Honoring the vision and legacy of its founder, the Mark Twain Library offers the Redding community a center for intellectual, educational, social and cultural enrichment, providing a wide variety of materials, resources, and programs for all ages. --Adopted 1/11/2010
- Affordability
- Timeliness
- Value added to the collection as a whole
- Relevance to the mission and/or strategic plan
Selection Tools
Selection tools will include (but not be limited to) professional judgment as the first criterion, professional and trade journals (Library Journal, School Library Journal, Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, and the Kirkus Review), and on-line book and media reviews (Amazon, NYT, abebooks, and other authoritative web sites). The library strives to be responsive to all inquiries about resources, and adds requested items to the collection after consideration of quality and cost.
Selection Criteria
The library provides a broadly based and diverse collection of
resources with a balance in points of view on all subjects in a timely, cost effective
manner.
Selection is a discerning and interpretive process. Each type of material must be considered in terms of its own excellence and the audience for whom it is intended. No single standard can be applied in all cases. Some materials may be judged primarily in terms of artistic merit, scholarship or value to humanity; others are selected to satisfy the informational, recreational, or educational interests of the community.
Non fiction selection requires a familiarity with existing library resources; awareness of existing bibliographies of the subject, both off and on-line; and recognition of the needs of the community.
Criteria used include:
- the basis of content and the style of work as a whole
- social significance
- importance of subject matter to the community
- soundness of the author’s attitude and approach
- cost
- scarcity of material on the subject and availability elsewhere
- format quality and suitability.
Fiction
selection is based on the basis of positive reviews, anticipated demand or
customer request. The library collection includes representative novels of the past
and present, notable for literary quality, cultural value, and popularity. Multiple
copies are purchased to meet demand. Classics are re-ordered as the need arises.
Electronic resources
are made available based on the accessibility of information
in areas of high demand by library users. Other criteria used include:
- quality of data and reputation of the publisher
- degree of currency of the data
- user friendly search mechanism
- compatibility with existing library systems
- cost effectiveness
Audio books are selected to build a collection of classic and popular titles. Every effort is made to purchase unabridged works, with the exception of those available only in abridged format or specifically requested as abridged. The bulk of audio books will be in CD format to comply with the equipment of most library users. Downloadable audio book services are available through Bibliomation (Overdrive) and through the State's service iConn.
Other criteria used include:
- quality of production and reading
- positive reviews
- library users’ requests
Music CDs are selected to represent a broad spectrum of musical tastes. Criteria used include:
- excellence of interpretation and technique
- importance of the artist
- public requests
- price and availability
DVDs are selected using the same criteria used for other materials according to cost and availability. Adult DVDs include entertainment and artistic films. Nonfiction DVDs supplement the print collection. VHS format is no longer purchased.
Periodical subscriptions are maintained to keep the library collection up-to-date on current issues, to provide material no available in book form, for reference work, and for general reading. Hard copy periodicals are used mostly for browsing; online databases provide research resources.
Newspapers are selected to meet to meet current reference and research needs.
Standing orders are used for materials updated on a regular basis and necessary to the collection. These include reference books, travel guides, annual literary anthologies and business circulars.
Multiple copies are purchased for items with high reader demand. Best selling titles are purchased in sufficient quantities to meet anticipated demand. For titles with many demands, one book is purchased for every four reserves.
Areas of particular interest to the community (including but not limited to the following) are considered important and should be part of the permanent collection of the library:
- Local history
- Local authors and/or illustrators
- Samuel Clemens
- Open space
The collection management of Children’s and teen materials is the same as for the adult materials.
Maintenance and De-accession of Material
Periodic inventory of the collection is the responsibility of the staff. The “CREW*” and “MUSTI”** systems will be used for identification of unsuitable, worn, damaged and irrelevant material that should be withdrawn. Those items may be sold in the annual book sale sponsored by the Association. Materials that have been damaged, but are still useable, will either be rebound, or mended according to accepted standards for book repair.
