CITY OF SIGNAL HILL
Policy & Procedure
Signal Hill Public Library Collection Development
Policy
DATE: January 27, 2026
APPROVED BY:
City of Signal Hill
Signal Hill Public Library Collection Development Policy Page 1 of 16 I. PURPOSE
a. On September 29, 2024, the California Governor signed AB 1825, the California Freedom to Read Act, into law. The purpose of the California Freedom to Read Act is to protect Californians’ First Amendment rights to ensure access to a wide range of materials in public libraries, particularly those that discuss race, gender identity, and sexual orientation. The City must formally adopt a proposed policy through a City Council action (Ed. Code §19802(a)(1)) to comply with AB 1825.
Additionally, the law also requires the City to submit the adopted policy to the State Librarian (Ed. Code §19802(a)(1)).
b. The Signal Hill Public Library (Library) is dedicated to providing free and equal access to information, knowledge, independent lifelong learning, cultural enrichment, and the joys of reading for our diverse community. The Signal Hill Public Library also has the responsibility to preserve the informational resources unique to the City of Signal Hill through its special collections. c. The Collection Development Policy is one of the Library’s fundamental policy documents.
d. The purpose of the Collection Development Policy is to serve as a guide for Signal Hill Public Library staff in regard to collection development, management, and selection of materials. It defines what comprises the collection, specifies the types of materials that are included, and explains the basis for making collection management decisions. The policy also serves to inform the public about the library’s collection and the principles that govern the selection process. e. The goals and objectives stated in this policy will serve as a blueprint for the City’s collection, guiding staff decision-making regarding the collection, development, management, and selection of materials under budgetary and space limitations. f. The Library will continuously work to curate a collection representing a wide array of people, cultures, ideas, and experiences. The process of curating, maintaining, and providing a diverse and equitable collection is an ongoing process that is considered during all aspects of collection management. The Collection Development Policy ensures that over time, the Signal Hill Public Library’s collection will remain on course and reflect the needs of Signal Hill’s community, while creating unique experiences of meaning and inspiration for the individual patron.
g. The California State Law AB 1825, passed in 2024, requires the following statements to be included in public library collection development policies. In support of the Library’s mission, the Library endorses and has adopted the following statements used as guidelines for the development of the Library collections.
1. Establish a process for community members to share their concerns regarding library materials and to request that library materials be City of Signal Hill
Signal Hill Public Library Collection Development Policy Page 2 of 16 reconsidered for inclusion in the library’s collection.” (Ed. Code §19802(a)(1)(A).)
2. Guide the selection and deselection of library materials.” (Ed. Code §19802(a)(1)(B).)
3. Acknowledge that the public library’s collection meets the broad and diverse interests of the community and respect both the library’s autonomy and their specific community needs. (Ed. Code
§19802(a)(1)(C).)
4. Establish that the public library serves as a center for voluntary inquiry and the dissemination of information and ideas. (Ed. Code §19802(a)(1)(D).)
5. Acknowledge that library materials should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people, and should present diverse points of view in the collection as a whole. (Ed. Code §19802(a)(1)(E).)
6. Acknowledge the right of the public to receive access to a range of social, political, aesthetic, moral, and other ideas and experiences. (Ed.
Code §19802(a)(1)(F).)
II. COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND SCOPE
a. The primary responsibility of the Library is to provide a broad and diverse choice of materials to meet the informational, educational, cultural, and recreational needs of the community. Therefore, the Library’s collection is reviewed on an ongoing basis to meet current needs in varying formats to acknowledge the importance of books and newer technology as sources of valuable information. This policy supports the Library’s goals as outlined below:
1. Provide popular materials
2. Promote lifelong learning, exploration, discovery, and enrichment
3. Support diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility
4. Provide a space for community gathering
a. Patron use is one of the most powerful influences on the Library’s collection.
