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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 2025 1112 LB REG ITEM 07CITEM: 7.C. CITY OF MOORPARK MOORPARK LIBRARY BOARD AGENDA REPORT TO: Moorpark Library Board FROM: Jessica Sandifer, Deputy Parks and Recreation Director DATE: 11/12/2025 (Regular Meeting) SUBJECT: Consider Update to PRCS-12 Moorpark City Library Materials Selection Policy BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION The Moorpark City Library policy, PRCS-12, guides Library Materials Selection for the library. Every year an item is reviewed by the board discussing collection management activities for the following year. In 2024, the State of California passed AB 1825 California Freedom to Read Act (The Act). Among the various provisions of the act is a requirement that all Public Library jurisdictions maintain a written and publicly accessible collection development policy and requires that the policy include various provisions. Specifically, The Act requires that the collection development policy must guide the selection and deselection of library materials. The policy must establish a process for community members to share their concerns regarding library materials and request materials be reconsidered for inclusion in the Public Library’s collection. The Collection Development Policy must acknowledge that the Public Library’s collection meets the broad and diverse interests of the community and respects both the Public Library’s autonomy and its specific community needs, 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, the right of the public to receive access to a range of social, political, aesthetic, moral, and other ideas and experiences and establish that the Public Library serves as a center for voluntary inquiry and the dissemination of information and ideas. The California State Library is responsible for reviewing each library’s collection development policy to ensure it meets the requirements of The Act. Policy PRCS-12 meets the requirements of The Act to have a publicly accessible collection development policy but needed to be updated to include the process for community members to share concerns about materials, and the required acknowledgement statements. The revised PRCS-12 is attached to this staff report in redline format. The draft policy has been reviewed by the California State Library and determined to be in compliance with The Act. As a reminder, the City Council approved placing all Library policies in the PRCS Department Policies Manual, as such the Library Board is making a recommendation to the Parks and Recreation Director to include the revisions into the PRCS Department Policies Manual. Once approved, the Library will also post the revised policy on the Library website, as required by The Act. 15 Library Board Regular Meeting 11/12/2025 Page 2 Staff is also recommending retitling PRCS-12 to Moorpark City Library Collection Development to align more closely with The Act. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Recommend approval of revisions to PRCS-12 Moorpark City Library Collection Development for compliance with AB 1825 to the Parks and Recreation Director. Attachment – 1 - PRCS-12 – Moorpark City Library Collection Development Policy Redline 2 – AB 1825 Bill Text 16 ATTACHMENT 1 Formatted ... PRCS-12: Moorpark City Library Collection Development 1. Mission The Moorpark City Library (Library) provides information, lifelong learning, inspiration and enjoyment to people of all ages through reading and technology. This Materials Selection Policy sets guidelines used by the Library for the selection of books and other print and electronic materials. 2. General Governing Factors The selection of materials for the Library is governed by four factors: 1.The needs of the individual and of the community. 2.The individual merit of each work. 3.The existing collection, budget and services of the Library. 4.The Library adheres to the Library Bill of Rights and The Intellectual Freedom Statement (copy is available at the Moorpark Library Circulation Desk and at the City Clerk’s office). Further, California State Law, AB 1825 passed in 2024, requires the following statements to be included in public library collection development policies: •The collection meets the broad and diverse interests of the community and respects both the library’s autonomy and their specific community needs. •The public library serves as a center for voluntary inquiry and the dissemination of information and ideas. •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. •The right of the public to receive access to a range of social, political, aesthetic, moral, and other ideas and experiences is acknowledged. 