BOOKS, MATERIALS, AUDIO-VISUAL SELECTION POLICY

The Board of Trustees of the Belmond Public Library, recognizing the varied needs of the Belmond community, regardless of race, creed or political persuasion, declares as a matter of Book, Materials, and Audio-Visual Selection Policy that:
1. This board adopts and adheres to the Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read Statement of the American Library Association, copies of which are attached to this statement.
2. Selection of books and/or other library materials whether in print, photograph, art form, film, manuscript, recorded voice, audio-visual, shall be the responsibility of the professional staff. So selected, such material shall be considered to be selected by the board.
3. Selection of library materials aims to meet the daily requirements of the community in order to satisfy educational, informational, multi-cultural, technological, and recreational needs.
4. Selection will be made with a view toward acquiring materials satisfying all age levels, a broad range of viewpoints, varying degrees of reading complexity, and a full scope of educational backgrounds.
5. Selection of textbooks and curriculum-related materials will not be made except as such materials serve the general public.
6. The usage of library materials by children and young people is assumed to be a matter of parental responsibility.
7. Legal and medical works will be acquired only to the extent that they are useful to the layman.
8. Religious materials will represent a wide range of faiths.
9. Gifts of library materials are gratefully received but will be added to the collection only if they supplement the collection and satisfy other criteria of the Selection and Gift Policies.
10. Challenged materials will be withdrawn only upon written request to the Board of Trustees and after unanimous consent of the board. (Request for Reconsideration form is attached)
11. Withdrawing materials is an essential and accepted part of library collection development. Material that is damaged, outdated, no longer used, of an obsolete format or duplicates may be removed from circulation.


Reviewed and approved by Library Board 3-21-94
Reviewed and reaffirmed by Library Board 3-20-97, 12-18-00
Reviewed and amended by Library Board 11-15-04, February 2008
Reviewed and revised by Library Board February 2011, Revised March 17, 2014
Reviewed June 19, 2017; March 15, 2021
Reviewed and revised April 15, 2024