From: Lora-Lynn Stevens <lstevens_at_yorklibraries.org>
Greetings All from York, PA:
My apologies if this topic has been covered recently, but my archive
search did not turn anything up.
My library is a medium sized, urban library serving a diverse
population including large numbers African Americans and Latinos,
Pakistanis, devout Christians, devout Muslims, pagans, straights,
gays, bisexuals...you get the picture. There are a lot of viewpoints
and values in our community.
I doubt that our library is much different from yours, materials on
some subjects are stolen (right off the shelf or is never returned)
consistently. In my library, like so many others, we often have
requests for books on Wicca, sex education/practical guides to sex,
and practical guides for homosexuals. Or worse, these folks don't
come to us because the do not believe we have materials for them.
Since I have taken over as the Director of Information Services in
April, I am in a position to work with reference customers. When
trying to help folks locate books in these areas, I see that we own
few (in my opinion) and of those we do own they are missing/long
overdue or of a more philosophical nature. Anything that is a
practical "how to" look at any of these "controversial" subjects is GONE.
I am interested in making an effort to add and keep books on the above
mentioned "controversial" topics in our collection, but what is the
cost to do so? My Library CEO and System President are more than
supportive to this commitment, but they want to know what others do
about the theft of these items.
With all of that background, would you take a minute or two to let me
know your opinions on the following?
What does your library do about frequently stolen materials. Do you
continually replace them? If not, what limits to you put on replacements?
Pennsylvania, like so many other states, have taken a large hit to our
state funding. We have lost 30% from last year and our funding for
next year is still being decided. We may not be in the financial
position to continually replace stolen items. I would like to make a
replacement effort, but it has to have limits and we need to craft and
deliver a message telling customers that we do not have a particular
item because someone stole it.
What constitutes a great review vs.. a good review in these subject
areas? Are the criteria any different from selecting in any other area?
Some of our staff is concerned about the public's response to the
illustrations etc. to be found in these books, so we need to have
solid selection guidelines ready for any staff member to be able to
respond to concerns.
I am reading through _For Sex Education See Librarian: A Guide to
Issues and Resources_ by Martha Cornog and Timothy Perper. Their
selection criteria for inclusion in their book is pretty straight
forward and mirrors the criteria we use for ANY collection. Do you
recommend any other resources that may be beneficial for me to look at?
Many Thanks
~LL
Lora-Lynn Stevens
Director Of Information Services & Collections
Martin Library 159 E. Market St., York PA 17401
lstevens_at_yorklibraries.org www.yorklibraries.org
717.846.5300x258 F: 717.848.2330
York County Libraries. Answers for Living. Knowledge for Life.
Received on Thu Jul 01 2004 - 09:18:40 EDT