3. Principles of Selection A.The Library aims to obtain and make readily accessible materials that fill the cultural, educational and leisure needs of City residents. B.To select materials that present diverse points of view, materials are selected from a variety of sources. The basic consideration for the selection of any item is whether it is of proven or potential interest to the community served. C.Additional criteria include: •Availability and cost of the material •The amount of similar material already in the collection •The availability of the material elsewhere in the community •The physical makeup of the material •Opinions expressed by critics or reviewers •Local interest or demand D.In selecting materials to reflect the diversity of the needs and interests of the residents of Moorpark, it should be recognized that some materials chosen may be offensive or trivial to some persons while being meaningful or significant to others. The Library acknowledges the right of the public to receive access to a Style Definition ... Style Definition ... Style Definition ... Style Definition ... Formatted ... Formatted ... Deleted: Materials Selection Formatted ... Formatted ... Formatted ... Deleted: A. Formatted ... Formatted ... Deleted: B. Formatted ... Deleted: C. Formatted ... Deleted: D. Formatted ... Formatted ... Formatted ... Formatted ... Deleted: A. Formatted ... Formatted ... Deleted: B. Materials Formatted ... Deleted: number Formatted ... Deleted: C. Formatted ... Deleted: • Formatted ... Formatted ... Deleted: • Formatted ... Deleted: • Formatted ... Deleted: • Formatted ... Deleted: • Formatted ... Deleted: • Formatted ... Deleted: D. Formatted ... Formatted ... 17 ATTACHMENT 1 Formatted ... range of other ideas and experiences. The Library does not endorse or agree with all opinions expressed in the materials in the collection. E. Materials shall be made as accessible as possible to the public. The Library does not serve as censor of the reading of any person. The Library recognizes the importance in an open and democratic society of allowing individuals to form their own opinions on issues and, therefore, acquires materials that may be of a controversial nature. F. The Library is committed to ensuring that the collection reflects the diverse backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences of the Moorpark community, in both physical and digital formats. G. Responsibility for the use of Library materials by minors rests with their parents or legal guardians. The selection of materials for the Library will not be governed by the possibility that these materials may come into the possessions of minors. 4. Responsibility for Selection A. The initial responsibility for materials selection lies with the Library staff working within the area of service to children, young adults, and adults. The general public may recommend material for consideration. B. In making selections, Library staff shall do so in a manner based on principle rather than opinion, reason rather than prejudice, and judgment rather than censorship. The spirit of selection should be inclusive rather than exclusive. Variety and balance of opinion are sought whenever possible. C. The Moorpark Library City Representative shall be the City Manager or City Manager designee (City Representative), who shall be responsible for overseeing the development of the Library collection by the City Librarian according to the principles set forth in this policy. The City Librarian shall execute best practices in librarianship when developing the Library collection and shall be responsible for collection development. D. The Moorpark City Librarian and City Representative shall present an informational item to the Library Board each July identifying suggested allocation of collection budget resources to various types of materials for the Fiscal Year beginning July of that same year. Community input and emerging format trends will be considered during this process. Collection statistics for the prior Fiscal Year shall be included within the Moorpark City Library Annual Report that is presented to the Library Board at the September meeting. The Library Board will provide suggestions to the City Librarian and City Representative who have final decision-making authority on collection development. 5. Placement of Materials in the Library A. The Public has free access to all Library materials consistent with this policy. B. Placement of materials within the Library will be made by the City Librarian. Criteria include: • Assigned Classification • Format • Susceptibility to loss or damage • Rarity or cost Formatted ... Deleted: E. Formatted ... Deleted: F. Formatted ... Formatted ... Formatted ... Formatted ... Deleted: Formatted ... Deleted: A. Formatted ... Formatted ... Deleted: Formatted ... Deleted: B. Formatted ... Deleted: personal Formatted ... Deleted: Formatted ... Deleted: Formatted ... Deleted: C. Formatted ... Deleted: Formatted ... Deleted: D. Formatted ... Deleted: August Formatted ... Deleted: Formatted ... Deleted: Formatted ... Formatted ... Formatted ... Formatted ... Deleted: A. Formatted ... Formatted ... Deleted: B. Formatted ... Deleted: • Formatted ... Formatted ... Formatted ... Formatted ... Formatted ... 