Circulation, patron purchase requests, and hold levels are all closely monitored, influencing the purchase of new items and additional copies of high-demand items. b. Inherent in the collection development process is an appreciation for each patron of the Signal Hill Public Library of all age groups. The Library provides materials to support all patrons and does not prioritize one patron’s needs or preferences over another’s. The Library upholds the right of the individual to access information, even though the content may be controversial, unorthodox, or unpopular with the majority.
City of Signal Hill
Signal Hill Public Library Collection Development Policy Page 3 of 16 c. Materials for children and teenagers are intended to broaden their vision, support recreational reading, encourage and facilitate reading skills, supplement their educational needs, stimulate and widen their interests, lead to recognition and appreciation of literature, and reflect the diversity of the community. The reading and viewing activity of children is ultimately the responsibility of parents, legal guardians, or caregivers who guide and oversee their own child's development.
The Signal Hill Public Library does not intrude on that relationship, and the Library does not serve in loco parentis.
d. Selection of library materials and resources is the responsibility of the professional staff of the Signal Hill Public Library. Other staff members and the public may recommend materials for consideration. Library management retains the authority to reject or select any item contrary to the recommendations of the staff. e. To support an informed public, the collection shall represent diverse points of view, and may include materials that some members of the public consider to be controversial in nature. The Library will provide free and equitable access to library collections to all users. In selecting materials, library staff will use professional reference resources, judgment, knowledge and experience to select these materials, and will proactively solicit advice from, as well as anticipate the needs and interests of, the community.
III. COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES
a. The selection of any material or resource does not constitute an endorsement by the Library, City of Signal Hill, or its staff.
b. The Library recognizes that many materials and resources may be controversial. c. Selection decisions are guided by the merits of the work, collection needs, and interests of a diverse collection which can support the roles of the library as a reference center, learning center, educational center, and community center for the City’s diverse community.
d. Selection decisions are not influenced by the possibility that material may be accessible to children. Responsibility for children's use of library materials and resources lies with their parents, legal guardians, or caretakers. e. The Library selects materials of varying complexity, media, and format because it serves a public that includes a wide range of ages, educational backgrounds, interests, sensory preferences, and reading skills. When staff reviews and selects materials for purchase, they consider the needs of the entire community. f. The Library may select materials that are to be used in the Library only.
City of Signal Hill
Signal Hill Public Library Collection Development Policy Page 4 of 16 g. Library materials will not be marked or identified to show approval or disapproval of the contents and nothing will be sequestered except to protect it from theft or damage.
h. Each type of material must be considered in terms of its own merits and its intended audience. A single standard does not apply to all acquisition decisions; therefore, some material may be chosen to fulfill recreational needs of the community, while others may be selected because of their artistic merit, scholarship, or value to humanity.
i. Library materials that experience high-demand may or may not meet the general and specific criteria contained in this policy. Volume and nature of patron requests are a serious consideration for selectors. Additionally, as the community’s social and intellectual climate changes, materials not originally recommended for purchase may become of interest.
j. Materials donated to the Library are not automatically added to the collection.
These items are reviewed by Library staff according to the selection criteria. The Library may add works produced by authors, printers, or publishers with Signal Hill connections that meet the purpose and objectives of this policy.
IV. SELECTION CRITERIA
Collection development decisions are based on staff judgment, training, knowledge, and expertise. Materials are available in a variety of formats, quantities, and titles.
Selection criteria includes but are not limited to, the following general criteria to select new and donated materials for the collection:
a. Relevance to the interests and needs of the community b. Extent of publicity, critical review, and current or anticipated demand c. Current or historical significance of the author or subject d. Local significance of the author or subject
e. Relevance to the existing collection’s strengths and weaknesses f. Reputation and qualifications of the author, publisher, or producer, with preference generally given to titles vetted through examination of professional reviews (ex.
Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Kirkus, etc.). g. Suitability of format to Library circulation and use h. Date of publication
i. Diversity of collections with a focus on being equitable in representation of subjects, authors, and protagonists
City of Signal Hill
Signal Hill Public Library Collection Development Policy Page 5 of 16 j. Price, availability, space available in the Library, and Library materials budget The Library does not purchase the following types of material: costly books of little demand, collectibles, used books or items, textbooks, family genealogies, or materials from direct solicitation of authors or publishers. Abridged, expurgated, or condensed materials are also generally not acquired.
V. PATRON RECOMMENDATIONS AND REQUESTS
Patrons may request items that the Library does not presently own. Each request is reviewed for inclusion in the collection and will follow the collection maintenance guidelines and selection criteria listed in this policy. Requests can be made in person, over the phone, or online.
VI. MAINTENANCE OF LIBRARY MATERIALS
a. Most Library materials are processed in such a way as to ensure their maximum use under normal circumstances.
b. Damaged but still usable materials are mended according to an established set of procedures.
c. Titles and items may be withdrawn from the collection through periodic, systematic review by librarians. Materials may be withdrawn because they are worn, obsolete, or seldom used; superseded by a newer edition or better work on the subject; or physically damaged or in poor condition, as further addressed in Section X, Criteria for Weeding and Withdrawal.
VII. COLLECTION MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW
The Library’s collection is a living, changing entity that staff review regularly. As items are added, others are reviewed for their ongoing value and sometimes are withdrawn from the collection. Great care is taken to retain or replace items that have enduring value to the community. Decisions are influenced by patterns of use, budgetary constraints, the capacity of each location, and the holdings of other libraries that may specialize in a given subject matter.
VIII. RESPONSIBILITY FOR COLLECTION MANAGEMENT
The final authority for the Library collection rests with the City Librarian or their designee. Implementation of the collection development policy and management of the collection is assigned to the Library staff. The Signal Hill Public Library disposes of materials that have been withdrawn according to the criteria for weeding and withdrawal outlined below.
IX. CRITERIA FOR WEEDING AND WITHDRAWAL
City of Signal Hill
Signal Hill Public Library Collection Development Policy Page 6 of 16 a. The following criteria are used in selecting materials for withdrawal:
1. Damage or poor condition
2. Number of copies in the collection
3. Relevance to the needs and interests of the community
4. Current demand and frequency of use
5. Accuracy and timeliness
6. Lack of local interest
7. Relevance to Signal Hill Public Library’s research collections
8. Availability elsewhere, including other libraries and online
9. Deemed to be of an enduring nature
10.Availability of improved or newer editions
11.Space availability
12.Outdated or harmful representations of groups of people b. In addition, staff use the following guidelines for the withdrawal of items from special collections:
1. Curatorial or environmental requirements exceed the resources of the Library
2. Legal restrictions, possession of a valid title, the donor’s intent, along with any other considerations associated with its bequeathal
3. Relevance to the scope of the special collections
c. Replacement of materials that are withdrawn is not automatic. The following criteria are considered when determining the need for replacement:
1. Number of copies in area libraries
2. Existence of adequate coverage of the subject
3. Demand for the specific title or for material in that subject area
4. Existence of a newer format as a replacement
d. Withdrawn items are donated to The Friends of the Signal Hill Library for reuse and recycling. Materials unsuitable for transfer are discarded or recycled. The Library will not accept requests to hold weeded materials for individuals. Donated items not added to the Library collection may be disposed of or given to the Friends of the Signal Hill Library, who sells them to fund donations that benefit the Library.
Proceeds from such sales are used to benefit library services and programs. e. For an item withdrawn from special collections, including rare books, artwork, photographs, and archival materials, the Library will document its disposition. f. Popular magazines are typically held for the current year. Daily newspapers are typically held for up to 5 months. Signal Hill Public newspapers are held in paper format for 6 months.
X. COLLECTION AUDITS
City of Signal Hill
Signal Hill Public Library Collection Development Policy Page 7 of 16 The Library routinely performs an audit of the collection to identify gaps in subjects and equitable representation of voices.
