Statement of Intellectual Freedom:
The following official statement was approved by the Canadian Library
Association (CLA) and forms part of the Board's Materials Selection
Policy:
"All persons in Canada have the fundamental right, as embodied in the
nation's Bill of Rights and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to
have access to all expressions of knowledge, creativity and intellectual
activity, and to express their thought publicly. This right to
intellectual freedom is essential to the health and development of
Canadian society.
Libraries have a basic responsibility for the development and
maintenance of intellectual freedom. It is the responsibility of libraries
to guarantee and facilitate access to all expressions of knowledge and
intellectual activity including those which some elements of society might
consider to be unconventional, unpopular or unacceptable. To this end,
libraries shall acquire and make available the widest variety of
materials.
It is the responsibility of libraries to guarantee the right of free
expression by making available all of the library's public facilities and
services to all individuals and groups who need them.
Libraries should resist all efforts to limit the exercise of these
responsibilities while recognizing the right of criticism by individuals
and groups.
Both employees and employers in libraries have a duty, in addition to
their institutional responsibilities, to uphold these
principles."
Materials Selection:
In keeping with the goals of the Haliburton County Library Board, it is
the purpose of this policy to ensure a high level of quality of the
processes that govern selection, preservation and organization of library
materials to make them readily available to all the residents of the
County of Haliburton.
Responsibility for Selection
Ultimate responsibility for the selection and discard of material rests with the County Librarian
who operates within the framework of policies established by the Board.
Local staff and patrons are encouraged to recommend books for purchase.
Any such suggestions are always welcome and will be given serious
consideration.
Criteria for Selection
Material selection will be carried
out in the most professional manner possible. Reviews and other
selection aids may be utilized in the final selection process as well as
an evaluation of usefulness to the intended user, literary or artistic
merit, authenticity, current or projected demand, relationship to the
overall collection, suitability to the needs of the community and
availability of funds.
Additional criteria for the selection of audio-visual materials may
include: content, performer, techniques and availability.
Special consideration will be given to the selection of Canadian
materials.
Materials primarily prepared for classroom use, highly specialized
text books, research and scholarly titles, expensive legal and/or
medical works as well as proselytizing materials will not normally be
acquired but will be made available through InterLibrary Loan as
available elsewhere.
Gifts & Donations
The Haliburton County Library Board
will accept gifts to include books, pamphlets, magazines films,
cassettes and other materials which become the property of the Board to
be added to the collection or disposed of as the County Librarian
decides.
No donations will be accepted unless free from precondition and they
will be integrated into the total collection. All materials that are
presented as gifts will be catalogued so as to be beneficial to the
InterLibrary Loan process and the benefit of all residents of the
County.
Weeding
Materials which no longer meet the needs of the
County Library due to physical condition, duplication, a lack of
community interest or with obsolete content may be offered for public
sale before being discarded.
Requests For Reconsideration
If an individual objects very strongly to a
particular item in the collection, a complaint may be made using the
Request for Reconsideration form. No complaints will be investigated
unless this form is completed in full. This form is also available from local
staff or by contacting the Director.
The completed form must be returned directly to the County
Librarian who will personally re-evaluate the title and report the
results directly to the individual making the complaint. A full report
will be made to the Haliburton County Library Board to whom final a
appeal may be made but only after all other processes have been
followed.