18 ATTACHMENT 1 Formatted ... • Digital licensing restrictions or platform availability (for electronic resources) C. . The Library staff labels materials for placement only, not to predispose the patron for or against any materials. 6. Bindery / Book Mending Only those materials of local significance, of long-term importance to the collections, or heavily used items will be bound, rebound, or mended as needed. 7. Gifts – Funds Donations of funds are welcome and must be documented by the City. Donated funds must be immediately sent to the City of Moorpark Finance Department for deposit and accounting on the day received or the next business day if received on a weekend or after 5:00 pm. The City reserves the right to make the final decision on use of donations of funds towards library enhancements. 8. Gifts - Materials Donations of materials to enrich the collection are welcome. Donated materials are received by the Moorpark Friends of the Library and the Library staff reserves the right to review all donated materials to determine if any of the materials are to be added to the collection. If the donated materials do not meet the selection criteria to be added to the library collection, the materials become the property of the Moorpark Friends of the Library. 9. Withdrawal of Materials Damaged, worn, obsolete, superseded, or unused items may be withdrawn from the Library upon the written recommendation of the City Librarian with the written approval of the City Representative. Withdrawal decisions will consider both print and digital resources, following professional weeding guidelines (e.g., CREW method). Weeding and/or disposal of library materials shall be at the discretion of the City Representative. Recommendation regarding resale, donation, or disposal of weeded material will be made by the City Librarian and approved by the City Representative prior to undertaking the following procedural options: A. Materials determined worthy of re -sale or donation shall be offered to the Moorpark Friends of the Library for the purpose of sale(s) with all proceeds to benefit the Library. Items that remain unsold are the responsibility of the Moorpark Friends of the Library who will dispose of the material. B. If the Friends of the Moorpark Library do not accept the discards worthy of re -sale or donation, the City, at its sole discretion, shall discard or donate the material to non-profit, charitable organizations as determined by the City Representative. C. Books determined not worthy of re -sale or donation will be appropriately disposed of by the City as determined by the Moorpark City representative. Any material that can be recycled will be recycled. 10. Reconsideration of Materials Deleted: C Formatted ... Formatted ... Formatted ... Formatted ... Deleted: Formatted ... Formatted ... Deleted: Formatted ... Deleted: Formatted ... Deleted: Formatted ... Formatted ... Deleted: Formatted ... Deleted: Formatted ... Deleted: Formatted ... Formatted ... Formatted ... Deleted: Formatted ... Formatted ... Deleted: Formatted ... Deleted: A. Formatted ... Formatted ... Deleted: B. Formatted ... Deleted: C. Formatted ... Deleted: Formatted ... Formatted ... Formatted ... Deleted: Formatted ... 19 ATTACHMENT 1 Formatted: Right Persons objecting to the content of materials in the Library shall be invited to state their objection in writing and addressed to the Moorpark City Librarian. Any request for reconsideration will be acknowledged within 1 business day of receipt, with the acknowledgement outlining the next steps and providing a commitment to respond with the results The City Librarian will review the material in consultation with the City Representative, considering the patron’s concerns, the item’s content, circulation data, professional reviews, and the Library’s selection criteria as stated in this policy. Consult ation with staff or subject experts may be included as part of the process. A formal written response will be issued summarizing the material, the concerns raised, relevant Library policy, the review process, and the final decision regarding retention, relocation, or withdrawal of the material. The decision of the City Librarian shall be final. Formatted: Justified Deleted: Library Formatted: Font: Arial Deleted: reviewed by the City Librarian in consultation Formatted: Font: Arial Deleted: City Representative. The decision of Formatted: Font: Arial Deleted: City Librarian shall be final. Formatted: Font: Arial Formatted: Font: Arial Formatted: Justified, Space After: 6 pt, Line spacing: single 20 ATTACHMENT 2 21 22 23 24 25