Collection Development Policy

Statement of Purpose

The mission and purpose of the William D. Thomson Library at Druid Hills UMC is to support the church’s mission as it is “called to embody a resurrection faith.” It seeks to enhance the church’s ministry by helping individuals develop an understanding of the Christian faith and by providing resources for disciple making.

Community Profile

The William D. Thomson Library at Druid Hills United Methodist Church primarily serves the congregation of said church. This mid-size urban church has 400+ members and 100+ regular attendance on Sunday mornings. It is a predominately white congregation, inclusive of all ethnicities and sexual orientations. Located near Emory University, many of the congregants are linked to the University and Candler School of Theology communities as faculty, staff or students. It is a mixture of young singles, young couples, families, middle-aged couples, and older adults. The average education level is college graduate, with many holding post-graduate degrees. The Church is deeply committed to issues of peace and social justice. It supports a local homeless aid agency and runs its own residency program, which allows six homeless men to stay on church property.

Druid Hills United Methodist Church is also home to DHUMC Preschool, a pastoral counseling center, and an Ethiopian Orthodox congregation. All of these groups are welcome to utilize the services of the William D. Thomson Library. The Preschool has its own library; however, most materials in their collection lack any religious or theological content.

The William D. Thomson Library participates in a resource sharing program with Druid Hills Baptist Church, Druid Hills Presbyterian Church, and St. John’s Lutheran Church. We share a union catalog and offer cooperative borrowing privileges.

Needs Assessment

The library’s mission is lived out through complementing the ministries already in place at Druid Hills UMC: Christian education, spiritual formation, pastoral care, mission outreach, peace with justice, and worship arts. Up-to-date resources enhance these and other ministries in the Church by providing much needed information and tools for ministry.

Not all members of the congregation have access to the Internet, and making online materials accessible to these members is an important ministry. There are also a number of homebound members who would benefit greatly from a library delivery service, especially one that provides large print and audio materials. For those members who are financially stressed, having free access to information being used in Sunday school and other classes is important to their continued involvement in the life of the Church.

The Library maintains a strong presence on the Internet, including a blog and public catalog. The users of the Library can be divided into three categories of electronic proficiency. The first group, those most comfortable with consulting electronic resources, use computers on a regular basis and are familiar with the technology required to access electronic resources. Many in this group have consulted electronic resources at other libraries. The second group, those not comfortable but not opposed to electronic resources, may own a computer or use one often. These users are familiar with basic functions such as e-mail and word processing, but tend to look toward print resources for their information needs. They are not opposed to using electronic resources and are most likely unaware of their existence. The third group, those opposed or indifferent to electronic resources, do not own or know how to use computers. These users are very uncomfortable with computer technology and would require assistance with accessing electronic resources. These three groups are largely sorted by generation: young people, middle-aged people, and older adults. The exception is the educated professional, who may be any age and have a great deal of experience with electronic resources.

Collection Goals

Adult Non-Fiction

The Library maintains a collection of non-fiction materials in the following subject areas: Christianity, World Religions, Relations between Christianity and other religions, United Methodism, Biblical Studies, Theology, Church History, Social Justice and Peace, Pastoral Care, Spiritual Formation, Worship Arts, Inclusiveness (relating to race, gender, and sexual orientation), Parenting, Stewardship, Christian Life, Christian Ethics, Mission and Outreach, and Christian Education.

Juvenile, Young Adult, and Adult Fiction

The Library maintains a collection of current and classic children’s and adult fiction materials that have religious or theological themes. These materials are not limited to those considered “inspirational literature.” Popular fiction with religious and/or theological themes is desirable and sometimes preferred, as those materials are often discussed among the congregation.

Juvenile and Young Adult Non-Fiction

The Library maintains collections of non-fiction materials for children and teenagers that complement the Adult Non-Fiction collection. These resources will be high quality with appropriate and relevant content.

Reference

The Library maintains a reference collection for limited check-outs. We seek to collect the highest quality reference resources for worship planning, sermon preparation, and Sunday school lesson planning.

Periodicals

The Library maintains a modest collection of printed e-mail newsletters from United Methodist organizations, and a scant number of magazines donated for continued use. As our budget permits, we will explore adding magazine subscriptions to the collection.

Non-Book Media

The library will collect non-book media as it is demanded by library users. The formats we prefer are CD and DVD. Audio tapes and Video tapes will only be collected if it is economically necessary or if a digital format is not available.

Electronic Resources

The library will maintain listings of resources freely available on the Internet. We will consider collecting CD-ROM materials on demand. Any physically held electronic resource (i.e. not on the Internet) must be accessible and supported by the Library’s computer system.

Druid Hills UMC Historical Collection

The library will maintain a collection of historically relevant materials to the community. These are materials connected to Druid Hills UMC in some way, either by content or by author. Materials in this collection are appropriately labeled and marked in the catalog.

Selection Responsibility

The church librarian has sole responsibility for the selection of library materials. Recommendations for materials are encouraged and will be considered from library assistants and any current or future library patron.

