HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - Library Board of Trustees - 02/10/2022Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Agenda Thursday, February 10, 2022 - 6:00 p.m.
Virtual meeting only Join Zoom Meeting:
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Meeting ID: 852 9513 3153
Passcode: 790301
Phone: 1 646 558 8656
6:00 p.m. Call to Order
6:02 p.m. Additions and deletions to the posted agenda
6:03 p.m. Comments and questions from the public not related to items on the agenda
6:10 p.m. Approval of regular board minutes of January 13, 2022 Action
6:15 p.m. Chair’s report
6:20 p.m. Covid-19 update – if needed
6:30 p.m. Friends of the Library report
6:40 p.m. Committee Reports
6:40 p.m. Finance Committee
6:45 p.m. Governance and Nomination Committee – Collection Dev Policy Action
7:10 p.m. Advocacy Committee
7:20 p.m. Director’s Report
7:30 p.m. Other Business
7:35 p.m. Adjourn
Future items:
Strategic planning
Upcoming meetings schedule:
Board meetings (6:00pm):
LBOT Board meetings Materials due for Board meeting
10/7/2021 9/28/2021
11/18/2021 11/9/2021
12/9/2021 11/30/2021
1/13/2022 1/4/2022
2/10/2022 2/1/2022
3/10/2022 3/1/2022
4/14/2022 4/5/2022
5/12/2022 5/3/2022
6/9/2022 5/21/2022
Finance Committee (5:30pm): October 26, January 25, April 5
Advocacy (6:00pm): October 11, December 13, February 15, April 18, June 14
Governance and Nomination Committee (5:30pm): September 28, November 4, December 2,
January 6, February 3, March 3, April 7, May 5, June 2
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY Draft 1/2022
The South Burlington Public Library’s major goal in collection development is to meet the
informational, educational, and recreational needs of the community. This policy is intended to
provide guidance for the evaluation, selection and deselection of materials and define the
scope and standards of the collection. The end result will be a well-balanced collection that
reflects our community’s varying economic, racial, ethnic, and educational backgrounds, within
the limits of our budget. This policy will be reviewed annually and will reflect changes in our
community.
A.Selection
The Library Director and staff have the full authority to select materials for the collection. They
recognize the rights of all patrons to have free, secure access to the widest diversity of views
and expressions as guaranteed under the First Amendment to the Constitution. The race,
religion, nationality, or political views of an author or creator; offensive language; depictions or
descriptions of violence or sexually explicit activity; controversial content of an item; or
endorsement or disapproval by an individual or group in the community does not cause an item
automatically to be included or excluded from the library’s collection.
The Library endorses the American Library Association (ALA)’s Library Bill of Rights
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/node/35 and the Freedom to Read Statement
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomreadstatement. The Library’s collection
includes print, DVD, spoken word, and digital collections for users from birth through
adulthood. All materials, whether purchased or donated, and regardless of format, are
considered in terms of the criteria listed below. An item need not meet all of these standards to
be added to the collection.
•Popular interest
•Accuracy of information
•Diversity of opinion
•Reputation of author, publisher, producer, or illustrator
•Positive reviews in professional and critical sources
•Creative, literary, or technical quality
•Treatment of subject across multiple levels of emotional and intellectual maturity
•Relationship to existing materials in the collection
•Materials that address the Library’s values, including equity, diversity, respect and
sustainability.
•Cost and availability
B.Collection Maintenance
Maintenance of the library’s collection through reevaluation by the Library staff ensures its
usefulness and relevance to the community. Staff sets a collection review schedule such that all
areas of the collection are reconsidered every three years, using the criteria set above for
selection. Staff utilizes collection development materials, professional judgement, and
experience to withdraw and/or replace items in the collection. Outdated, obsolete, irrelevant,
seldom used, or worn items will be removed from the collection. Materials easily obtainable
from another library may also be withdrawn.
C. Suggestions for purchase
Recommendations from the public are encouraged and given careful consideration. All
suggestions for purchase are subject to the same selection criteria as other materials and are
not automatically added to the collection.
D. Gifts
The Library Director may establish additional criteria to be used by Library staff in accepting
gifted materials, such as the items' condition or publication date, availability of storage space,
and other factors. Once donations are accepted by staff, items become the property of the
Library and may be added to the collection. Or, they may be given to other libraries and non-
profit agencies (including the Friends of the Library) sold, traded or discarded if not selected for
the collection. Donated items will not be returned to the donor. The Library will not accept any
item that is not an outright gift. The Library will provide a form for donors to fill out for tax
purposes. However, the Library cannot provide an appraisal or value for the donated
items. Donations of new items may be used for special recognition or as memorials at the
discretion of the Library Director.
Monetary gifts given without restriction may be accepted for the purchase of materials.
Monetary gifts offered with specific restrictions will be reviewed by the Library Director and the
Board of Trustees as needed.
E. Access to other library collections
The Library’s collection is further enhanced by the following services:
• Interlibrary Loan is a nationwide system that allows Library staff to borrow requested
materials from other libraries to meet individual interests. No fees will be charged for
this service.
• The Homecard System allows reciprocal lending between many nearby libraries,
enabling our card-holders to borrow books and other materials from any Homecard
library using their South Burlington library card. (link)
• The ABLE Library is a free national program that provides large print books, braille
books, digital talking books and audio described DVDs and videos for people who have
difficulty reading regular large print or handling print materials. Applications may be
approved by library staff. (link)
F. Reconsideration of Materials
As mentioned above, the Library supports and adheres to the ALA’s Freedom to Read
statement http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomreadstatement. Nonetheless,
from time to time, Library patrons may raise objections to materials in the Library’s collection.
• As staff become aware of such objections, the Director will discuss the concern and
selection procedure with the complainant.
• Should persons from the South Burlington community wish further consideration to
recommend the removal of a particular item from the collection, they may submit a
“Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials” (see below).
• Upon receipt of the completed form, the Library Director will select two staff members
who did not select the work in question and one Librarian from an area library to read,
view, or listen to the material in its entirety. The Director will not serve on this
committee.
• This committee will check the materials against the selection criteria above, read
reviews, and consult recommended lists. This group will present a written
recommendation to the Chair of the Board of Trustees who will also share it with the
complainant.
• The staff member who selected the materials may send comments regarding her/his
selection to the Board as well.
• The Board will consider the merits of the written decision at its next public meeting, will
vote to uphold or override the decision, and will notify the complainant.
• The Board's vote determines the final settlement of the matter. The Library will retain or
withdraw challenged materials as mandated by the decision of the Library Board of
Trustees.
• The challenged material will remain in circulation during the reconsideration process.
REQUEST FOR RECONSIDERATION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS
Please complete this form and submit it to the Library Director as part of the above process.
Author :
Title:
Type of material:
Request initiated by:
Address:
Email: Phone:
Have you read, watched or listened to this item in its entirety? If not, please identify which
parts of the material you are referring to.
What are your concerns? Please be specific.
How would you like this to be resolved?