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Collection Development Policy

Collection Development Policy (CDP) approved by the DCPL Board of Trustees on December 17, 2025.

I. Background

The Board of Trustees (“Trustees”) of the Daviess County Public Library (“DCPL”) is vested with
management and control of DCPL. As authorized in the DCPL Bylaws, the Trustees are empowered
to “determine and adopt policies and procedures to govern the operation of the library.” The
Executive Director Librarian (the “Director”) and library staff are responsible for implementing
these policies.

II. Purpose of the CDP

The purpose of the CDP is to establish guidelines governing the selection, acquisition,
maintenance, placement, and removal of materials within DCPL. The responsibility for the selection
of library materials lies with the Director, operating within the framework of policies approved by the
Trustees. This responsibility may be shared with other library staff under the Director’s supervision.

In adopting this CDP, the Trustees are cognizant of the plurality opinion in U.S. v. American Library
Association, 539 U.S. 194 (2003), which explained that “public libraries must have broad discretion
to decide what material to provide to their patrons. Although they seek to provide a wide array of
information, their goal has never been to provide ‘universal coverage.’ Id., at 421. Instead, public
libraries seek to provide materials ‘that would be of the greatest direct benefit or interest to the
community.’ Ibid. To this end, libraries collect only those materials deemed to have ‘requisite and
appropriate quality.’ Ibid. See W. Katz, Collection Development: The Selection of Materials for
Libraries 6 (1980) (‘The librarian’s responsibility . . . is to separate out the gold from the garbage, not
to preserve everything’); F. Drury, Book Selection xi (1930) (‘[I]t is the aim of the selector to give the
public, not everything it wants, but the best that it will read or use to advantage’); App. 636 (Rebuttal
Expert Report of Donald G. Davis, Jr.) (‘A hypothetical collection of everything that has been
produced is not only of dubious value, but actually detrimental to users trying to find what they want
to find and really need’) . . .. Public library staffs necessarily consider content in making collection
decisions and enjoy broad discretion in making them.”

Rationale for Content-based Shelving Standards

DCPL adopts content-based cataloging and shelving standards consistent with:

  • United States v. ALA
  • Justice Breyer’s concurrence recognizing a compelling interest in restricting minors’ access to obscene or comparably harmful material
  • Professional library practice
  • Community expectations for age-appropriate materials

These standards parallel familiar rating systems (e.g., MPAA), where:

  • Children”s materials approximate G-PG
  • Teen materials approximate PG-13

This policy regulates cataloging and placement, not availability. DCPL does not restrict a minor’s
access to material shelved in other locations and does not prohibit a minor from checking out adult
material, unless the parent or legal guardian has enabled “limited access” on their minor’s library
account.

III. General Selection Criteria

Materials will be considered using the following criteria:

  1. Relevance to the interests, abilities, and maturity of intended users
  2. Support for literacy, knowledge, and cultural understanding
  3. Provision of reliable information enabling informed decisions
  4. Representation of multiple viewpoints
  5. Inclusion of materials from diverse cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds
  6. Adherence to professional judgment over personal opinions
  7. Popular demand indicators:
  1. Series Popularity
  1. Bestseller lists
  1. Awards
  1. Recognized authors
  1. Up-to-date information (especially nonfiction)
  1. Recommendations from the public
  1. A variety of professional and cultural review sources

IV. Cataloging and Shelving Criteria

This section applies to DCPL’s physical collection only. As noted below, in Section VII, DCPL has no
control over third-party content.

Adult Collections

  • Nonfiction is generally cataloged and shelved according to the Dewey Decimal System.
  • Fiction is cataloged and shelved alphabetically by the author’s last name.
  • The Director may implement alternate systems.

Children’s & Teen Collections

Children’s collections (also known as Juvenile) are generally suitable for birth-age 12. Teen
collections are generally suitable for ages 13-17.

Sexually Explicit Acts

Materials containing sexually explicit acts shall not be cataloged or shelved in the Children’s or Teen collections.

Sexually explicit acts include:

  • Penetration of the penis into the vagina or anus
  • Contact between the mouth and genitalia or mouth and anus or by contact between the genitalia of one person or the genitalia or anus of another person
  • Contact between the finger, hand, or other body part of one person or the genitalia or anus of another person, except during examination or treatment by a medically licensed person
  • Ejaculation or orgasm
  • By use of artificial sex organs or substitutes therefore in contact with genitalia or anus
  • The touching of another person’s genitals or anus with a finger, hand, any other part of the body, or artificial sex organ or other similar device at the direction of another person
  • Explicit description of masturbation or manual stimulation of genitalia
  • Sadomasochistic acts
  • Bestiality

Sex Education Materials

All Children’s or Teen material defined in the publisher’s descriptions as “sex education” or “sexual health” are shelved in the Adult Parenting section.

Compliance with KRS 531.030

DCPL will not knowingly distribute obscene materials to minors.

Additional Content Restrictions for Children’s & Young Adult Collections

DCPL’s restrictions follow widely recognized age-appropriateness frameworks (Children ~ G–PG; Teen ~ PG-13).

Materials shall not contain:

Graphic Violence

Violent content, defined as graphic or detailed depictions of physical harm, torture, rape or sexual assault, murder, dismemberment, human trafficking, or extreme brutality intended to shock or disturb. Materials should avoid excessive or sensationalized violence without clear literary or educational purposes.

Educational, historical, and literary references are allowed if non-descriptive.

Suicide & Self-Harm

Suicide and self-harm, defined as explicit descriptions, instructions, or encouragement of suicide, self-injury, cutting, or self-destructive behaviors. Materials must not provide methods or glamorize these behaviors.

Responsible mental health content is permitted.

Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Use

Alcohol and drug use, defined as content that glamorizes, promotes, or provides instructions for the use of alcohol, illegal drugs, or misuse of prescription medications. References may appear in realistic contexts but should not normalize or encourage substance abuse.

Educational, historical, and literary references are allowed if non-instructional.

Sexually Explicit Acts

Prohibited as defined in Section IV(b).

Parental Responsibility

Parents and guardians are responsible for supervising minors’ access to library materials.

Staff Review Limitations

The DCPL staff is not equipped to review all materials that are shelved at DCPL or in any of its various collections. DCPL staff may but are not required to use online resources to investigate books before placement. Enforcement of this policy shall be primarily through the Requests for Reconsideration policy set forth in Section VII below, provided, however, that no member of the DCPL staff shall knowingly shelve a book in violation of this CDP.

V. Displays

Library displays are designated areas used to highlight materials organized around a variety of themes, such as specific topics, seasonal interests, or newly acquired items. Displays are intended to enhance the visual appeal of the library and to facilitate discovery and browsing.

All materials selected for display will comply with the Collection Development Policy (CDP) applicable to the physical location of the display within the library. Staff will make reasonable efforts to ensure that topical displays reflect a diversity of perspectives. Materials featured in displays do not constitute an endorsement by DCPL of the viewpoints, content, or ideas expressed therein.

As with all challenges of material in the library, any material on display that may be deemed inappropriately placed, should be referred to the Request for Reconsideration policy.

VI. Weeding

Weeding is based on:

  • Physical condition
  • Relevance
  • Usage
  • Accuracy
  • Professional judgment

Materials may not be removed solely because of disagreement with viewpoints.

VII. Third-party Content

DCPL offers access to third-party digital platforms but does not control or endorse their content. Patrons use such platforms at their own discretion.

VIII. Request for Reconsideration

The Daviess County Public Library believes that censorship is a purely individual matter and declares that, while any person is free to reject for himself or herself materials of which he or she does not approve, he or she cannot exercise this right of censorship to restrict the freedom of others to read, view, listen, or inquire. The Daviess County Public Library has set these regulations in place to assist in fulfilling the library’s goal to serve all the residents of Daviess County:

  • Any patron who is a resident of Daviess County and holds a card in good standing from the Daviess County Public Library is encouraged to speak with Library staff if they have questions on the library’s collection development policies. A copy of those policies shall be provided to patrons upon request. The patron may request that the Library’s Collection Development Manager respond directly to the patron regarding any library materials they may have questions or concerns about.
  • If a resident’s concern is not satisfied through discussion with Library staff, the resident may complete and submit a formal, written Request for Reconsideration of Materials. Copies of this request form may be obtained from any library service desk or by fax, mail, or e-mail from the library. The library will consider one (1) Request for Reconsideration at a time. Requests will be reviewed on a first come, first served basis. And only two (2) titles will be reviewed at a time.
  • For a Request for Reconsideration of Materials to be considered by the Library Administration, it must meet the following criteria:
  • The most recent version of the request form must be completed in full.
  • The patron must be a resident of Daviess County and hold a card in good standing from the Daviess County Public Library.
  • The recommendation form must be submitted to the Library Director or his or her designee. The Submission may be completed in person, by mail, or by e-mail.
  • The most recent version of the request form must be completed in full.
  • Submission may be completed in person, by mail, or by e-mail.
  • To ensure that each Request for Reconsideration is given appropriate attention, the Administration can consider one (1) Request for Reconsideration from a patron per quarter.
  • Upon receipt of a completed Request for Reconsideration, the Director shall appoint an Ad Hoc staff review committee of a minimum of three (3) staff members to review the Request, undertake a firsthand review of the material subject to the Request, and prepare a report. The Ad Hoc committee may be comprised of the Collection Development Manager, the Community Engagement Manager, and the specific the title’s Selector (i.e.: The Children’s Librarian for Juvenile material). During the review process, any copies of the material not needed for direct review shall remain available for patrons at the library.The committee shall consider the following criteria when drafting the report:
  • Consistency with the Library’s material selection policy
  • Cultural and/or literacy significance and quality
  • Audience for the material
  • Circulation history and patron requests for the material
  • Professional review and awards
  • The Ad Hoc Staff Review Committee may recommend a few actions including removal of the material, re-labeling/classification of the material, or no action at all. The review process by the Ad Hoc Staff Review Committee will be completed and submitted to the Library Director within ten (10) business days from the date the complete Request for Reconsideration of Materials form is submitted to Library Administration.
  • The Library Director shall have final discretion as to whether to follow or modify the recommendation of the Ad Hoc Staff Review Committee.
  • The Library Director or Collection Development Manager shall inform the patron in writing of the decision regarding the Request for Reconsideration of Materials no later than ten (10) days after receiving the report from the Ad Hoc Staff Review Committee.
  • If the patron is unsatisfied with the decision, the patron may appeal the Request for Reconsideration of Materials by asking in writing that it be referred to a review committee made up of two (2) board members (serving for one (1) quarter) and three (3) randomly selected library staff members.
  • The review committee will be supplied with the same information supplied to the Ad hoc staff committee, including access to the library material, circulation statistics, reviews and awards, and a list of regional library holdings.
  • The patron will be notified of the review committee’s decision after a decision has been made. The committee may request additional information from the library staff as well as from the patron submitting the appeal request.
  • After the material has gone through the Request for Reconsideration process, it cannot be challenged again for a period of six (6) months. The library will make available the lists and status of past book challenges.

Please Note: Digital titles available through the Kentucky Libraries Unbound Consortium on Libby are under jurisdiction of the Consortium and have their own policy.