Selection Criteria

The library will collect no more than one copy of any material. Books must be in good condition, with strong bindings and no noticeable damage (e.g. water spots, torn pages, abundant markings). Non-book media and electronic resources must be complete, in good condition, fully playable or accessible, and free of malware (e.g. viruses, worms, spyware).

The Library seeks to collect non-fiction materials that are in agreement with the teachings of Jesus Christ and The United Methodist Church as interpreted by this congregation. We also seek to be inclusive of other theologies; although they are different from our own theological positions we may learn from them and increase our understanding.

Content of fiction material must be found suitable for the church library; materials with inappropriate content will not be collected. Examples of inappropriate content include but are not limited to unnecessary and/or excessive violence, offensive language, and explicit sex scenes. It is strongly advised that great care be taken when discerning which materials are not suitable for the collection. The presence of such content must be weighed against the overall impact of the material.

In addition to the requirements listed above, materials will also be judged on the following criteria:

• Are the publisher and/or author reputable?
• Does it contain well-documented and responsible research?
• Is the writing well organized and easily accessible?
• Is it held by one of the other libraries in our resource sharing program?
• Is it held by the local public library?
• What do reviewers say about it?

Materials will be purchased or accepted by donation at the request of patrons provided they meet all of the above criteria. The church librarian may select new materials to introduce to the congregation. A list of resources that provide book reviews for newly released materials related to religion and/or theology is located in Appendix A. Questionable materials will be collected after consulting with the senior pastor, lay leader, and/or Administrative Council. If a patron challenges a selection, please refer to the section, “Reconsideration of Library Materials.”

Acquisitions

The church librarian is in charge of all library purchases. This includes new materials and used materials provided they meet the collection goals and selection criteria. Purchasing will preferably be made with the DHUMC credit card. All receipts and records of transactions should be sent to the office manager, with one copy reserved for the library’s records. For purchases that cannot be made with the DHUMC credit card, receipts will be copied and given to the office manager with a check request form for reimbursement.

All purchases are paid for with the money available in the Library Fund, maintained by the office manager. At this time, the library is funded strictly by donations and library fundraising profits. Priorities for development are: All Non-Fiction collections, Reference, all Fiction collections, Periodicals, Non-Book Media and Electronic Resources. Development of freely available electronic resources is encouraged at any time, regardless of the budget situation. This is open to change; see “Collection Evaluation and Assessment” for more details.

A major source of new acquisitions is material donations. Gifts that are deemed acceptable for inclusion in the collection will be added. The donor will be asked to fill out a form describing the material(s) donated, which will be filed for library records. The gift will be acknowledged by a letter, which would also verify the market value of the donation for tax purposes. Gifts made in honor or memory of someone will have a commemorative bookplate appropriately placed on the material.

Collection Evaluation and Assessment

The collection will need periodic evaluation and assessment to ensure that the library is fulfilling its mission. Circulation reports shall be run once a year to determine which areas of the collection are receiving the most use and which are least used. It is suggested that the congregation is surveyed as to the library’s effectiveness once every two years, preferably in conjunction with the revision of the library’s policies and procedures. The reports and surveys will work together to show which parts of the collection need to grow. They will also serve to prioritize the main classes of materials for the selection and acquisitions process. The church librarian shall be open to receiving comments, suggestions and complaints at any time and methods of receiving such communications will be maintained at all times.

Weeding

Space is limited in our library and it is inevitable that some materials will need to be discarded in order to make room for newer materials. Materials will be deselected from the collection based on one or more of the following circumstances:

• Damage or wear beyond repair
• Lack of circulation
• Out-of-date: updated, newer or revised materials are available
• No longer fits the interests of the community

Materials that are exempt from weeding are those classified as belonging to the Druid Hills Historical Collection. These materials will be kept indefinitely.

When deselecting a material:

• Delete the item record in the library database
• Remove or black out all identifying marks from the library
• Label the material as “WITHDRAWN” in a suitable place along with the date of deselection.

When weeding materials, it is preferable to offer the community an opportunity to purchase deselected materials. Used book sales after the worship service are one option for doing this. Those materials that remain shall be sold to a used book dealer or offered to a mission organization in need of books.

Reconsideration of Library Materials

It is inevitable that some materials in the library’s collection will be questioned or challenged. Patrons who challenge materials shall be asked to submit a written statement outlining their position and suggestion for a solution. In conversation with the patron, the church librarian with the assistance of the senior pastor, lay leader and/or Administrative Council will then review this statement. A course of action will then be taken and the patron who filed the complaint will be notified. Possible courses of action include, but are not limited to the following:

• Remove material from collection
• Place material in a secure location, available upon request
• Affix a reader’s advisory warning label to material
• Take no action

Policy Review and Revision

This policy may be reviewed and revised at any time the church librarian deems necessary, and at no less than once every two years. It is advised that revisions be discussed fully with the Administrative Council and agreed upon before finalizing. All changes shall be posted as an update to the church library’s website and in the church library itself for patrons’ information.

Last Revised: April 21, 2007