Library Policies

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The Syosset Library wishes to make freely and easily accessible to the members of the community materials in a variety of formats including print, audio, visual, digital, and online resources, which will aid them in their pursuit of education, information, recreation and the creative use of leisure time. The Syosset Library recognizes the ethnic, cultural, religious, and lifestyle diversity, and the varied backgrounds and points of view of all residents. The library’s collection will continue to grow and change to reflect the needs of the community and to provide materials representing diverse points of view on different topics.

The library does not advocate for the ideas found in the collection. Additionally, the selection of any item or resource does not constitute an endorsement of its contents. All individuals have a right to choose which library materials they will use. Neither an individual, nor group, nor library staff have the right to decide what others may or may not read. Responsibility for a child’s reading, listening or viewing of library materials rests with the parent or guardian, not with library staff.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to guide library staff in the selection of print and non-print materials, and electronic resources as well as to inform the public regarding the overriding principles, which guide these selections. In the selection of library materials in all formats, the Syosset Library subscribes fully to the principles adopted by the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, the Freedom to Read Statement and Freedom to View Statement. These three documents help to form part of the library’s approach to build a varied and comprehensive collection.

The library strives to provide and maintain a diverse collection of materials, including items of contemporary significance and permanent value. The library will select materials of varying complexity and the depth of the collection in any specific area may be limited by available resources; therefore, interlibrary loan may be used to supplement needs beyond the scope of a generalized collection.

Selection

Ultimate responsibility for the selection of library materials rests with the library director who operates within the framework of policies adopted by the Library Board of Trustees. Those staff members who are qualified by reason of education, training, or experience share this responsibility.

Library materials shall be selected for values of interest, information and enlightenment of all people of the community. Trained library staff will select materials based on the following criteria:

1. Relevance to community interest
2. Reviews and evaluations in professional and major national and regional publications, as well as other reliable sources indicating quality of the work for consideration
3. Public demand as expressed in requests for a title; this includes predicted public demand
4. Winners and nominees for national and international awards
5. Local authorship and subject matter may in some cases override literary and artistic considerations
6. Accuracy of information.
7. The reputation and qualifications of the author, creator, or publisher of the work
8. Items promoted in the media may be in demand and may be considered for acquisition on that basis
9. Timeliness, artistic significance, representation of genre or trend
10. Patron recommendations
11. Value to the existing collection
12. Merit, authenticity and honesty of presentation
13. Price, suitability of format for library use, and ease of use

*An item need not meet all criteria to be selected. Other considerations may be applicable in specific subject areas.

Digital Collections

The library subscribes to various digital collections with the aim to extend access to timely and versatile information with 24/7 availability regardless of the patron’s physical location or the library’s hours of operation. Digital collections consist of content that is stored and displayed digitally and accessed online. These resources are often referred to as subscription databases and streaming/electronic/digital content or media. Many of these collections are purchased as a large group package and/or through a consortium, and as such, some materials and resources are preselected and may contain materials not directly selected by Syosset Library staff.

New Material Formats

As new collections, formats and items are introduced into the marketplace, they will be evaluated to assess their suitability for library use.

Gifts and Donations

The library accepts donations of books, materials, and other equipment in good condition, but reserves the right to reject those that do not meet its needs and/or its general standard of selection. Furthermore, the library reserves the right to decide the best means of dispersing donated materials and equipment, whether by adding them to the collection, selling in a book sale, or in any other way.

The library does not appraise books, materials and equipment, and no dollar value will be assigned to any donated item.

Collection Maintenance

It is necessary to discard materials on a continual basis to maintain a current, useful and overall quality collection for all to use. Evaluation for the maintenance of the collection will be based on the following criteria:

1. Frequency of circulation
2. Accuracy
3. Physical condition, unless the content is significant and cannot be replaced
4. Timeliness
5. Availability of other copies
6. Local interest or specific community relevance will be considered in the evaluation process

Adopted: October 12, 2021, Revised October 2022