The results of the collection audit are used by library staff to purchase titles that fill in gaps in the collection. The budget for these purchases is the standard annual collection budget unless a grant or other one-time funds are infused.
XI. GIFTS AND DONATIONS
The Signal Hill Public Library accepts donations of books and other materials with the understanding that the same selection guidelines are applied to gifts and donations as are applied to materials purchased by the Library. The Library retains the authority to accept or reject gifts. Library staff make all decisions as to the use, housing, and final disposition of donations.
Acceptance of donated items is subject to the discretion of the unit head in conformity with Library selection standards. Gifted materials that are not added to the collection are not returned to the donor. Unused gifts may be offered to non-profit organizations, including the Friends of the Signal Hill Library, for public sale, discarded, or disposed of in some other way. Proceeds from such sales are used to benefit library services and programs.
Collections of donated materials may not necessarily be kept together as a group, and the Library may not be able to accept gifts with this requirement. The Library does not evaluate or appraise gift materials for tax purposes.
XII. SCOPE OF THE LIBRARY
The Signal Hill Public Library contains the Library’s core fiction and nonfiction collections in multiple formats, including but not limited to print, audio, and video formats for the Library system, and includes materials of an enduring nature as well as current-interest materials. The Library collections represent the diverse viewpoints and interests of the community the Library serves. The Reference collection contains current and historical non-circulating publications to support reference service for the public, students, and businesspeople.
XIII. SCOPE OF THE ONLINE COLLECTION
The online collection represents the diverse viewpoints and interests of the entire community the Library serves. This collection includes citation and full-text databases; eBooks, learning resources, other downloadable and streaming media, and instructional platforms.
XIV. SCOPE OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
City of Signal Hill
Signal Hill Public Library Collection Development Policy Page 8 of 16 World Language Collections - The Signal Hill Public Library provides materials in multiple formats in various languages. Other than English and Spanish, Khmer is the largest notable non-English language in the Signal Hill Public Library collection.
XV. REQUESTS FOR RECONSIDERATION
The Library selects collection materials using established criteria and full consideration of the varying age groups and backgrounds of patrons. Requests for removal of items from the collection may be made by Signal Hill residents using a formal procedure outlined below and with the “Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials” form attached hereto as Appendix D.
a. The Signal Hill Public Library recognizes that at any given time, some materials may be deemed inappropriate or offensive by patrons. Selection of materials is based on the principles stated in this policy. Materials will not be identified to show approval or disapproval. No materials will be sequestered except to protect them from damage or theft.
b. The Library believes that censorship is purely an individual matter and declares that while anyone is free to reject for themselves books and other materials that they do not approve of, they cannot exercise this right of censorship to prevent other people from reading or using other library materials. The Signal Hill Public Library adheres to and supports the American Library Association Bill of Rights, the American Library Association Freedom to Read Statement, and the American Library Association Freedom to View Statement (See Appendices A, B, and C, respectively).
c. Responsibility for supervising children’s use of the Library and Library materials rests with parents or legal guardians. At no time will the Library staff act in loco parentis. The selection of Library material will not be inhibited by the possibility that materials may come into the possession of children.
d. Patrons requesting that an item be moved or withdrawn from the Signal Hill Public Library collection must complete a “Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials” form, a sample of which is included in the Appendix of this policy.
Patrons must reside in the City of Signal Hill to have their request considered, and only one request per patron will be considered at a time. The request for reconsideration will be acknowledged in writing by the City Librarian within thirty (30) business days. The City Librarian will assign a panel of staff members to evaluate the item in question. Review will be completed in no more than thirty (30) business days of the initial request for reconsideration. The panel’s recommendations will be considered, and the Library Director’s final decision will be mailed or emailed to the patron. Once a title has been considered, it will not be reviewed again for a period of two (2) years.
