Collection Development Policy

Information


Mission Statement
Aztec Public Library strives to support every member of our community to achieve their highest potential in all aspects of life. To do this Aztec Public Library will develop and maintain a dynamic and well-balanced collection of appropriate library material formats, including but not limited to books, periodicals, dvd movies, audio cds, and electronic databases, that reflect the interests and needs of the community through proper acquisition, maintenance, and weeding of all materials.

Patron Needs & Services
The Aztec Public Library collection provides popular materials for all ages, supplements curriculum needs for grades K-14, and supports lifelong learning for the citizens of the City of Aztec as well as Northeast San Juan County and the Four Corners geographical area. This region has a substantial retired population and a vibrant youth sector with several charter schools, the community college and homeschool or independent study in the mix. A feature of the region is the significant economic downturn, especially in oil and gas industries, resulting in a sizeable population of adults without jobs or retraining for new jobs, or working on acquiring new or higher educational qualifications through independent study. To meet these demands, the Library will continue to develop the collection with special focus on movies, large print, young adult collections and job and career support materials.

Current Collection
The collection currently contains about 30,000 titles comprised of books, periodicals, dvd movies, and audio CDs. Most of the items are in English, some are in Large Type. A small proportion of material is currently available in electronic format - both e-audio and e-print - through membership of the New Mexico 2 Go library consortium with Overdrive.

Priorities And Policies
The Library has a special Southwest Collection, a portion of which is a Local History section. Aztec Public Library will actively collect library material for the Southwest Special Collection according to the following criteria:

bullet Material set in the state of New Mexico or the historic New Mexico Territory.
bullet Material set in or about the Four Corners geographical area: Southeast Utah, Southwest Colorado, Northeast Arizona and Northwest New Mexico.
bullet Material authored by a resident of New Mexico, with special preference given to local San Juan county authors.
bullet Library material considered for inclusion in South West Collection may occasionally be set beyond the geographical boundaries if the principle subject matter is within, or pertains to, these defined areas.
bullet Items pertaining to Southwest Indian tribes whether or not they are located in the Four Corners region may be included.
The Locked Case houses Southwest Collection library items which are rare, valuable or vulnerable thus titles that would be very costly, difficult or impossible for the library to replace.

Because of the alleged UFO crash landing site near Aztec and because there was, for a number of years, an UFO conference in the city, Aztec Library also has a UFO, Aliens and Paranormal Phenomena special collection, much of it from donation. Aztec Public Library will continue to nurture this community special interest collection through active replacement or acquisition of up-to-date titles and research in the field of paranormal phenomena.

The Library reference collection is enhanced through extensive electronic databases available to the community online and brought to public libraries throughout the state by the New Mexico State Library

Downloadable audio and e-books are provided though membership in the New Mexico 2 Go library co-operative hosted by Overdrive. These downloadable electronic resources are accessed seamlessly through the library online catalog.

Languages
Aztec Public Library will collect mainly in English language material. Small collections in Navajo and Spanish languages will be developed, with especial focus on early literacy material

Selection Decisions
The Library Staff, led by the Library Director, is responsible for the final selection of materials and the development of the library collection. Community members are encouraged to make suggestions and recommendations.

It is the goal of the Library to provide a high quality collection of books and other materials in a variety of formats and languages for all ages that is responsive to the needs and interests of the community.

To support an informed public, the collections shall represent diverse points of view, and may include materials that some members of the public consider to be controversial in nature.

Materials shall not be excluded due to the ethnicity, nationality, or political, religious or social views of the author. To make selection decisions, library staff will use professional reference resources, judgment, knowledge and experience, and will proactively solicit advice from, as well as anticipate the needs and interests of, the community.

Decisions as to inclusion in the collection or borrowing on Inter Library Loan will be made on a case by case basis according to criterion which can include factors such as likelihood of other members of the community wanting the material, cost, ease of purchase, whether the item remains in print.

Aztec Public Library recognizes an obligation to provide reference and research material for answering of specific questions and for continuing research. Delivery of this type of material is increasingly electronic, requiring that all front line staff have training in accessing and assessing reliable online reference resources and familiarity with the electronic databases available through New Mexico State Library and delivered via the library website.

Interlibrary Loan
Because of limited budget and space, the Library cannot provide all materials that are requested. If Aztec Library does not hold the requested item, interlibrary loan will be used to obtain materials which are beyond the scope of the Library's collection.

Donation Policy
The Aztec Public Library encourages donations of funds and materials for the collections. The Library accepts donations with the understanding that:

bullet All donations are permanent and cannot be returned;
bullet The Library generally cannot accept donations with specific stipulations;
bullet The Library reserves the right to integrate donations with other materials on the same subject(s);
bullet Items selected for the collections meet the policy and criteria described above;
bullet Unneeded items will be disposed of in whatever manner the Library deems best; and
bullet Acknowledgement of gifts may be provided, but the Library will not make appraisals of the value of donated items.

All donations are accepted only if, in the opinion of the Library Director, they are in the best interests of the library. Materials not within the donations guidelines place a burden on the city resources. Materials which the library cannot accept include:

Books in bad condition:

bullet No mildew, dirt, molds.
bullet No spine damage, torn or missing pages.
bullet No missing covers.
bullet No water damage.

Other materials which will not be accepted:

bullet Annuals and Yearbooks (any).
bullet Books Published by magazines (such as Reader's Digest Condensed books, Time Life Books).
bullet Britannica or World Books.
bullet Case law and procedural books.
bullet Custom course packages.
bullet Reference material over 5 years old.
bullet Directories and Telephone books.
bullet Advanced Reader copies.
bullet Non-Western script books.

Collection Maintenance
Collection maintenance is an ongoing part of the conscientious evaluation of the library collections and is undertaken with as much care and consistency as the initial selection of materials. Collection maintenance helps to keep the collections current, attractive, responsive, diverse and useful to the needs of the community.

Library staff under direction from the Library Director is responsible for regular evaluation of the library collection.

Criteria for Collection Evaluation:
bullet Accuracy and currency of information.
bullet Physical condition of materials.
bullet Availability of newer, more comprehensive or more accessible material.
bullet Relevance to collection and scope of collection.
bullet Ease of acquiring same information through another resource such as electronic.
bullet Relevance to community needs.
bullet Date of last circulation and number of circulations.
bullet Number of copies in the collection.

Complaints and Censorship
Aztec Public Library endorses the Library Bill of Rights as adopted by the American Library Association (Appendix I) and the American Library Association Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights.