Collection Development Policy

I. Introduction

The Collection Development Policy is intended to support Northland Public Library’s (NPL) mission and vision while adhering to NPL’s values.

Mission: Northland Public Library enables, empowers and encourages lifelong learning and discovery in a safe, welcoming space for all.

Vision: Northland will serve as a positive influence on society by ensuring our library is welcoming and inclusive to all.

Values: knowledge, quality, customer focus, teamwork, integrity, fiscal responsibility, respect and DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion).

II. Community Profile

NPL primarily serves an increasingly diverse population of approximately 90,000 in 61.15 square miles comprised of five communities: Borough of Bradford Woods, Franklin Park Borough, Marshall Township, Town of McCandless, and Ross Township. These communities include two school districts: North Hills and North Allegheny. While demographics are constantly changing, current socio-economic and cultural components of NPL’s communities are considered when purchasing.

III. Collection Summary

NPL’s collection contains materials in a wide variety of formats, Lexile levels, age levels and languages; however, the vast majority of the Collection is in English. It includes, but is not limited to print, audio, video, digital and nontraditional formats. For the purpose of this document, “the Collection” refers to items that have been selected by NPL staff. Selected items may be physically available in the Library or available online. In general, the collection is current and popular; not scholarly or archival. The Collection does not generally go beyond sophomore year of college in difficulty level. NPL strives to meet the informational, educational, cultural and recreational needs of the community.

IV. Collection Goals

NPL’s collection policy goal is to strike a balance between the most authoritative, well-researched materials that represent the intellectual capital of our society, and popular “in demand” material, while ensuring that our collection is representative of the community and includes diverse subjects and perspectives.

V. Selection Responsibility

1. The collection budget is approved by the Northland Public Library Authority Board of Directors, and generally represents at least 12% of NPL’s total operating budget, per state requirements.
2. Adult Materials: Adult materials are chosen by members of the Adult Services Department.
3. Children’s Materials: Children’s and teen materials are chosen by members of the Children and Teen Services Department.
4. Online databases: NPL provides online databases in three different ways. Many are subscribed to by the county consortium of which NPL is a member. Many are provided by the POWER Library, Pennsylvania’s Electronic Library.  A few are purchased by NPL directly. NPL is represented on the county-wide Digital Resource Committee (DRC) which evaluates, selects and de-selects web-based databases for all Allegheny County Library Association (ACLA) member libraries. NPL subscribes to additional databases through various reputable vendors.
5. E-materials: The DRC also evaluates and selects for purchase e-books, e-audio, e-video and e-magazines. The DRC adheres to its own guidelines for selection and de-selection.

VI. Selection Criteria

Collection development staff use their training, knowledge and expertise along with the following general criteria to select materials for the collection:

1. Relevance to interests and needs of the community;
2. Extent of publicity, critical review in mainstream media, review journals or websites, and current or anticipated demand;
3. Current or historical significance of the author or subject;
4. Local significance of the author or subject;
5. Diversity of author, characters, viewpoint and experience;
6. Relevance to the existing collection’s strengths and weaknesses;
7. Authority, reputation and qualifications of the author, publisher or producer, with preference generally given to titles vetted by authoritative sources;
8. Authority, accuracy and clarity of presentation;
9. Suitability of format to NPL circulation and use;
10. Date of publication;
11. Price, availability and NPL materials budget;
12. Patron recommendations (each one is evaluated for possible purchase);
13. Standing orders & subscriptions;
14. Where budget permits, staff will purchase additional copies of an item in order to meet demand;
15. Available collection space;
16. For donations only, condition of the material is also considered;
17. Guidelines for selection of self-published materials: if no professional reviews are available, materials must meet at least two of the criteria listed below to be considered for selection:
    1. A staff member has read and recommended the title;
    2. The title is already in our catalog and there are holds;
    3. Comparable libraries outside our consortium own it (Check WorldCat);
    4. The title’s sales rank in Amazon and/or Barnes and Noble is above 1000 and Ingram’s i-page has many copies in stock;
    5. The title has 25 or more reader reviews on Amazon/B&N/Powell’s/Goodreads with an over-all star rating of three or higher and there is no evidence of counterfeit or fake reviews;
    6. One or more previous works by the author were published through a traditional publishing house;
    7. One or more previous self-published works by the author are in the Library catalog and have circulated;
    8. The author and/or the subject is local.

Although the majority of the Collection is print books, the Collection includes other traditional and non-traditional items, the formats of which are based on demand and availability. When a format becomes obsolete due to a new format, NPL will cease collecting the old format. New formats are generally evaluated initially at the county level (by ACLA). NPL is represented on the ACLA committees that explore this. NPL will consider adding new formats ahead of the county if local demand warrants it.

VII. Acquisitions

Materials are purchased through a variety of vendors, including Ingram, WT Cox, Midwest Tapes, Language Lizard, Amazon, etc. as well as directly through publishers.

VIII. Gifts

NPL accepts donations of books and other materials and retains the authority to accept or reject gifts. Gifts are evaluated by the same criteria that are applied to purchased items. NPL staff make all decisions as to the use, housing and final disposition of donations. NPL does not evaluate or appraise gift materials for donor tax purposes.

IX. Withdrawal and Retention

The collection is evaluated on an on-going basis according to industry standards, ensuring every NPL location and Dewey section is evaluated at least once every two years. Criteria include:

1. Condition
2. Number of copies in the Collection
3. Relevance to the needs and interests of the community
4. Local interest
5. Current demand and frequency of use
6. Accuracy and timeliness
7. Availability elsewhere including other libraries and online
8. Diverse representation
9. Considered to be part of the core collection

X. Reconsideration of Library Materials

In order to represent the diversity of thought within the community, it is very important that the public library’s collection contains materials representing differing points of view. Northland Public Library does not endorse particular beliefs or views, nor does the selection of an item express or imply an endorsement of the viewpoint expressed by the author, nor does the omission or deselection of an item express or imply a rejection of the viewpoint expressed by the author (see: Requests for Reconsideration Policy).

There may be occasions when a member of the community objects to a particular item in NPL’s collection. If a library patron wishes NPL to reconsider material that is in the collection, they are encouraged to discuss their concerns with the department manager (see: Requests for Reconsideration Policy).

XI. Policy Adoption, Review & Revision

This policy is reviewed annually and revised as necessary, with a more thorough review conducted every five years.

Approved 3/22/16
Rev 6/28/22
Rev 1/23/2024
Rev 8/27/2024