Collection Development Policy

The purpose of a collection development policy is to provide a framework for acquisition and retention of library materials. It also functions as a guide for the development of a robust collection of reading, listening, viewing, and informational materials to fulfill the library’s mission of promoting literacy and cultural activities within the community. This policy is reviewed every five years in compliance with the Standards for Florida Public Libraries and is approved by the Library Advisory Committee. Updates may be made to prior to five years based on staff recommendations. 

Professional library staff selects and maintains library resources in all formats, including but not limited to books, magazines, electronic resources, eBooks, audio books, DVDs, and music CDs. Material selection responds to the educational, informational, and recreational needs of our library community, focusing on reviewed, best-selling popular materials. The library evaluates its collection on an ongoing basis to determine strengths and weaknesses. 

Goals:

This policy provides general principles and information for staff and the community regarding:

  • Professional standards used to guide the development of the collection
  • Criteria and methods used by library staff to select new material
  • Collection maintenance, including how materials are removed/deselected

Responsibility and Authority:

The responsibility for material selection and development of the library collection rests on professional librarians who select materials for their respective departments based on the standards in this policy. 

Intellectual Freedom:

The library supports freedom to read, hear, and view, protected by the US Constitution in the First Amendment and the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read statement:  https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomreadstatement. The library plays a crucial role in supporting and enriching our community through a comprehensive collection of materials for all ages, featuring a wide array of characters, subjects, authors, and illustrators with differing perspectives.                    

Quality:

The quality of the collection is maintained by applying qualified discretion and standards established by the library profession and the use of appropriate selection aids, including book reviews, best-seller lists, professionally recognized periodicals, standard bibliographies and booklists. These review sources provide objective information and are written by subject experts.

Collection Classification/Arrangement:

Materials are placed in areas of the collection based on the publisher, intended audience, and review recommendations. They are organized according to subject, format, type, or to achieve effective utilization by the public. Item placement allows for the organization of resources and provides viewpoint-neutral guidance to users. Not every item in each collection is of interest or relevant to all users.

Core Collections:

  • Popular Materials: Popular best-selling fiction and non-fiction in multiple formats for all ages.
  • Youth: Broad coverage of fiction and non-fiction resources for infants through high school supporting homework assignments, test preparation, current subject resources, Sunshine State titles, and reading pleasure. 
  • Lifelong Learning: A broad core collection of relevant resources in a broad range of subjects for all ages. 
  • Literacy and ESOL Collection: A collection of materials for students learning English and teaching resources for tutors. 
  • Spanish Language Collection: Books and audiovisual materials for Spanish speaking youth and adults 
  • eBooks: Access to downloadable fiction and non-fiction e-books/e-audio books through the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative purchasing via Libby (OverDrive), and other online resources including hoopla.

Criteria for Material Selection:

The following guiding factors are taken into consideration in the selection of library materials:

  1. Popular appeal and demand
  2. Merit of the individual item
  3. Currency, timeliness, and accuracy of information
  4. Relevant to interests and needs of the community
  5. Price, availability, and materials budget
  6. Availability from standard publishers and current library vendors
  7. Availability in other PPLC member libraries
  8. Reviews from reputable professional sources
  9. Award-winning and best-selling titles
  10. Differing opinions and viewpoints

Acquisitions:

Library materials are purchased from an approved library vendor for reasons of economy, consistency, and expediency. Library vendors are evaluated bi-annually to ensure best practices and cost effectiveness.

Donations:

The library accepts donations of materials but may not always accept donations due to limited storage space. Donated items may be added to the library collection if these conditions are met:

  1. Satisfies materials selection criteria of items purchased for the library
  2. Excellent condition
  3. Enhances or fills collection gaps

Donated items not added to the library collection are sold at the Friends or the Library Book Store, Book Sales, placed in Little Free Libraries, or discarded.   A complete list of acceptable items is found on the Friends of the Library website: www.FriendsSafetyHarborLibrary.org.

Patron Requests:

Residents may submit suggestions for possible additions to the library collection. Requests are evaluated using the same selection criteria as all other materials set forth in this policy. If the library cannot fill a request, staff will determine if an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) can be requested. Material suggestions are submitted via this link: https://form.jotform.com/shlibrary/recommend-an-item

Self-Published Books:

The library receives requests from local authors to add books they have self-published or published at their own expense. Although this type of publishing is experiencing rapid growth, the books often do not meet the requirements outlined in the Criteria for Material Selection to be included in permanent collections. They typically have not received reviews in standard published sources and do not meet the standard criteria the library uses for inclusion. While the Library supports local authors, it needs to maintain standards for permanent collections. Due to the volume of self-published and print-on-demand titles available, the library does not purchase or add donated self-published books. Chapbooks and pamphlets without an ISBN are also not considered for addition. 

Material Selection Procedures:

The library relies on professional review sources for each subject area and format within the collection.  

Selection Guidelines for Specific Collections:


Fiction:

The library provides the following:

  1. An extensive collection of popular bestsellers for all ages in all genres
  2. Core classics and broad contemporary curriculum collection

Non-Fiction:

The library collects non-fiction materials of general interest for all ages to meet the informational and leisure needs of the community. When there is a noticeable public demand for a certain topic, the library will strive to provide additional subject materials.

The non-fiction collection provides, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Current medical, health, legal, test preparation, travel, business, politics, and technology 
  2. Popular biographies, general history, music, and the arts
  3. General self-help resources, parenting, cooking, and crafts
  4. Florida related materials (gardening, travel, history, etc.)

