General Principles

The following criteria are applied to the selection of print and non-print materials:

1. Selection priority is given to those materials which are of proven and potential interest to the people served by the library as determined by circulation statistics, requests for titles and authors and other measurable indicators.
2. Currency, accuracy, and authenticity of information, quality of presentation, and authority, reliability, and competence of the author will be considered critical factors in the decision to select materials for the collection. Due to space limitations, in-depth collections on any one topic cannot be realized. To the degree possible, the library seeks to acquire minimally a general overview of a topic, with general guides, biographical sources, and better known writings within added as budget allows. The library does not seek to establish scholarly research collections in any area of study, and recognizes the need to use interlibrary loan for requests that are beyond the scope of the collection.
3. Consideration will be given to materials that fulfill the mission and service roles of the library as outlined above. The service roles selected are believed to be reflective of the community based on past practice and local library development
4. To aid in determining the suitability, availability and relevance of library materials, the librarian will use reviews and input from professional library publications that specifically address library concerns in their reviews. These include but are not limited to: Library Journal, Booklist, Publishers’ Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Horn Book. Materials may also be acquired on the basis of popular demand, bibliographies and lists, and at the suggestion of patrons provided the materials meet selection standards.
5. Generally one copy of an item will be acquired except where demand is great and the needs of the Forsyth community would be better served by acquiring multiple copies. Two copies of all Rebecca Caudill Award books are automatically purchased. Specific decisions are based on the number of local patron requests.
6. The library collects non-print materials in various media, including books in audio and CD format, VHS video tapes, DVDs, story kits,online databases and CD-ROM programs. Non-print materials must adhere to the same standard of quality as printed materials.
7. Textbooks will not be purchased nor added to the collection. Exceptions may be made in cases where the only viable source of information on a topic is contained in textbook format. Decisions will then be made on a case by case basis.
8. Efforts are made to provide materials that represent a range of points of view, interests, interpretations and ideas. The selection of an item does not imply the library’s endorsement of the opinions expressed by its creator, nor does failure to purchase particular items imply disapproval of those opinions. Representing a balanced view of issues is a primary goal of the collection.
9. The majority of materials in the collection are written or spoken in the English language. The library plans to add other languages gradually; these collections will consist mainly of audio materials for learning the language and some fictional works to enhance use of the langauge.
10. No attempt is made to collect the complete works of any particular author/performer/creator.
11. The library will make every effort to collect any and all materials made available that are concerned with the Village of Forsyth and surrounding area, its history, culture families and architecture.
12. Collection decisions will be most dependent on favorable reviews and when possible, examination of the material for format and durability and price in relation to the total budget.