Collection Development

Community members may challenge books in your collection for a multitude of reasons. The best way to be prepared for any challenge is to be familiar with your library’s collection development policy, and to have a process in place for handling challenges.  When a challenge arises, it’s helpful to be able to provide the patron with a copy of your policy, which explains what you collect and why.  Having good policies in place also protects you from having to make judgment calls or arguing with patrons. 

Many libraries also give the patron a form to complete that asks for more details, including:

• Title and Author
• Whether they have read the entire book
• What their specific concern is, including page numbers
• Patron contact information and library card number

Having such a form allows the patron a non-confrontational outlet for sharing their concerns and minimizes the likelihood of conflict because it also keeps the interaction between you and the patron transactional.  Make sure you maintain a neutral attitude about the challenge with the patron, and refrain from offering your own opinions.  Be sure to let the patron know from the beginning what the process is once they turn in the form, so they understand next steps.

Check with your supervisor to see whether your library has a procedure for reviewing and responding to challenged books.  Such a procedure might involve asking colleagues to read the book, consulting resources such as Booklist, Kirkus, or School Library Journal to see what respected book reviewers have said, and referring to your library’s collection development policy to make sure the book fits the library’s collection parameters.  Once the staff and/or board doing the assessment come to a consensus on how to handle the book, the patron should be notified of that decision, usually in writing by the director.