Rajeet Guha
Individual Project:
Material Development Policies: Analysis of the Policy of Clarion Free Library

A library is known by the quality of its collection of books, periodicals, magazines, etc, the extent to which the quality and quantity of its collections caters to the needs of the people and its continuing capacity to remain relevant over time. Material collection happens over a period of time and needs to follow certain policies, guidelines and procedures. In the past such policies were in the minds and heads of librarians who were extremely competent, dedicated and experienced over a period of time. However, today with the explosion of information over the Internet and higher rates of staff turnover as the librarians of the baby boomer generation start retiring, it is no longer practical or desirable to depend on the sixth sense of individuals. It is thus critical for every library to have a written collection development policy to ensure the continuity of the library and its ability to serve the changing needs of the communities they serve. Collection Development Policies are therefore at the heart of libraries.
Collection Development Policies or Material Selection Policies are defined as the Library’s Master Plan for building and maintaining its collection. They guide the planning, selection and acquisition of library materials and therefore also the needed budget and resource provisioning of a library. They both set the scope and limits of the library’s collection and define basis and criteria for adding and weeding out material. They provide library staff with a framework for coordinated collection development, help them serve the community and provide users with a guide to what material and formats to expect in the library. They also establish the principles of intellectual freedom, the rules for de-selection of material and the library’s stand on censorship of any kind.
Clarion Free Library is a public library. It is the head of the Clarion county system of libraries. This essay will critically examine Clarion Free Library’s material selection policy. It will highlight the strong points of the policy while pointing out its weaknesses. It will make recommendations on how to correct the pitfalls. It will analyze the material selection policy in accordance with the framework laid down in the ALA guidelines. It will look at the extent to which the policy sets the ground rules for the library in terms of its material availability and development and its utility both to library staff and users. Ultimately in the next stage of the assignment, based on the analysis and literature in this regard, we shall propose an alternative policy for Clarion Free Library.
Realizing the importance of material selection policy, the American Library Association has formulated guidelines for collection development policies. We will use these guidelines as a lens to view Clarion Free Library’s collection development policy. The guiding principles of the ALA guidelines are that
1. Libraries should recognize the long-term and short-term needs of their patrons, and establish priorities for the distribution of resources to meet those needs. A collection development policy statement is a systematic arrangement of those priorities as they relate to the development of library resources.
2. Collection development policy reports should be reviewed at regular intervals to ensure that changes in defined goals, user needs, and priorities are familiarized, and that changing budgetary situations are tackled.
3. A library’s collection development policy should be synchronized with those of suitable other libraries, whether in a hierarchy of dependence or in a division of responsibility among equals. A collection development policy report should assist librarians to select and weed in conformity with regional needs and resources.
4. The fundamental principle which collection development policies should promote is intellectual freedom and tolerance.
These overarching principles along with the different components identified in the ALA guidelines will be used as a lens to view the principles of Clarion Free Library.
The elements of a collection development policy are fivefold ,
1. Overview: containing a general statement of philosophy and purpose of the library
2. Details of subject areas and formats collected
3. Selection procedure: who shall select
4. Criteria for selection; including budget allocation principles
5. Miscellaneous issues: censorship, deselecting etc.
These elements can be grouped into four broad analytical headings :
1. General Institutional Objective: containing information on the community to be served, the subjects to be included, nature of needs to be served (general information, specialized, research, recreational etc.), limitations if any regarding selection (such as chronological period limitations, language or geographical area limitations if any, financial support strengths or limitations, particular forms to be excluded if any), local or regional cooperative arrangements with other libraries if any and the broad legal or institutional requirements of the library as part of broader institutional setting.
2. Subject Field Analysis: information regarding intensity of collections under different subjects following ALA standardized codes indicating inter alia details of language, geography, time periods, forms and selection responsibilities within the library set-up.
3. Analysis of Collections by Format: Books and manuscripts, news papers, microforms, maps, audio visual etc.
4. Miscellaneous legal issues: deselecting, complaints mechanisms, censorship issues
Let us now examine whether Clarion Free Library’s collection development policy has these elements following the above grouping and adheres to the four basic principles of the ALA guidelines enumerated earlier. We will also compare the contents within the elements of the collection development policy of Clarion Free Library with the ALA guidelines and also those of other libraries.
To a large extent Clarion free library has followed the guidelines in terms of the structure and content of the policy. First under the grouping of General Institutional Objective, it has sections wherein it has outlined its philosophy, purpose, organizational mission and goals and as required locates them within its larger institutional context. It clearly states that given its position as the headquarters of the Clarion County Library system, the purpose of the library is to provide circulating materials and reference and information services to all residents of the Clarion Free Library service area. It states how its mission links to the broader mission of educating the county. It describes its mission as two-fold: to select, make available and promote the use of print and non-print library materials, which educate, enrich, entertain and inform; and to serve as a gateway to additional resources for county citizens. It also has sections on the community to be served (section on Clientele Served).