Youth:

The library houses an extensive collection of fiction and non-fiction materials for all ages of youth, including board and picture books, easy readers, juvenile chapter books, young adult (YA) materials, manga, and graphic novels. The library contains a wide variety of materials with opinions reflecting various points of view. Responsibility for overseeing a minor’s use of the library collection rests with parents and legal guardians, not library staff. It is the parent or guardian’s responsibility to restrict access to materials to which they find objectionable.  

Magazines/Newspapers:

The library provides print and online access to a selection of popular magazines and newspapers to meet the informational and recreational needs of the community. Titles may be in print, online, or both depending on cost, customer use patterns, and availability.

Music:

The library provides a broad general collection of music CDs. Music is also available online via hoopla. 

eBooks/eAudio:

The library provides a downloadable eBook collection through the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative (PPLC) through Libby by OverDrive. Selection of eBooks for the collection are cooperatively purchased and selected by county library representatives. eBooks are also available on hoopla. With digital platforms, such as hoopla and Libby, content is curated by third-party sources. 

Downloadable audio books are also available through the PPLC sponsored Libby by OverDrive collection and hoopla. Additional guiding factors include concurrent releases in fiction and non-fiction print and unabridged versions. 

Audiovisual Resources:

The library has a large collection of movies, television series, and documentaries on DVD and Blu-ray for adults and youth. Digital video content is also available online through hoopla and Kanopy. Ratings and age recommendations provided by the filmmaker determine whether the physical copy is cataloged in the adult, family, or youth areas of the library. With digital platforms such as Kanopy, content is curated by third-party sources. 

Reference Materials:

A limited selection of current reference material is available. Print reference materials are intended for in-library use only but may be circulated with approval. Reference materials may include the following:

  1. Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and atlases
  2. Community information and referral resources
  3. Current books and pamphlets on Pinellas County and state resources 
  4. Local history collection documenting the history of the city, including the Safety Harbor Herald Newspaper in print and electronic formats.

Digital Resources:

The library provides access to electronic resources to support the needs of the public including:

  1. Florida Electronic Library (state funded)
  2. PPLC subscription databases (cooperatively purchased)
  3. City funded electronic resources selected to enhance local collections

Guiding Factors:

  • Scope and coverage, including remote or in-house usage 
  • Ease of use by the public and evaluation of usage statistics
  • Quality of content
  • Licensing restrictions
  • Cost and sustainability

Adult Literacy and (ESOL) English as a Second Language:

The library provides adult literacy, basic adult education resources, pre-GED, GED, TOEFL, and English as a Second Language materials in all formats for adult literacy, ESOL student and literacy tutors. 

Guiding Factors:

  • Instructional materials for learning English as a second language
  • Select vocabulary materials for adults covering daily life, general health, citizenship, consumer issues, parenting, employment, and safety

Spanish Language Collection:

The library maintains a small collection of popular Spanish materials in multiple formats for all ages.  

Tool Library:

The library houses a tool library with popular tools for home renovation projects. New tools are added as budget allows and replacement parts purchased to maintain working items. Tool selection is based on cost, usage, and storage space.  

Seed Library:

The library houses a seed library for community enjoyment. Seed selection is based on budgeted cost and items grown in our region. Seeds are also obtained by requesting annual donations from seed companies and community donations.

Miscellaneous Collections:

The library has several miscellaneous collections including games, Wi-Fi hotspots, STEAM kits, backpacks, ukuleles, museum passes, bike locks, puzzles, recreational equipment, and more. Library staff will strive to add collections of unique items to keep the library relevant and attract new patrons.   

Deaf Literacy Collection:

The library houses a Deaf Literacy Collection sponsored by PPLC, supporting the Deaf community and Deaf literacy programs. Material selection and maintenance is the responsibility of the Deaf Literacy Coordinator.

Removal and Weeding of Library Materials:

As technology changes, information takes on many different forms, including electronic resources and eBooks. Today’s public libraries are still very much about print materials. Physical books become outdated and worn and sometimes the information contained is no longer relevant and the book is “weeded” or removed from the collection. Outdated, unused, or irrelevant books may be sold in the Friends of the Library quarterly book sales or disposed. Book disposal can be misinterpreted by taxpayers. Shelf space is one of a public library’s most valuable assets and must be used for books that are factually correct, current, in good condition, and used by the community. The public library’s role is to provide our community with the best possible current collections. This means that some of our collections are discarded. Library staff makes disposal decisions as stewards of the public dollar, using reporting methods to ensure our collections are relevant, clean, and up to date.

Guiding Factors:

  • Physical condition
  • Relevancy
  • Frequency of use, last date of circulation
  • Number of copies available in other PPLC libraries or duplicate copies at SHPL
  • Accuracy of material and timeliness

Requests for Review and Reconsideration of Materials:

The library believes in freedom of information for all and does not restrict a patron’s right to read, view, or listen to library materials. Some may patrons find material they perceive as offensive or inappropriate in the collection.  

Pinellas County residents with a valid Pinellas Public Library Cooperative (PPLC) card may request a review of library materials they believe are inappropriate by completing a Request for Review of Library Materials form. The form is available at all service desks upon request. 

Prior to submitting the form, the requestor must read the item requested for review in its entirety. The form must be filled out, signed, and dated to be accepted. The form and item(s) are reviewed by the Library Director and the Library Advisory Committee. A copy of the reviewed form and decision reached by the Committee is sent to the requestor and the City Manager. After a decision is made, the library will not review subsequent requests for the same material for a period of five years. 


Revised/Approved February 2025