1. Library Objective

The overall objective of the public libraries in St. Mary’s County is to provide library resources and services necessary to meet the educational, recreational, and informational needs of the public.

We operate in accordance with the standards set forth in Maryland’s Freedom to Read Act (See COMAR Section 23-101 to 23-507):
(1) LIBRARY MATERIALS, SERVICES, AND RESOURCES EXIST AND SHOULD BE PROVIDED FOR THE INTEREST, INFORMATION, AND ENLIGHTENMENT OF ALL PERSONS THE LIBRARY SERVES;
(2) A LIBRARY SHOULD NOT EXCLUDE MATERIAL FROM ITS CATALOGUE BECAUSE OF THE ORIGIN, BACKGROUND, OR VIEWS OF A PERSON WHO CREATED THE MATERIAL; AND
(3) A LIBRARY SHOULD NOT PROHIBIT OR REMOVE MATERIAL FROM ITS CATALOGUE BECAUSE OF PARTISAN, IDEOLOGICAL, OR RELIGIOUS DISAPPROVAL;
(4) THE RIGHT TO USE A LIBRARY BELONGS TO ALL INDIVIDUALS IN THE LIBRARY’S COMMUNITY AND THAT RIGHT SHOULD NOT BE DENIED OR HINDERED BECAUSE OF AN INDIVIDUAL’S ORIGIN, AGE, BACKGROUND OR VIEWS;
(5) A LIBRARY SHOULD MAKE ITS PUBLIC SPACES AND FACILITIES AVAILABLE TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IT SERVES ON AN EQUITABLE BASIS; AND
(6) A LIBRARY SHOULD HONOR THE RIGHT OF PRIVACY OF EACH PERSON WHO USES ITS SERVICES AND MUST PROTECT PERSONAL DATA AND INFORMATION.

In accordance with these standards, the Library affirms the following:

1. All Marylanders have the freedom to read, and the library will support that freedom with its collection.
2. The Library is responsible for providing adequate services to satisfy the diverse needs of its users.
3. Librarians and library staff “will curate collections that provide access to the widest possible array of books and other materials that support learning” (COMAR 14.38.03.B.04) within the limits of our resources.
4. The Library Board of Trustees “may not dismiss, suspend, discipline, demote, reassign, transfer, or otherwise retaliate against an employee for performing their job duties consistent with the library’s written policy adopted under this regulation.” (COMAR 14.38.03.D)

2. Responsibility of Selection

Final authority for the determination of the policies in this document is vested in the Library’s Board of Trustees. The authority and responsibility for selection of library materials are delegated by the Board to the Library Director, and under his/her direction, to the staff who are qualified for this activity by reason of education, training, and experience. Advice of specialists in the community is requested in fields in which staff members do not have sufficient expertise. Suggestions from readers are welcome and are given serious consideration within the general criteria for selection. The final decision for purchase rests with the Library. The responsibility for the use of library materials by children and adolescents rests with their parents or legal guardians.

3. Criteria for Selection

The evaluation of materials is characterized by flexibility and responsiveness to the changing needs of the citizen in St. Mary’s County. These changing needs require that materials be evaluated initially and on a continuing basis. As a result, materials which may not have been recommended for purchase initially may, in fact, later be purchased. Materials are evaluated as a whole and not on the basis of a particular passage or passages. A work will not be excluded from the Library’s collection because it presents an aspect of life honestly or because of frankness of expression. Selection will not be inhibited by the possibility that materials may inadvertently come into the possession of children and adolescents. Materials selected primarily for children and adolescents will be marked accordingly.

General Criteria for Selection

• Availability and suitability of the material’s format.
• Materials: Suitability of the subject, style, and reading level for the intended audience.
• Attention given by critics, reviewers, professional material selection aids and the public.
• Reputation of the author, publisher, or producer.
• Quality of design and illustration.
• Relevance to the present and potential needs of the community.
• Demand for the material.
• Relationship to existing materials in the collection on the same subject.
• Availability and accessibility of the same material in the State Library Network.

Purchase of materials that meet one or more of the above criteria may be limited due to budget constraints.

Collection Maintenance

The discarding of materials is selection in reverse. Systematic withdrawal of materials which are no longer useful in maintaining an active, accurate collection is necessary.  Library materials are discarded for one or more of the following reasons:

• Irreparable damage.
• Obsolescence.
• Insufficient use.
• Lack of space available for housing materials.

Lost, damaged and worn out materials are considered for replacement based on the following three factors:

• Existence of adequate coverage of the subject in the library collection.
• Public demand for the specific title.
• Availability of the specific title.

Gifts of books and other materials are accepted with the understanding that they may be used in the collection or disposed of according to the needs of the Library. New titles acquired in this manner are subject to the basic standards of selection. Replacements and duplicate copies are added to the collection if needed. The costs of processing and the availability of shelving space are also factors in determining the acceptance of gifts. The Library does not provide evaluations of gifts for tax deductions or other purposes.

Complaints about Library Materials
Materials representing various points of view are acquired. Where there are differing opinions or theories, the Library will provide materials on all viewpoints if they conform to the general criteria for selection. In accordance with Freedom to Read Act, the Library will not exclude materials because of the origin, background, or views of the work’s creator. The Library will not prohibit or remove material because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval. The Library recognizes that the choice of library materials by a user is an individual matter. While one person may reject materials for himself/herself, he/she cannot exercise censorship to restrict access to materials by others. Responsibility for the reading, viewing, and listening of children and adolescents rests with their parents or legal guardians. Once an item has been accepted as qualifying under the selection policies and criteria, it will not be removed solely at the request of those who disagree with it. There is a formal procedure for the reconsideration of materials. All requests for reconsideration must be made with the Materials Reconsideration Form. The Library will not consider materials reconsideration requests from non-county residents. The Library will not review more than three requests from an individual in a one-month period. If more than three titles are submitted for review by one person in one month, only the first three titles will be reviewed and the other requests will be discarded. “Material under review due to an objection [is] to remain available for use by the public and library staff until the review process has concluded” (see COMAR 14.38.02.01 C (2)). Review of materials will be completed within one month of the receipt of the materials reconsideration request.