Materials Selection Policy

For the full text of the Mesa Public Library's Materials Selection Policy, please click here (PDF, 262 KB).

Summary of Materials Selection Policy

The objective of the Mesa Public Library is to support and enhance the community cycle of reading, learning and understanding. In pursuit of that goal, Library staff selects, organizes, preserves, and makes freely and easily available those Library materials that will meet the informational, educational, recreational, and cultural needs of the citizens of the City of Mesa.

The types of materials in the Library's collection include print, non-print, and electronically accessed components, so that citizens may:

• Educate themselves throughout their lives both independently and as a supplement to their formal study;
• Meet their general and job-related informational needs with timely, accurate, and useful information;
• Stimulate thoughtful participation in the affairs of the community, the nation, and the world;
• Appreciate the rich history of Mesa;
• Enrich their personal lives;
• Use their leisure time in the enjoyment of reading.

The following principles guide selection of Library materials:

• Currency, accuracy and impartiality
• Popular interest or demand
• Appropriateness for various ages and reading levels
• Cost
• Value as a standard work
• Physical durability, attractiveness and technical merit of the format
• Quality of organization, readability and style
• Reputation of the author, publisher, or producer
• Uniqueness or special features

There are some specific areas of concern where the special handling or treatment of materials must be qualified.

• Local History - Materials contributing to the history of the City of Mesa will be collected and preserved for posterity in the Main Library's Mesa Room. Genealogy material is not collected at the Mesa Public Library.
• Government Documents - Items selected include information of a specialized nature to supplement other Library materials.
• Gifts - Gifts will be governed by the same principles and criteria applied to the selection of other materials.
• The Internet - The Library maintains a web site on the Internet, www.mesalibrary.org, which houses subscription databases and useful Internet-based resources.
• Open Access to Ideas - The Library recognizes its responsibility to provide a representative selection of materials on subjects of interest to its users, including materials on various sides of controversial issues. In the case of controversial questions, variety and balance of opinion are sought whenever available. It should be clearly understood that the Library does not endorse all the opinions expressed in materials that are selected.
• Young Adult Materials - Materials are selected for this collection to broaden the horizons of young adults and help them cope with the problems of adolescence. The responsibility for what a young adult reads rests with the parents or legal guardians.
• Children's Materials - Titles are included which meet the general demands of the majority of children as well as titles with special qualities that make them valuable to children with special needs, talents, problems or interests. Titles of interest to parents and other adults working with children are also included. The responsibility for what a child reads rests with the parents or legal guardians.
• Textbooks - Textbooks are acquired only when they supply information in areas in which they may be the best or only source.