Our Mission

The library’s sevice responses and collection goals determine selection priorities and materials budget allocation. The library’s mission is the broadest statement of its collection goals. It reads:

It is the mission of the Forsyth Public Library to encourage and promote
reading and to provide village residents with the information they need in
support of formal education and life-long learning. The library provides
current and topical materials to enhance personal and intellectual development.

The four selected service responses and their impact on the development of the library’s collections are outlined below:

1. Formal Education Support. Serving as the primary source of library materials for the students of Forsyth Grade School, the library’s juvenile collection focuses specifically on support of elementary curricula and recreational materials of interest to children ages 5 thru 12. Selection priorities include: Teacher requested materials concerning topics related to school subjects and curricula, Accelerated Readers (AR), beginning (easy) readers, chapter books, picture books, books in series, award recipients, and those materials which, due to their currency or their status as childhood classics, are popular with young children. These collections will be kept current and receive priority in budget allocation. Since children’s videos remain popular despite the introduction of DVDs, expansion of the video collection will continue. The collection of children’s audio tapes and books on CD is also added to regularly. Occasionally, collections in new media will be initiated such as the graphic novels for middle and teen readers. Continuation of these collections will depend on their use.
2. Lifelong Learning. Lifelong learning materials address an ongoing desire by individuals to pursue independent studies covering a wide range of topics. Although the library is unable to collect deeply and/or retrospectively due to space and budget considerations, building and maintaining quality collections within broad classification ranges are the primary goals of the library. The library seeks to build a non-fiction collection that is general and informative, and that reflects the best of current and classical thinking (when appropriate). The study of fictional works may also play an important role in an individual’s lifelong learning program, and requires the on-going acquisition of modern and traditional literary classics.
3. General Information. The library provides a wide array of information to assist in the successful pursuit of one’s career, education, or personal life. The most up to date information is needed to answer consumer health questions, make home improvements, search for colleges and provide travel information. Currency and accuracy of information are essential if materials in these areas and others are to be useful. Materials intended to meet this need are found in all media.
4. Current Topics and Titles. The desire for very current materials is most evident in the demand for best sellers and titles featured in the popular media. To facilitate availability of the latest works by high-demand fiction authors, the library subscribes to pre-selection services that assure acquisition immediately upon publication. Care is taken to assure integrity of information in the collection of current materials. Currency and quality are not always synonymous as in the case of a dangerous fad diet or the claim that a miracle cure for cancer exists; the library would not purchase either despite the pressure of popularity or publicity. A Current Topics collection encompasses the library’s subscriptions to current periodicals, newspapers and non-print media such as the DVD collection.