The Carsonville Public Library serves the citizens of Carsonville, Nebraska. The library provides materials for a wide variety of interests and concerns. These guidelines are used for the selection and placement of materials in the Carsonville Public Library.
Principles of Selection
- The
Carsonville Public Library obtains, organizes and makes available print
and non-print materials which record the thought, expression, and opinion
of mankind.
- The Director
of Technical Services and their staff should make selections based on
principle not personal opinion.
- To build
a collection of merit and significance, materials are measured by a
number of criteria. Each title in the collection is evaluate according
to the following criteria: appropriateness to interests and skills of
the intended audience, comprehensiveness, quality of the material, the
attention of critics, reviewers and the public, the amount of similar
materials already in the collection, and the extent to which the material
may be elsewhere in the community. In addition, the cost and physical
makeup of the material are considered. These decisions are all professional
in nature.
- Materials
should be selected both to satisfy the prevalent tastes, needs and reading
abilities in the community and to provide diversity. In choosing materials
to suit a variety of tastes, differing viewpoints on controversial issues
should be included.
- The library
does not serve as censor of the reading of any member of the community.
It should be clearly understood and emphasized that the library does
not endorse all opinions expressed in the materials held by the library.
-
It should also be recognized that some materials chosen may be offensive, shocking or boring to some readers but may be meaningful and significant to others. Works being considered should be viewed as a whole, not in isolated parts.
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Responsibility for the reading of minors rests with their parents or local guardians. Selection of adult material will not be restricted by the possibility that these materials may come into the possession of minors. The library should not be expected to act in loco parentis.
- In providing materials for academic use the library is not always able to provide multiple copies of an individual work nor is it able to duplicate subject material extensively. In addition, the library does not purchase textbooks.
In addition
to these guidelines the development of some subject collections requires
the application of more specific selection criteria and collection parameters.
Periodicals
(Magazines and Newspapers)
The library provides representative periodicals in a wide
range of subjects of reference value and recreational interest. Particular
emphasis is given to titles included in periodical databases used by the
library. Specialized titles are considered in relation to subject needs
and their availability in area and regional libraries.
Books on
Cassettes and Compact Discs
The library purchases unabridged versions of both fiction
and non-fiction titles. Technical quality is an important criterion, but
price is also considered in selecting one edition over another.
Foreign Language
Materials
Carsonville Public Library purchases foreign language materials
in the most commonly used languages. Special attention is paid to aquiringing
English as a Second Language materials.
Videocassettes
and DVDs
Videos are selected from reviews, prior viewing, or the
reputation of the makers and distributors. Carsonville
Public Library purchases both educational and noneducational films. The
film collection attempts to represent several different genres. The collection
features animated films, family comedies, children's programs, classic
films, travel films, home improvement films, biographies, science and
nature films, plays and musicals, dramas, and science fiction and fantasy
films.
Cassettes
and Compact Discs
Our music collection attempts to represent the most significant
and broadly-known musical literature in each of the following genres:
jazz/blues, classical, rock/pop, country, folk/ethnic, children's, new
age, soundtrack/ film scores, prose and plays. Selection is based on artistic
and technical quality, inclusion in standard discographies, reviews, and
recommendations by community members.
Pamphlets
Carsonville Public Library maintains a a pamphlet file
of current and historic materials about states, countries, and other geographic
areas; patterns and instructions; materials hard to locate in books, such
as charts, graphs and statistics; consumer materials of the "Extension
Service" type (pets, hygiene, pest control); information on current
topics such as AIDS, abortion, child abuse, and alcoholism.
Maps
Carsonville Public Library maintains a small map collection.
The emphasis of this collection is on the United States. This collection
also features U.S. Geological Survey maps for select areas in Nebraska.
Microforms
The term "microforms" in this library refers
to microfilm and microfiche. Carsonville Public Library has the New York
Times, the Omaha World Herald, and the Carsoville Chronicle available
on microfilm. The library also has a few periodicals on microfiche as
a back-up to print copies or in place of print copies. Microforms are
added to the collection for one or more of the following reasons: to acquire
materials not available in print; to compress space required to store
materials; to preserve materials in the process of degenerating; and to
serve as a backup copy of some of the high demand items. The selector
must consider the following factors when deciding whether print or microforms
will be the favored medium: potential use of the material; how long the
print format will last; storage space; equipment for reading and printing;
and costs of various formats.
Fiction
The library purchases a wide range of fiction reflecting the diverse
interests of a public that varies greatly in education, taste, and reading
ability. An attempt is made to purchase books representing virtually all
categories of fiction. Along
with the above guidelines the library also considers community and public
demand.The library will often purchase fiction titles that are not notable
for their literary quality or artistic merit but have substantial popular
appeal. Popular titles are also duplicated as necessary to meet demand.
Because of the abundance of available fiction titles, the library makes
extensive use of book reviews. Staff members critique individual works
when it is necessary to resolve disagreement among the reviewing sources.
Nonfiction
The library's non-fiction collection includes material
on almost any topic which might be of interest or concern to the library's
patron population. Popular items and subjects are duplicated, sometimes
heavily, but the library also provides materials for those whose interests
or needs are not widely shared. Unusually expensive materials and those
with an extremely narrow focus are not normally acquired. Although accuracy
of content and authority of a work's creators are important criteria in
the selection of non-fiction materials, the library does not assume responsibility
for inaccuracies in the works included in its collections. The
library attempts to acquire materials representing all significant points
of view on current and historical questions and controversies, including
legal, constitutional, political, economic, medical, ethical, religious,
social, sexual, and other issues. Inclusion of material representing a
particular belief, opinion, or point of view in the library's collection
does not constitute endorsement by the library.Certain
materials, designated reference, do not circulate. Reference works are
typically encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, atlases, indexes, directories,
bibliographies and similar informational resources.
Electronic
Databases
Carsonville Public Library has electronic databases for
patron use within its reference collection. Most of the databases within
this collection are designed for general reference use. However, we do
have a few subject specific databases. Our general reference resources
provide access to full-text materials on a variety of subjects. For our
subject specific directories Carsonville Public
Library offers a business database and databases that provide access to
material on Nebraska. Database selection is based on the following criteria:
access, archiving, authority, browsability and organization, compatibility,
connectivity, cost, currency, ease of use, multimedia design, interactivity,
licensing, uniqueness, and its vendor support. These
databases can be accessed from the Carsoville Public Library or from patrons'
homes if they have computers. Patrons seeking to access these database
from their home will have to set up an Electronic Resources account. All
patrons must have a library card to set up an account.
Web Sites
Carsonville Public Library has links to web sites in the
area for Youth Services. Carsonville Public has also put folders with
websites for patrons on each of our Internet accessible computers. These
Internet resources were selected to meet the needs of the patrons of Carsonville
Public Library. It is our intent to cover as broad a range of interests
and viewpoints as possible and to collect resources to support the needs
and interests of our patrons. Internet resources are selected on the basis
of relevancy, quality, currency of the contents, navigability and ease
of use of the site's design. Sites included should have an identifiable
content authority and be reliably accessible. Carsonville Public Library
will take recommendations from patrons on web sites to include in the
collection. However, the sites will still need to meet the established
criteria to be included in the collection. Web sites will not be included
in the collection just on request.