1. Community Profile  

The Library serves primarily the northern part of a county of some 82,000 people. According to 2023 Census figures, the population is about 62 percent white and about equally comprised of males and females. The largest age group is between 25 and 44, and significant increases in that and the 45 to 64 age group suggest that the population is aging. The rural population constitutes about 60 percent of the total. The majority of adults have a high school education or less. The median income of $23,526 is below that of the state ($31,260). Religion is an important factor; the telephone directory lists over 200 churches, about half of them Baptist. The Library serves the Talladega City and county schools, as well as several daycares and an increasing number of families who home-school their children. The presence of the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind is a factor. Though its student populations are served by on-campus libraries, the Public Library does serve as an additional resource for its students and faculty. In addition, graduates tend to stay in the area, so Talladega has a larger than usual percentage of citizens who are physically handicapped. (Amended: 8/2024)  

2. Purpose  

In order to fulfill its stated goals, the Library must, within budgetary and spatial constraints, endeavor to provide materials to fill the needs of this diverse group. To that end, the materials selection policy attempts to  

a. provide a framework to guide librarians in selecting materials and  

b. inform the public about selection principles.  

(Amended: 1/99)  

3. Responsibility  

Final responsibility and authority for materials selection rests with the Director, who operates within the framework of policies adopted by the Board of Trustees. The staff's knowledge of the collection and the needs of the community will be a part of the selection process.  

The presence of materials in the library must not be construed as a personal endorsement of their contents by any member of the staff or the Board of Trustees. The library has the responsibility of collecting materials expressing a variety of views and opinions, some of which the persons responsible for maintaining the library may find personally unacceptable.  

The Library recognizes that many materials are controversial and that any given item may offend some patrons. Responsibility for what children read rests with their parents and legal guardians; selection will not be inhibited by the possibility that materials may inadvertently be viewed by children.  

However, the library will ensure that the library sections designated for minors under the age of 18 will remain free of material containing obscenity, sexually explicit, or other material deemed inappropriate for children or youth. Age-appropriate materials regarding religion, history, biology, or human anatomy should not be construed to be against this rule.  

The Library will not purchase or otherwise acquire any material advertised for consumers under the age of 18 which contains obscenity, sexually explicit, or other material deemed inappropriate for children or youth. Age-appropriate materials regarding religion, history, biology, or human anatomy should not be construed to be against this rule.  

Selections will be made on the merits of the work within the guidelines outlined below.  

(Amended: 1/99)  

4. Criteria for Selection  

a. Non-Fiction  

(1) contemporary significance or permanent value  

(2) accuracy and objectivity of approach  

(3) authority of author in the field  

(4) clear presentation and readability  

b. Fiction  

(1) representation of important movements, genres, trends of national culture  

(2) vitality and originality  

(3) artistic integrity  

(4) effective characterization  

(5) authenticity of historical or social value  

(6) sustained interest  

c. Periodicals  

(1) frequency of use  

(2) reputation and quality of publication  

(Amended: 8/24)

5. Other Reasons for Selection  

More specifically, materials will be selected for inclusion in the collection because they show merit in at least one of the areas below.  

Areas of Merit  

a. importance of subject matter  

b. serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value  

c. permanence  

d. timely value  

e. purpose or intent of material  

f. accuracy of content  

g. authenticity of content  

h. historical value  

i. readability  

j. scarcity of material on subject  

k. reputation and significance of author, illustrator, editor, artist, performer, etc.  

l. popularity  

m. local interest  

n. reputation and professional standing of publisher  

o. price  

p. format  

q. availability of material  

(Amended: 1/99)  

6. Use of Selection Aids  

Ideally, every book considered for collection should be read by a librarian knowledgeable about selection, the library's present resources, and the needs of local readers. Since lack of staff and the tremendous volume of publishing make this impractical, basic lists, special bibliographies, and book reviewing journals will be used as aids to selection. While reviews are an important source of information about...