Secondly under the grouping of Subject Field Analysis the policy has a short text on levels of material to be acquired (under Purpose section). Under the same grouping the policy also has one entire section devoted to Authority for Selection (third element) and one section for Criteria for Selection (fourth element). It says that it selects for purchase the best materials available, of permanent and current value in terms of content, expression and format to meet the educational, informational, cultural and recreational needs of the community and Clarion County as a whole.
Under the third grouping Analysis of Formats the policy has one full section on format of material and one on type of material (second element).
As required under the fourth grouping Miscellaneous Legal issues (fifth element), the policy has sections/text on Gifts (under Gifts and Memorials), Deselecting (under Material Development), Censorship, Complaints (under Access to Materials).
Having recognized the policy’s efforts to cover all elements within the four groupings there are a number of inadequacies within the policy which need to be articulated. For one using the lens of the four overarching principles of the ALA guidelines, the Clarion Free Library Material Selection Policy is very strong in emphasizing the fourth element i.e. intellectual freedom. It clearly states its upholding of the Library Bill of Rights. The principle is stated in four places: the Philosophy section, the Criteria for Selection Section, the Internet Disclaimer Section and the Access to Information section. The Clarion Free Library policy however has not made any mention of whether and how it will look at the long-term and short-term needs of its clientele and establish priorities for the distribution of those resources. Similarly it does not have any provision of having the policy reviewed at regular intervals to ensure that changes in defined goals, user needs, and priorities are harmonized wit changing times and that changing budgetary situations are tackled. Finally while the policy does mention that as the HQ library it will be responsible for complementing the efforts of its constituent libraries especially in terms of having the in depth reference material on subjects, it does not elaborate a division of responsibilities amongst them.
In terms of content within the various groupings and elements within these groupings, the policy is strong on certain aspects while it misses out certain other key aspects of the necessary content, both in terms of depth and spread.
For example, under the first grouping, a key element emphasized in the guidelines is a description of the community and its needs which should be the fundamental basis for developing library collections. This policy does describe the community to be served as comprising adults, young adults and children. Children are from the ages of early childhood through grade five. Young adults who use wheelchairs, shut-ins and persons in institutions such as hospitals, residential care facilities and prisons, teaching faculty, researchers, staff and administrators, undergraduate students, graduate students, postgraduate students and alumni. However, such a description would seem too generic and would hardly give any clues regarding needs. The composition of the community in terms of educational levels, professional composition etc. is missing. The policy also does not say whether the service to non-citizens will be free or whether a fee will be charged. Similarly under the first grouping there is no general statement regarding the parameters of the collection in any subject given. It has also not been said whether there are any limitations on the types of format that the library will acquire. Such critical omissions limit the utility of the policy for the Acquisition Department.
One obvious gap for example in this regard, viz. the description of needs and the library’s plans to fulfill them is that the policy says nothing about what the library’s role would be in terms of linking citizens with e-government services. We know form a literature review that in the internet age, this is fast emerging as a key area for public libraries in particular. Besides being generally weak in elaborating its material collection (or material access) policies, the document is completely silent about providing citizens access to e-government services, such as driving license renewal, insurance, tax etc. although it would be difficult to conceive that being a public funded county HQ library Clarion free Library has no mandate in this regard. The policy was last revised in 2000: clearly there is an immediate need for revision. The policy however, has no mechanism for such review stipulated. In fact the process of approval of the policy is also not elaborated.
Another major limitation is in terms of Subject Field Analysis wherein information regarding intensity of collections under different subjects following ALA standardized codes is required. While the policy does say in the section on Purpose that most collections will be at the basic level and some in depth reference material will be maintained complementing the collections of its constituent local libraries, this does not give clarity about what depth or intensity of scholarship or what subjects would be covered in the library. What will be its depth of collection of reference material and on what subjects? For instance would the library have reference material on Physics say at a college level? There are no clues available in the policy either for users or for the library staff responsible for material development. A detailed description of the types of programs or patron needs that the collection must meet is not given. It has not been mentioned to what degree the collection is oriented towards educational purposes or towards the support of formal educational programs and self-education or towards meeting the recreational needs of the people. It has not specified whether the collection will circulate or will be for on-site reference. It hasn’t considered how much emphasis to place on research materials compared to instructional material. It is not said whether it provides a central facility for expensive resources needed by individuals on an occasional basis such as interactive videodisc. It has not been said whether it provides users with access to computerized databases. Another issue to consider is whether the library will collect retrospective materials and whether it will buy duplicate copies of an item. Nothing about this has been said. The factors that the library will use to determine the number of copies to acquire and length of retention have not been mentioned.
By implication there is no indication about budgets or resource policies in this regard. This makes the policy more like a broad statement of intent and some principles rather than one setting clear ground rules for collection development.
One of the aspects which public libraries need to cover (Evans ibid) is in terms of an analysis of the needs of ethnic minorities if any and material serving their needs. The policy makes no mention of this aspect and not included the collection of books on the local culture as a policy priority. It does not tell us of the changing nature of society nor the relations of Caucasians with other ethnic groups. Presumably there are no ethnic issues in this region that the library serves but to an outsider there is no clarity on this as community profile analysis is practically missing.
Furthermore, the library’s role in cooperation development programs has not been discussed. The library has not specified whether the basic philosophy is of self-sufficiency or cooperation. While it does talk of its constituent libraries within the county, there is not enough information on cooperation with other notable libraries in the state or even in West Pennsylvania.
The third grouping of elements includes Analysis of Collections by Format. While there is a section on Format of Material, it is too general and could even suggest (obviously erroneously) that all subjects are equally covered in all formats! The formats of materials are in print or non-print. In general the policy does state that titles in hardcover are the mainstay of the library’s book collection and are purchased for long-term use. Paperbound books are selected to supplement the cataloged hardbound collection. A title may be purchased in paperbound format if it is available only in paperback, in high demand and duplicate copies are needed to supplement hardbound copies or it is out-of-print hardbound and the title is considered to be of permanent value. Periodicals for adults and children provide a current source for general reading, entertainment or research. Selection principles unique to periodicals include accessibility of content through indexes or electronic databases and subscription cost. The periodicals collection covers a broad range of interests. Currently owned titles are evaluated regularly on the basis of use, changing community needs, and budgetary constraints. In print they are available in book format, periodicals, maps and atlases, and newspapers. In non-print they are available as audio-visual materials, electronic resources and microforms. All this is too general and besides saying that print material is mostly available in book form it says nothing about the distribution between different formats and is especially sketchy about electronic formats.
One of the clearer sections of this policy is the one on selection criteria along with the section on special considerations. These two sections provide a clear road map on what to look for once the subject and level of collection are ascertained the latter being of course as we have noted earlier an area of special weakness of the policy. The selection criteria section also, however suffers from a lack of sufficient details. Thus while general selection criteria have been listed, specific criteria are necessary for specific types of material such as for works of information and opinion or works of imagination or works of science etc. One other gap in this regard is a detailed section on criteria for selection/access to internet such as indicators of internet site quality and criteria for selection of internet sites. Once again as in the case of e-government information, the policy is generally quite inadequate in the whole area of material selection from online sources.
The section on Children is also quite clear and sets out the ground rules quite clearly. However one notable omission in this regard is any mention of the responsibilities of parents when it comes to the material children have access to.
As far as the fourth grouping is concerned, viz., miscellaneous and legal issues, there is coverage of gifts and memorials in some details, although the sections on deselecting and dealing with complaints related to material quite sketchy. For instance it does not even stipulate what criteria the library will follow when reviewing written requests for reconsideration or the steps the user must complete before filing a written complaint or the time frame within which such review will be completed. On the issue of censorship, the policy is clear; the library does not practice any kind or form of censorship and upholds the highest principles of intellectual freedom.
In general and to sum up while the policy follows the broad structure laid down in the ALA guidelines and is quite strong in its commitment to intellectual freedom and right to information, suffers from the following drawbacks:
1. The policy is somewhat static in character and provides no in built mechanism for review to keep pace with changing needs. For instance it does not also state the time period for which the policy remains in force, as if it will continue unchanged in perpetuity.
2. Related to the above, the policy does not take adequate cognizance of the one change that is sweeping across libraries, viz., the digital and internet age.
3. The policy does not make an adequate analysis of the profile and information needs of the community the library’s plans to fulfill them. For instance, it makes no analysis of ethnic minorities or special needs of the community in this regard. Similarly it makes no attempt at ascertaining the e-government service links of the community.
4. It does not go into adequate details, necessary for making the policy useful for clients as well as library staff. This is true for most areas of the policy such as subject field and depth analysis, budgets and resources, analysis of format selections, cooperation programmes, selection criteria, deselecting and reconsideration, children’s section and procedures for approval/amendments of the policy.
Nevertheless the policy in laying out the different aspects of the structure stipulated under the ALA guidelines leave enough scope for any future review to take note of the missing aspects and address them. A thorough review of the library is clearly called for without further delay if it is to perform its expected role in the new internet age and remain relevant as an institution of trust and dependence amongst the communities it serves.















References:
1. www.clarionfreelibrary.org/cflcdp.htm
2. Evans, G.Edward (2005). Developing library and information center collections.
3. www.ala.org
4. Perkins, David L. (1979) Guidelines for collection development.
5. Cline, Hugh F., Sinnott, Loraine T. (1981). Building library collections.
6. Spiller, David (1971). Book selection.
7. Fiske, Marjorie (1959). Book selection and censorship.
8. MLA’s Before and After the Censor: A resource Material on Intellectual Freedom
9. http://www.cas.usf.edu/lis/lis6511/week2/guidelin.htm
10. Library Philosophy and Practice Volume 9, No 1 (Fall 2006): Collection Development Policies: Ground Rules for Planning University Libraries: by P. Olatunji Olaoji and M.A. Akewukereke