Who We Are

The Oaxaca Lending Library was founded in 1966 and is one of the oldest continuously operating English language libraries in Mexico. We have a collection of more than 20,000 books and over 450 members, who live in, or visit, the greater high central valley of Oaxaca.

Mission

Our mission is to be a living library serving the English speaking community in Oaxaca while supporting and encouraging an interest in reading in the bilingual and Spanish speaking community. As a living library, we assist patrons in their pursuit of information, education, and entertainment, and encourage an interest in reading among children and youth.

Goals of Collection Development Policy

The goal of this policy is to guide collection and withdrawal selections of the library in order to insure a diverse collection of materials for all age groups based on the community we serve.

Responsibility

Under the direction of the Library Board of Directors, the library book committee will work with other volunteers and key staff to carry out the policy outlined here.

General Principles

1. ๏  Library Bill of Rights: Basic to this policy is the library Bill of Rights adopted by the American Library Association. The bill of rights affirms that all libraries are repositories for information and ideas, and that all points of view on current and historical issues are presented within the limits of funding.
   

2. ๏  Links to Other Libraries: Given our limited space and budget, we encourage links to local specialty libraries and electronic resources to augment our collection to further our patrons’ rights to access.
   

3. ๏  Collection Criteria: Recognizing we can not meet all needs, the following criteria are used to aid selection and           withdrawal of materials:
   

1. ✓  Popular interest
   

2. ✓  Local importance
   

3. ✓  Cost and availability
   

4. ✓  Accuracy and currency of information
   

5. ✓  Relationship to existing materials in the collection
   

6. ✓  Attention of critics and reviewers
   

7. ✓  Patron demand
   

8. ✓  Format and ease of use
   

9. ✓  Readability or ability to sustain interest
   

10. ✓  Historical value
    

11. ✓  Filling in a holes in popular series
    

12. ๏  What We Collect
    

13. ✓  Popular English reading materials
    

14. ✓  Mexican travel, history, art, and archeology, with an emphasis on Oaxaca
    

15. ✓  Non-fiction
    

16. ✓  Biography
    

17. ✓  English and Spanish children’s picture books
    

18. ✓  English and Spanish juvenile literature
    

19. ✓  Limited adult Spanish reading materials
    

20. ✓  Limited hard copy reference materials
    

21. ✓  Links to online reference materials
    

22. ✓  DVDs and audio books
    

23. ✓  Magazines
    

24. ✓  Electronic media (Note: We will continue to explore ownership and lending use of electronic media such as on-line data bases, electronic readers, magazines, and electronic resource access)
    

25. ๏  What We Don’t Collect
    

26. ✓  Text books, with the exception of Spanish and English language learning
    

27. ✓  Workbooks or curricular materials
    

28. ✓  Music
    

29. ✓  Religious materials, with the exception of key texts in the major religions of the world
    

30. ๏  Withdrawal of Materials Maintenance of the collection is a process of routine re-evaluation to ensure usefulness and relevancy of materials to our patrons. Replacement is not automatic. Withdrawals, and donations that cannot be added to the collection, are first offered for sale to the public. If not purchased in a timely manner, unsold books are then offered free to the public.
    

31. Evaluation criteria for withdrawal include:
    

32. ‣  Obsolescence: subject matter is not longer timely, accurate, or relevant
    

33. ‣  Damage or poor condition
    

34. ‣  Insufficient use
    

35. ‣  Redundancy in the collection
    

36. ‣  Space limitations
    

Funding

The library material purchase budget is limited. We largely rely on donated materials and targeted gifts from benefactors. Our policy regarding collection gifts include:

1. ✓  Retaining sole ownership of all gifts
   

2. ✓  Deciding on the use or disposition of the gift to best meet our general collection principles
   

3. ✓  Reserving the right to decide on the conditions of display, housing, and access to the materials
   

Responsibility For Children’s Reading Habits

The selection of materials for the adult collection is not restricted by the possibility that children may obtain them. Parents and legal guardians are responsible for the selection of reading materials and electronic viewing habits of children.

Oaxaca Lending Library Collection Development Policy

March 2011