Purpose
To outline the basis on which books, and all other media, are acquired, selected and managed.
Stock Selection
Plymouth Library Service works closely with specialist library suppliers to select stock. The selection criteria listed below is considered as part of the decision-making process:
- Current trends
- Popularity of author or subject matter
- Reputation of publisher
- Cost
- Physical durability of binding, paper quality and suitability of format for library use
- Appropriate format e.g. printed/audio/large print/electronic etc.
Additional criteria may be used for the selection of specific stock types.
These criteria will also be used to determine the number of copies bought of any particular item and the library where the item is to be located:
In addition to staff and supplier expertise stock performance statistics are compiled and evidence is reviewed annually to determine the priorities for the service.
Censorship
Plymouth Library Service follows guidance as specified by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP).
“Access [to information] should not be restricted on any grounds except that of the law. If publicly available material has not incurred legal penalties then it should not be excluded on moral, political, religious, racial or gender grounds, to satisfy the demands of sectional interest.”
Stock Management
Stock is managed as a city-wide resource, accessible to all customers through free online reservations.
Stock is circulated between libraries to improve the range of titles available in each library and to increase the cost effectiveness of each purchase.
Stock is routinely checked against agreed guidelines to ensure that it is current and in good condition.
We welcome suggestions for stock which will be subject to the stock selection criteria as detailed above.
Where an item is not held in library stock and we are unable or decline to purchase (based on the stock selection criteria above), it may be acquired from outside of Plymouth via an inter-library loan. There is an additional charge for the requests service.
Stock disposal
Stock that is no longer required will be disposed of as responsibly as possible.
Unless its condition or relevance prevents it, all withdrawn book and audio-visual stock will be offered for sale. All proceeds stay within the library service
Donations
We can accept donated stock if it meets the following criteria:
- Published within the last 2 years
- Clean and in good condition
- Other items of exceptional interest, for example local history material
We cannot accept:
- technical or scientific texts
- text books
- dictionaries
- encyclopaedias
- magazines
- newspapers
- periodicals
- CDs
- DVDs
- Audiobooks
Once a donated item has been received, it then becomes the property of Plymouth Library Service. This means it is subject to the standard criteria with regard to sale, relocation to other libraries and withdrawal where appropriate. Items will not be accepted on deposit.
Any unsolicited or privately published material received by us will be disposed of after 3 months if we choose not to add it to our collection.
Reserve Stacks
Reserve stacks are maintained for items which can be identified as being of continued and practical use to the customers of Plymouth Libraries, or which actively support joint inter-library loan arrangements.
The final decision on whether to retain an item in the stack will rest with Library Development Managers.