(Click here for a printable PDF version of this policy.)
Materials Selection Policy
The purpose of this policy is to establish a guide for staff in selecting materials and to inform the public about the principles upon which selections are made. A policy supports the judgment of librarians and the stating of objectives and criteria assists them in choosing from the vast array of available materials. The goal in collection development and material selection is to provide informational, economic, educational, cultural and recreational materials in all media for the St. Bernard Parish Public Library community.
Responsibility for Materials
Final responsibility for selection and development of the collection lies with the Library Director who operates within the framework of policies determined by the Library Board of Control. The Director authorizes qualified staff to apply the policy in building and maintaining the collection.
Objectives
The Library recognizes an immediate duty to make materials available for the enlightenment and recreation of the community. In addition, the Library strives to collect materials of contemporary significance and permanent value that reflect the diversity of the community and strives to meet these needs within the limitations of space, staffing, and budget. The Library collects materials in a variety of formats: print, audiovisual media, electronic media, etc.
Criteria of Selection
Selection of materials is based on these specific criteria:
- Availability of other information on the subject
- Literary, artistic, historical, social, scientific, or intellectual merit
- Contribution to diversity or breadth of collections and suitability of format
- Price and availability for purchase
- Author or creator already has popular works in the collection
- Suitability of subject, style, and reading level for intended audience
- Significance of the author’s work to the St. Bernard Parish Public Library service area
- Community standards of the population served by the library is the first consideration when acquiring library materials through donation or purchase
- Community needs, interests, and demands
- Present and potential significance and compatibility of the work to the collection
- Recommendations by professional reviewers from trusted journals, from bestseller and award-winning book lists
- Reputation, qualifications, and significance of the author, illustrator, publisher, or producer without regard to political, racial, religious, etc. affiliation
- Skill, competence and purpose of the author
The importance or weight of each of these factors will vary from one acquisition to another; others factors may also be considered, and materials for adults, teens, and children will each be judged differently.
Evaluating materials for selection is shaped by the changing needs of the citizens of the parish and requires evaluation on a continuing basis. Materials are evaluated as a whole and not on the basis of a particular passage or passages. The Library does not exclude or remove materials from the collection on the basis of race, nationality, sexual orientation, or social, political or religious beliefs. The Library does not act “in loco parentis”. It is the duty and responsibility of parents or guardians to oversee the reading and viewing activities of youth under the age of 18. Materials selected primarily for children and adolescents are marked accordingly and are located in designated areas of the Library.
Parents and legal guardians have the responsibility to monitor the use of library materials by their children. A parent or guardian has the ability and responsibility to indicate whether a minor child under the age of 18 is permitted to or is restricted from borrowing graphic or explicit physical or digital materials that may be available in the library collections. The responsible adult has the ability to filter digital media within the individual platforms, Libby and Cloud Library. Selection of library materials for adults is not limited by the possibility that children may come in contact with them.
A parent signs responsibility for all children under the age of 18. The Library restricts the borrowing of DVDs from cardholders under the age of 16 years. The responsible adult must consent to 16+ cardholders borrowing DVDs. R-rated DVDs are limited to adults or to 16+ cardholders with parental/guardian permission.
Maintaining the Collection
Librarians are expected to use good judgment to remove from the collection materials that no longer serve a need. Withdrawal of materials is an important aspect of collection management. When library materials lose the value for which they were originally selected, they are withdrawn. The purpose of the withdrawal policy is to ensure that the collection remains vital and useful by:
- Discarding and/or replacing items in poor physical condition
- Eliminating items with obsolete, misleading or superseded information
- Reducing the number of copies of titles whose relevance to the community has lessened
In the interest of sustainability, whenever it is possible, items withdrawn from the collection will be offered to the public without charge. Materials that have no informational value or materials that are worn or damaged beyond use will be discarded.
Gifts and Donations
The Library accepts donations in suitable formats from members of the community. All donations become the property of the Library and may or may not be accepted into the library collection, according to our selection methodology and criteria.
Self-Published Materials
In most cases, the Library will not purchase self-published material without reviews from established review sources. Exceptions may be made for material of a local interest that meets our selection methodology and criteria.
Patron Recommendations
Library patrons are encouraged to recommend the purchase of library materials. Requests are considered for purchase according to our selection methodology and criteria.
Statement of Concern
The Library offers a wide range of materials to meet the diverse needs of patrons throughout the community. Library patrons with concerns about a particular item are asked to complete the entire “Statement of Concern Form” available at the Library and online at www.mysbpl.org under Library Policies. The item of concern will be reviewed carefully within the guidelines established by our selection methodology and criteria. However, we are committed to maintaining a collection that serves the varying interests, needs, concerns, and perspectives of our wide range of patrons.
