Patrons of the Lincoln County Bookmobile are mainly older adults and children, preschool through 12th grade, who enjoy recreational reading. School children use the Lincoln County Bookmobile for recreational reading and informational reading that supplement their school libraries.
The Bookmobile Director must follow the selection policy to satisfy the needs and wants of the Bookmobile patrons in purchasing materials for the Lincoln County Bookmobile.
The Bookmobile Director should be widely read and aware of community issues, current trends, political concerns, and economical issues that affect the purchase of materials to fulfill the needs of the Bookmobile patrons.
The Board of the Bookmobile, recognizing the pluralistic nature of this county and the varied backgrounds and needs of all citizens, regardless of race, creed, religion, or political persuasion, declares as a matter of material selection policy that:
1.Material selection is and shall be vested in the Director and under that person’s supervision such members of the professional staff who are qualified by reason of education and training. Any material so selected, shall be held as selected by the Lincoln County Bookmobile Board.
2. Lincoln County Bookmobile provides materials in a variety of formats that meet one or more of the following criteria: are responsive to community needs and relevant to residents’ lives; empower citizens to explore diverse opinions and conduct research on topics of interest; inspire people to learn, create, and discover; and highlight the history and culture of Lincoln County and the Eastern Plains region.
3. Lincoln County Bookmobile seeks to develop an outstanding collection for a diverse population, with the constraints of budget allocations and shelf space. Lincoln County Bookmobile strives to provide materials reflecting a variety of perspectives. Not all criteria must be met, nor will one criterion be decisive. Materials purchased for the collection are not an endorsement of the Lincoln County Bookmobile of either the content of viewpoint presented in them.
4. Selection of the materials shall be made on the basis of their value of interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of Lincoln County. No materials shall be excluded because of the race, nationality, or the political or social views of the author. The following general criteria are used to evaluate potential purchases and gift materials:
- Relevant to community needs and interests
- Favorable attention of critics, reviewers, and the public
- Reputation/qualifications of author, artist, publisher, or producer without regard to political, religious, or other affiliations
- Date of publication
- Artistic merit, literary value, or recognized award recipient
- Local or national significance
- Permanence of timeliness
Quality of presentation in relation to content and audience
- Suitability of physical format for library shelving and circulation, including binding, condition, readability of type, packaging, specialized equipment needs, and technical quality for electronic media
- Evaluation of titles in relation to current holdings, available shelf space, patron demand, and budget
- Availability of information elsewhere
- Legal, licensing, or copyright issues
- Representation of various cultures, viewpoints and interests
Items generally excluded from selection include:
- Textbooks and curriculum-related works unless they are considered useful to the general reader and their presentation is superior to other sources
- Puzzle or workbooks that encourage filling in blanks
- Materials which authoritative and evaluation information, i.e., professional reviews, is lacking
5. The bookmobile provides access to ematerials. Selection of ematerials is based upon the same selection criteria used for the rest of the collection. Not all titles are available in all formats. The electronic collection consists of authoritative databases and subscription ematerials. Databases are used by patrons and staff to provide or supplement reference services. Databases and subscription ematerials contain information and works selected by the database and subscription managers; therefore, individual materials within the database were not selected by the Lincoln County Bookmobile.
6.The criteria for materials selection also apply in the acceptance of gifted book and other collection materials. Once a gift is accepted by the Lincoln County Bookmobile, it becomes the property of the Lincoln County Bookmobile unconditionally.