City of Signal Hill
Signal Hill Public Library Collection Development Policy Page 9 of 16 XVI. APPENDIX OF THE COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICIES INCLUDES:
a. Signal Hill Public Library Request for Reconsideration Form b. This policy replaces any previous policy regarding collection development.
Reviewed by City Attorney’s Office January 21, 2026. Approved and adopted January 27, 2026 by City Council minute order. Implemented January 28, 2026.
City of Signal Hill
Signal Hill Public Library Collection Development Policy Page 10 of 16
APPENDIX A
American Library Association - Library Bill of Rights
The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services.
I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.
IV. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.
V. A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.
VI. Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.
VII. All people, regardless of origin, age, background, or views, possess a right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use. Libraries should advocate for, educate about, and protect people’s privacy, safeguarding all library use data, including personally identifiable information.
Adopted June 19, 1939, by the ALA Council; amended October 14, 1944; June 18, 1948; February 2, 1961; June 27, 1967; January 23, 1980; January 29, 2019.
Inclusion of “age” reaffirmed January 23, 1996.
City of Signal Hill
Signal Hill Public Library Collection Development Policy Page 11 of 16
APPENDIX B
American Library Association - The Freedom to Read Statement The freedom to read is essential to our democracy. It is continuously under attack. Private groups and public authorities in various parts of the country are working to remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to label "controversial" views, to distribute lists of "objectionable" books or authors, and to purge libraries. These actions apparently rise from a view that our national tradition of free expression is no longer valid; that censorship and suppression are needed to counter threats to safety or national security, as well as to avoid the subversion of politics and the corruption of morals. We, as individuals devoted to reading and as librarians and publishers responsible for disseminating ideas, wish to assert the public interest in the preservation of the freedom to read.
Most attempts at suppression rest on a denial of the fundamental premise of democracy: that the ordinary individual, by exercising critical judgment, will select the good and reject the bad. We trust Americans to recognize propaganda and misinformation, and to make their own decisions about what they read and believe. We do not believe they are prepared to sacrifice their heritage of a free press in order to be "protected" against what others think may be bad for them. We believe they still favor free enterprise in ideas and expression.
These efforts at suppression are related to a larger pattern of pressures being brought against education, the press, art and images, films, broadcast media, and the Internet. The problem is not only one of actual censorship. The shadow of fear cast by these pressures leads, we suspect, to an even larger voluntary curtailment of expression by those who seek to avoid controversy or unwelcome scrutiny by government officials.
Such pressure toward conformity is perhaps natural to a time of accelerated change. And yet suppression is never more dangerous than in such a time of social tension. Freedom has given the United States the elasticity to endure strain. Freedom keeps open the path of novel and creative solutions, and enables change to come by choice. Every silencing of a heresy, every enforcement of an orthodoxy, diminishes the toughness and resilience of our society and leaves it the less able to deal with controversy and difference.
Now as always in our history, reading is among our greatest freedoms. The freedom to read and write is almost the only means for making generally available ideas or manners of expression that can initially command only a small audience. The written word is the natural medium for the new idea and the untried voice from which come the original contributions to social growth. It is essential to the extended discussion that serious thought requires, and to the accumulation of knowledge and ideas into organized collections.
We believe that free communication is essential to the preservation of a free society and a creative culture. We believe that these pressures toward conformity present the danger of limiting the range and variety of inquiry and expression on which our democracy and our culture depend. We believe that every American community must jealously guard the freedom to publish and to circulate, in order to preserve its own freedom to read. We believe that publishers and librarians have a profound responsibility to give validity to that freedom to read by making it possible for the readers to choose freely from a variety of offerings.
The freedom to read is guaranteed by the Constitution. Those with faith in free people will stand firm on these constitutional guarantees of essential rights and will exercise the responsibilities that accompany these rights.
City of Signal Hill
Signal Hill Public Library Collection Development Policy Page 12 of 16 We therefore affirm these propositions:
1. It is in the public interest for publishers and librarians to make available the widest diversity of views and expressions, including those that are unorthodox, unpopular, or considered dangerous by the majority.