Reviewed and approved 5/15/2023
Reviewed and reapproved 3/23/2026
ADDENDUM
The Library recognizes the fundamental right of parents to make decisions as to the care, custody, and control of their children. This fundamental right includes the right to decide the upbringing and education of children under their control. Parents have the right to guide the reading, listening, and viewing choices of their minor children.
The St. Bernard Parish Library addresses the access of minors to sexually explicit materials pursuant to LA R.S. 25:225. All requests for reconsideration because of the material being sexually explicit as defined in the statute shall be reviewed by the Library Board of Control in an open meeting. The Library Board of Control shall determine whether the library material meets the definition of sexually explicit material by a majority vote in an open meeting pursuant to the requirements of LA R.S. 42:11 et seq.
(I) “Digital content” means any book, e-book, audiobook, video book, essay, newspaper, magazine, film, or any other library material that is provided in a digital format.
(2) “Library patron” means a person residing in the parish in which the parish library is located who has reached the age of majority and who holds a library card from the library.
“Sexual conduct” means any of the following:
- Masturbation or lewd exhibition, actual, simulated, or animated, of the genitals, pubic hair, anus, vulva, or female breast nipples.
- Sadomasochistic abuse, meaning actual, simulated, or animated, flagellation, or torture by or upon a person who is nude or clad in undergarments or in a costume that reveals the pubic hair, anus, vulva, genitals, or female breast nipples, or in the condition of being fettered, bound, or otherwise physically restrained, on the part of one so clothed.
- Actual, simulated, or animated touching, caressing, or fondling of, or other similar physical contact with, a pubic area, anus, female breast nipple, covered or exposed, whether alone or between humans, animals, or a human and an animal, of the same or opposite sex, in an act of apparent sexual stimulation or gratification.
- Actual, simulated, or animated stimulation of a human genital organ by any device whether or not the device is designed, manufactured, or marketed for that purpose.
- Actual, simulated, or animated ultimate sexual acts, whether between human beings, animals, or a human being and an animal.
- “Sexually explicit material” means textual, visual, or audio material, produced in any medium, that depicts or describes sexual conduct.
Requests for Reconsideration Related to R.S. 25:225: Minors Access to Sexually Explicit Materials
- All requests for reconsideration shall be submitted in writing to the library on the St. Bernard Parish Library Statement of Concern about Library Resources Form (See Attachment
- Requests for reconsideration may be made by any library patron. Library patron is defined as “a person residing in the parish in which the parish library is located who has reached the age of majority and who holds a library card from the library”.
- Pursuant to LA R.S. 25:225, all requests for reconsideration on the basis of the material being sexually explicit as defined in the statute shall be reviewed by the Library Board of Control in an open meeting.
- The Library Board of Control shall determine whether the library material meets the definition of sexually explicit material by majority vote in an open meeting pursuant to the requirements of La R.S. 42:11 et seq (the Open Meetings Law)
- The Library Board of Control shall make a written determination and notify the library patron.
- The decision of the Library Board of Control is final.
General Requests for Reconsideration
- All requests for reconsideration shall be submitted in writing to the library on the St. Bernard Parish Library Statement of Concern about Library Resources Form (See Attachment 1.)
- Requests for reconsideration may be made by any library patron. Library patron is defined as “a person residing in the parish in which the parish library is located who has reached the age of majority and who holds a library card from the library.” [LA R.S. 25:225 B (2)]
- The library shall make a written determination and notify the library patron.
- Appeal(s) of a determination can be made to the library board of control within thirty (30) days of the notification of the determination.
Procedure: Statement of Concern About Library Resources
The Library meets community standards for its population when acquiring library material that would be accessible to a minor through donation or purchase.
Our Library card system requires a minor’s parent or guardian in writing to select whether the minor is permitted to check out sexually explicit material physically available in the Library.
The role of the Library is to provide opportunities for individuals to freely examine subjects and make their own decisions. The Library provides for free access to all expressions of ideas through which any and all sides of a question, cause, or movement may be explored. The Library does not endorse particular ideas, beliefs, or views.
Should the Library Board of Control, at an open meeting through a majority vote, establish a collection of sexually explicit in-house and/or digital material pursuant to a request for
reconsideration, minors will be restricted from checking out said material without the parent or guardian’s written permission.
“Digital content” means any book, e-book, audiobook, video book, essay, newspaper, magazine, film, or any other library material that is provided in a digital format.”
