Collections Policy

Selection

Criteria for Selection of Materials:

• suitability of physical and/or digital form for library use
• relation to existing collections and other materials on a subject
• accessibility of materials in other libraries, for free via the internet, or from other easily and freely accessible resources
• interests and composition of the community
• popular and/or anticipated demand and current trends
• attention of critics, reviewers, and the public
• quality, clarity, comprehensiveness and accuracy of the work
• reputation, skill, competence and purpose of the originator of the work
• special value as a contribution to social questions and problems of continuing or topical interest
• timeliness or permanence of the work
• availability of funds and space
• balance of viewpoints in the collection including those considered extreme or minority

An item need not meet all of the above criteria in order to be acceptable. Items that do not meet these criteria may be purchased to satisfy demand.  The Local History and Archives department will only accept material on a permanent basis, except when borrowing material for short-term loans to reproduce or to include in displays or exhibits.

The Hamilton Public Library complies with any law enacted at the federal, provincial or municipal level, and therefore does not collect or maintain items which have been judged obscene or pornographic, or have been banned by the courts. The relevant sections of the Criminal Code of Canada are: sedition, hate propaganda and obscenity.

The presence of an item in the collection does not indicate an endorsement of its contents by the Hamilton Public Library, but rather is an affirmation of the principle of intellectual freedom as embodied in the Canadian Federation of Library Associations’ Position Statement on Intellectual Freedom and Libraries.

The following will not cause an item to be automatically included or excluded from the collection:

• race, religion, nationality or political views of an author
• frankness or coarseness of language
• controversial content
• endorsement or disapproval of an individual or group
• language in which the work is written or spoken

If a customer feels that an item in our collection falls outside the criteria outlined in this policy, they are invited to complete a Resident Request for Reconsideration of Service form.