their first library card.
 If library cards are lost or damaged, a $5.00 charge will be required for replacement.
 Cards will not be reissued to patrons whose balances exceed $5.00. Non-residents who have not paid $10.00
renewal fees will not have their cards reissued.

SCHEDULED REVIEW
As communities evolve, so should the collection items available to them. In order to ensure that the resources
Smalltown Public Library provides to patrons are accessible, relevant and of good quality, library staff will
regularly review physical and digital holdings against the following criteria:

 Relevance to the public’s interest and needs: Applicability to patrons’ intellectual interests and pursuits for
both scholarly and personal enrichment purposes.
 Quality: The level of technical proficiency and creativity of the work or item; the long-term relevance of the
item’s content and format; the reputation of the author, publisher, contributors, etc.
 Discoverability, usability, and accessibility: Ability of users to locate materials in the library, or in the
library’s databases. The intuitiveness of the database design, and accessibility of online materials for users
with disabilities will also be analyzed.
 Cost: Expense of acquiring, processing, cataloging, shelving, and preserving the print materials will be
reviewed.
 Renewal rates: When a renewal rate for a subscribed resource is set to increase by five percent or more, the
item is automatically subject to review to assess rationale of significant cost increase. This may result in
cancellation.
 Language and country of origin: Optimal language and perspective for our diverse community’s needs.

BUDGET FOR 2018-2023

Smalltown Public Library has requested a 9% increase in budget allocations for the next five years. Please view
this Google Spreadsheet to view how we plan to spend this additional funding to improve our library’s
collection:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xkitnvdcKi1ca6JEnOZjjt_kzeloJoEUmBRomgBpC3Y/edit?usp=sharing

REFERENCES
Appalachian Regional Library. (2015). Appalachian Regional Library long-range plan: 2015-2020. Retrieved
from http://www.arlibrary.org/images/documents/ARL_Long_Range_Plan.pdf

California Department of Education. (1976). Weeding the School Library. Retrieved from
https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/lb/documents/weedingbrochure.pdf

Craig County Public Library Board of Trustees. (2014, May 15). Craig County Public Library strategic plan.
Retrieved from http://vpl.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2015/02/CraigFYP_2013to2017.pdf

Essex Public Library Board. (2011). Five year plan of the Essex Public Library. Retrieved from
http://vpl.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2015/02/EssexFYP_2011to2016.pdf
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Evans, G.E. & Saponaro, M.Z. (2012). Collection management basics (6th ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries
Unlimited, ABC-CLIO, LLC.

Gleason Public Library. (2011). Gleason Public Library Collection Development Policy. Retrieved April 12,
2018, from http://www.gleasonlibrary.org/collectiondevelopment.htm

Granville County Library System Fee Manual. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.granvillecounty.org/wp-
content/uploads/2018/02/Fee-Manual-FY-2017-2018-Approved.pdf

Library Cards. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.granville.lib.nc.us/using-the-library/library-cards/

Library of the University of Connecticut. n.d. Collection Development Program, Policies, and Guidelines.
Retrieved April12, 2018, from https://lib.uconn.edu/about/policies/collection-development-program-policies-
and-guidelines/#eight

Mary Riley Styles Public Library Board of Trustees. (2015). Five year plan, 2015-2019. Retrieved from
http://vpl.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2015/02/MRStylesFYP_2015to2019_Rev043014.pdf

The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. (2011). The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton
County Collection Development Policy. Retrieved April 12, 2018 from
http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/policies/collectiondevelopment.html
Vendors for public libraries. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.wils.org/services/cooperative-
purchasing/cooperative-vendors-for-public-libraries/

Villa Park Public Library. (2015). Collection Management Plan. Retrieved from http://www.vppl.info/wp-
content/uploads/2016/05/Collection-Management-Plan-Feb_2016.pdf