Request for Reconsideration of Material
The Library recognizes the right of individuals to question the inclusion of certain materials in the collection. The Library will give serious consideration to each patron’s opinion. While patrons are free to reject for themselves and their minor children what they personally do not approve of, this right cannot censor or restrict the freedom of access to others.
The Library values your opinion. Patrons are welcomed and encouraged to express a concern by completing and submitting a “Statement of Concern about Library Resources” form available online and at the circulation desk. All patron concerns about materials will be handled courteously and promptly.
There are two methods to formally ask for a review of questioned material.
- The concerned patron(s) may choose to verbally address the concern at the public comment period of a Board meeting and proceed to formally present a Statement of Concern form to the Director and the Library Board of Control
- The concerned patron(s) may complete a Statement of Concern form online or present a completed form to the Director at the library who will forward a copy to each member of the Library Board. The Director will acknowledge in writing receipt of the concern (see Attachment 1 – Statement of Concern about Library Resources).
Review Procedure
The Director will select two or more staff members to serve on an internal committee to consult with the Library Board to review the subject of the concern. A recommendation regarding the action to be taken, if any, will be made by the committee and the Library Board of Control within 90 days of receiving the Concern form. Should the Library Board of Control authorize a longer period of review, the concerned patron will be notified of the delay.
- The staff and the Board will review the material in its entirety
- Create a detailed summary of the work for reference
- Document in-house circulation information
- Consider the number of public libraries in the state with the book in its holdings
- Gather reviews from standard evaluation guides and relevant information from other library sources – awards, standing of the author/producer in the profession, popularity of the work, etc.
- Consider the suggested age level of the material and suitability of current placement
- Consider present and potential relevance to community needs and interests
The Library Board of Control and the assigned staff will agree on a decision about the disposition of the material in question. The interested party(ies) will be notified of the pending decision to be presented at a properly noticed Board meeting.
Before the Board decision is made public at the designated Board meeting, the complainant will have three minutes to speak at the public comment period or choose to have their written statement read to the public by the Board president. A period of further public comment will proceed, each speaker with a three-minute limit.
No book or other material in question is automatically removed from the collection because of an objection to it. Within the period of review and consideration, the Board will have decided to keep the material in place, to change the location within the library, or to remove the item from the collection permanently. The president of the Library Board will call for a voice vote on the material in question. The decision of the Board shall be rendered by a majority vote. The majority decision stands.
Circulation Policy and Procedures
Effective August 1, 2024, the State of Louisiana Legislature passed LA R.S. 25:225.
The Library meets community standards for its population when acquiring library material that would be accessible to a minor through donation or purchase.
The legislature recognizes the fundamental right of parents and guardians to make decisions as to the care, custody and control of their children which includes the right to decide the upbringing and education of children under their control. The Legislature requires libraries to adopt and implement policy language to limit the access of minors to sexually explicit materials.
As stated in the Policy Statement on Collection Development reviewed and adopted by the St. Bernard Library Board of Control May 15, 2023, the Library does not act “in loco parentis”. It is the duty and responsibility of parents or guardians to oversee the reading and viewing activities of youth under the age of 18. Materials selected primarily for children and adolescents are marked accordingly and are located in designated areas of the Library.
Parents and legal guardians have the responsibility to monitor their children’s use of the library and library material. A parent or guardian has the ability and responsibility to indicate in writing whether a minor child under the age of 18 is permitted to or is restricted from borrowing graphic or sexually explicit physical or digital materials that may be available in the Library’s collections. The responsible adult has the ability to filter digital media within the individual ebook/audio book platforms, Libby and Cloud Library (OCLC). Selection of library materials for adults is not limited by the possibility that children may come in contact with them.
A parent or guardian must obtain a Library card by presenting a pictured ID issued by a State of Louisiana agency such as a Louisiana Driver’s License. The parent or guardian can then request that the Library issue a card for their child or children using a form that indicates categories which limits what a child can check out (see Attachment 2 – Library Card Application). Their child (or children) is attached to the parent or guardian’s card through the Library’s automation system.
The Library’s automation system automatically increases the age of the minor but not the category that was chosen by the parent or guardian.
A parent or guardian signs responsibility for all children under the age of 18. This means they accept responsibility for all lost, damaged, late, and reprocessing fees incurred on their minor child’s card.
Reviewed, revised and approved 3/23/2026 by the St. Bernard Parish Library Board of Control
(Click here for a printable PDF version of the Request For Review Policy and Library Card Application.)