Creative thought is by definition new, and what is new is different. The bearer of every new thought is a rebel until that idea is refined and tested. Totalitarian systems attempt to maintain themselves in power by the ruthless suppression of any concept that challenges the established orthodoxy.
The power of a democratic system to adapt to change is vastly strengthened by the freedom of its citizens to choose widely from among conflicting opinions offered freely to them. To stifle every nonconformist idea at birth would mark the end of the democratic process. Furthermore, only through the constant activity of weighing and selecting can the democratic mind attain the strength demanded by times like these. We need to know not only what we believe but why we believe it.
2. Publishers, librarians, and booksellers do not need to endorse every idea or presentation they make available. It would conflict with the public interest for them to establish their own political, moral, or aesthetic views as a standard for determining what should be published or circulated.
Publishers and librarians serve the educational process by helping to make available knowledge and ideas required for the growth of the mind and the increase of learning. They do not foster education by imposing as mentors the patterns of their own thought. The people should have the freedom to read and consider a broader range of ideas than those that may be held by any single librarian or publisher or government or church. It is wrong that what one can read should be confined to what another thinks proper.
3. It is contrary to the public interest for publishers or librarians to bar access to writings on the basis of the personal history or political affiliations of the author.
No art or literature can flourish if it is to be measured by the political views or private lives of its creators. No society of free people can flourish that draws up lists of writers to whom it will not listen, whatever they may have to say.
4. There is no place in our society for efforts to coerce the taste of others, to confine adults to the reading matter deemed suitable for adolescents, or to inhibit the efforts of writers to achieve artistic expression.
To some, much of modern expression is shocking. But is not much of life itself shocking? We cut off literature at the source if we prevent writers from dealing with the stuff of life. Parents and teachers have a responsibility to prepare the young to meet the diversity of experiences in life to which they will be exposed, as they have a responsibility to help them learn to think critically for themselves. These are affirmative responsibilities, not to be discharged simply by preventing them from reading works for which they are not yet prepared. In these matters values differ, and values cannot be legislated; nor can machinery be devised that will suit the demands of one group without limiting the freedom of others.
5. It is not in the public interest to force a reader to accept the prejudgment of a label characterizing any expression or its author as subversive or dangerous.
The ideal of labeling presupposes the existence of individuals or groups with wisdom to determine by authority what is good or bad for others. It presupposes that individuals must be directed in making up their minds about the ideas they examine. But Americans do not need others to do City of Signal Hill
Signal Hill Public Library Collection Development Policy Page 13 of 16 their thinking for them.
6. It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians, as guardians of the people's freedom to read, to contest encroachments upon that freedom by individuals or groups seeking to impose their own standards or tastes upon the community at large; and by the government whenever it seeks to reduce or deny public access to public information.
It is inevitable in the give and take of the democratic process that the political, the moral, or the aesthetic concepts of an individual or group will occasionally collide with those of another individual or group. In a free society individuals are free to determine for themselves what they wish to read, and each group is free to determine what it will recommend to its freely associated members. But no group has the right to take the law into its own hands, and to impose its own concept of politics or morality upon other members of a democratic society. Freedom is no freedom if it is accorded only to the accepted and the inoffensive. Further, democratic societies are more safe, free, and creative when the free flow of public information is not restricted by governmental prerogative or self-censorship.
7. It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians to give full meaning to the freedom to read by providing books that enrich the quality and diversity of thought and expression.
By the exercise of this affirmative responsibility, they can demonstrate that the answer to a "bad" book is a good one, the answer to a "bad" idea is a good one.
The freedom to read is of little consequence when the reader cannot obtain matter fit for that reader's purpose. What is needed is not only the absence of restraint, but the positive provision of opportunity for the people to read the best that has been thought and said. Books are the major channel by which the intellectual inheritance is handed down, and the principal means of its testing and growth. The defense of the freedom to read requires of all publishers and librarians the utmost of their faculties, and deserves of all Americans the fullest of their support.
