Collection Development Policy

Mission Statement 

The mission of the Long Lake Public Library is to provide quality materials and services to fulfill educational, informational, cultural, and recreational needs of the community it serves in a welcoming, respectful, and nondiscriminatory environment. 

Overview of Physical Collection

A - Amish                                                            

ACA - Acadian                                            

AUD - Audiobook                                                 

B - Biography/Memoir                                          

BB - Board Book   

CAN - Canadian     

DVD - DVD/CD/Movie  

FIC - Fiction     

FRA - French (Francais)    

JUV - Juvenile     

LLPL - Long Lake Public Library (Genealogy)

LP - Large Print

ME - Maine      

PIC - Picture Book

SAHS - St. Agatha Historical Society

YA - Young Adult

YB - Yearbooks

Dewey Decimal Guide (Nonfiction)

000 - 099 - Generalities

100 - 199 - Philosophy & Psychology

200 - 299 - Religion

300 - 399 - Social Sciences

400 - 499 - Language

500 - 599 - Natural Sciences & Math

600 - 699 - Technology (Applied Science)

700 - 799 - The Arts

800 - 899 - Literature

900 - 999 - Geography & History

Selection Criteria: 

• Interest, need, or demand initiated by library users and/or potential users
• Relation to existing collection
• Local significance including locally written and/or published works
• Quality of item including accuracy, durability, and condition
• Cost and availability/value of product related to its cost

Donations of Physical Materials: Donations of physical materials are assessed with the same criteria as newly purchased materials. Materials that are not chosen to be included in the physical collection can be given back to the donor, included in the book shed sale, recycled, or respurposed. This decision is made by the donor if the donor is present, otherwise the decision is made by the library director. 

Memorial Donations: Monetary donations can be made out to the Long Lake Public Library in memory of a loved one. Donors can request that the money is to be used for a book or books amounting to the value of the donation. The book(s) can be chosen by the donor, or the donor can request to have the library director assist in finding a book to be purchased in memory of their loved one.

Weeding: Weeding through the collection can be done while taking inventory of the collection, or as needed if books are damaged, outdated, no longer relevant, or multiple copies of the book are in the library's system and none of the books were donated ‘in memory’ of someone. 

Replacements: Materials that need to be replaced will follow the same criteria for selecting new materials. The replacement of new materials is also dependent on the accuracy of the material, the availability of a replacement, and demand for the specific title.

Collection Management: Decisions made to the physical and digital collections are ultimately made by the library director. The director must follow the criteria of the Collection Development Policy when choosing new materials and follow the mission statement of the Long Lake Public Library. The Long Lake Public Library Board of Directors are to decide on any changes made to the Collection Development Policy and review the policy biannually. Any decisions regarding the Collection Development Policy will be made with a majority count from the Board of Directors.