Vision: The Troy Public Library is a place where people are partners in creating a vibrant and prosperous community. To accomplish this, the Library provides access to a wide array of materials and information.

Mission: The Troy Public Library is the community’s collection of knowledge and entertainment, a personal resource for lifelong learning and a vibrant space for all. To accomplish this, the Library provides collections in a variety of formats to meet the educational, recreational, and informational needs of the community.

The purpose of the Collection Development and Management Plan is to inform the residents of Troy as to the principles used in the selection process.

Troy Public Library’s collections offer a choice of format, viewpoint, and manner of expression.

The collections are not intended to be comprehensive or archival.

Responsibility for a minor’s use of library materials rests with their parents or legal guardians.

Materials are not marked, shelved, or identified to reflect judgments or to restrict access.

The selection and withdrawal of library materials rests with Library Staff.

The Troy Public Library does not accept unsolicited donations of material for the Library’s collections. Donations of self-published material will be given to the Friends of the Troy Public Library to be sold in their Book Shop.

Selection of Library Materials

The materials selection process is aimed at building collections with balance, diversity and objectivity in the subject areas of interest to the Troy community. Each item shall be considered in terms of its own merit, the audience for whom it is intended and its relationship to other materials in the various collections.

Factors used in the selection process include:

• Importance of the subject matter to the collection
• Relevance
• Accuracy of information or authoritativeness
• Geographic or social significance
• Presentation and readability
• Credibility and authoritativeness of the author
• Total cost associated with adding the item to the collection
• Literary merit
• Critical reviews in professional journals
• Durability of physical format for library use
• Suitability of scope, subject and style for public library audience

The Troy Public Library systematically withdraws materials to ensure that collections are kept current, accurate, reliable, useful, and quality-based for the residents of Troy.

Factors in withdrawing material include:

• Damage
• Misleading, inaccurate, or outdated information or format
• Redundancy
• Space
• Insufficient use

Donations, Memorials, Honorariums, Gifts

Monetary gifts for the purchase of materials are accepted and resources will be purchased within the broad subject area and in the format identified by the donor when available. The Selection of Materials Policy (see above) is referred to when purchasing titles using donation funds, so specific title requests may not be honored.  Librarians will make the final selection for inclusion in the collection based upon the criteria in the policy.

The Troy Public Library does not accept unsolicited donations of material for the Library’s collections. Donations of unsolicited material will be given to the Friends of the Troy Public Library to be sold in their Book Shop.

Reconsideration of Library Materials

Patrons who wish to request reconsideration of library materials shall complete the Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials form.

Upon receipt of a formal written request to reconsider library resources, Library Staff will determine the status of the item. Library staff will communicate this decision and the reasons for it, in writing, to the person who initiated the request for reconsideration at the earliest possible date.

In the event that the person who initiated the request is not satisfied with the decision, that person may discuss it further with the Library Director.