We state these propositions neither lightly nor as easy generalizations. We here stake out a lofty claim for the value of the written word. We do so because we believe that it is possessed of enormous variety and usefulness, worthy of cherishing and keeping free. We realize that the application of these propositions may mean the dissemination of ideas and manners of expression that are repugnant to many persons. We do not state these propositions in the comfortable belief that what people read is unimportant. We believe rather that what people read is deeply important; that ideas can be dangerous; but that the suppression of ideas is fatal to a democratic society.
Freedom itself is a dangerous way of life, but it is ours.
This statement was originally issued in May of 1953 by the Westchester Conference of the American Library Association and the American Book Publishers Council, which in 1970 consolidated with the American Educational Publishers Institute to become the Association of American Publishers.
Adopted June 25, 1953, by the ALA Council and the AAP Freedom to Read Committee; amended January 28, 1972; January 16, 1991; July 12, 2000; June 30, 2004.
A Joint Statement by:
American Library Association
Association of American Publishers
Subsequently endorsed by:
American Booksellers for Free Expression
City of Signal Hill
Signal Hill Public Library Collection Development Policy Page 14 of 16 The Association of American University Presses
The Children's Book Council
Freedom to Read Foundation
National Association of College Stores
National Coalition Against Censorship
National Council of Teachers of English
The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression City of Signal Hill
Signal Hill Public Library Collection Development Policy Page 15 of 16
APPENDIX C
American Library Association - Freedom to View Statement The FREEDOM TO VIEW, along with the freedom to speak, to hear, and to read, is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. In a free society, there is no place for censorship of any medium of expression. Therefore these principles are affirmed:
1. To provide the broadest access to film, video, and other audiovisual materials because they are a means for the communication of ideas. Liberty of circulation is essential to insure the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression.
2. To protect the confidentiality of all individuals and institutions using film, video, and other audiovisual materials.
3. To provide film, video, and other audiovisual materials which represent a diversity of views and expression. Selection of a work does not constitute or imply agreement with or approval of the content.
4. To provide a diversity of viewpoints without the constraint of labeling or prejudging film, video, or other audiovisual materials on the basis of the moral, religious, or political beliefs of the producer or filmmaker or on the basis of controversial content.
5. To contest vigorously, by all lawful means, every encroachment upon the public's freedom to view.
This statement was originally drafted by the Freedom to View Committee of the American Film and Video Association (formerly the Educational Film Library Association) and was adopted by the AFVA Board of Directors in February 1979. This statement was updated and approved by the AFVA Board of Directors in 1989.
Endorsed January 10, 1990, by the ALA Council
City of Signal Hill
Signal Hill Public Library Collection Development Policy Page 16 of 16 Appendix D
Signal Hill Public Library
Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials
Your Name: Date: / /
Address: Phone:
Author/Artist:
Title:
Please briefly answer the following questions about the item that you would like to have reconsidered.
1. Did you obtain the item at the Signal Hill Public Library, or did you place it on hold to be delivered through Interlibrary Loan?
2. How did you learn of this item?
3. What are your objections to this item?
4. What harm do you feel might result from reading/listening to/viewing this work?
5. Did you read/listen to/view the work in its entirety? If not, what parts did you read/listen to/view?
6. Have you read any professional reviews of the work? If so, please list the names of critics and sources of reviews.
7. What do you think are the main ideas of the work or what was the author's/artist’s purpose in creating this work?
8. What suggestion do you have for a work with a similar purpose to replace this item?
9. What would you like the library to do with this material? Thank you for taking the time to fill out this form. The City Librarian will respond to your concerns within 30 business days of receipt of this form.
Signature Date *OFFICE USE ONLY*
Date Received: Staff Initials:
Response Date: Staff Initials: