The Idaho Digital Consortium chooses resources to reflect a broad spectrum of learning needs, viewpoints, and reader interests, with the understanding that individual Idahoans make their own choices as to what electronic resources they access based on individual interests and needs. The Idaho Digital Consortium supports the rights and responsibilities of parents or guardians to choose appropriate items for their own minor children. The Idaho Digital Consortium adheres to the American Library Association Library Bill of Rights, the Freedom to Read Statement, and the Freedom to View Statement and considers all materials in the collection protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The Idaho Digital Consortium neither approves nor disapproves of the views expressed in materials included in the collection.
Selection and Criteria
The Idaho Digital Consortium seeks to meet the learning and reading needs of a diverse state population representing a variety of backgrounds and points of view. Ultimate responsibility for materials in the collection rests with the Idaho Digital Consortium Board; the day-to-day work of selection, evaluation, and maintenance is the responsibility of the member libraries.
The general criteria for selection listed below applies to the selection of all materials. Not all titles or collections will meet all the criteria listed below, but will fall into at least one of these categories:
- Accuracy and timeliness of content
- Availability of individual and series titles
- Cost and available funding
- Favorable professional reviews
- Local or regional interest
- Public demand, interest, or need
- Relation to existing collections
- Reputation/qualification of author or publisher
- Publisher and/or vendor terms of use and retention
Suggestions for purchases are encouraged to ensure the collection is meeting the needs of all Idahoans. Such recommendations will be given serious consideration in accordance with the criteria used in making selection decisions.
Access
Access to each collection will vary depending on vendor requirements and other agreements, including vendor contracts and library reciprocal borrowing agreements. Efforts will be made to ensure the easiest access for all Idahoans, through individual library collections and/or statewide access when possible.
Collection Maintenance
Numerous factors determine the nature of electronic resource collection maintenance. Items that are obsolete, unused, outdated, or are unnecessary duplicates may be removed. Some publishers place time and/or circulation limits on e-book and e-audio titles, resulting in a lapse in access. The decision to replace them will depend on several factors, including:
- Current number of holds
- Format or content obsolescence
- Placement in a series
- Replacement cost
- Total number of circulations
- Total number of holds
Gifts
The Idaho Digital Consortium is unable to accommodate electronic resource gifts of personally purchased titles, due to technical and licensing limitations. Monetary gifts, without imposed conditions, will be accepted, and purchased resources will follow the selection and maintenance criteria in the document.
Request for Reconsideration of Materials
The Idaho Digital Consortium will review decisions regarding specific titles and electronic resources upon written request. The Idaho Digital Consortium Board will provide a Request for Reconsideration of Electronic Resource Material form for this purpose.
When a fully completed Request for Reconsideration Form is received, the Board will begin its reconsideration process. This process consists of the following steps:
- The Idaho Digital Consortium Board will convene a group consisting of three librarians from member libraries and current members of the Idaho Digital Consortium Collection Development Committee to review the material(s) under consideration.
- This group will review the material(s) under consideration and communicate their decision to remove or retain materials in question to the patron within 60 business days of receipt of a completed Request for Reconsideration of Electronic Resource Material form.
- Should the patron not be satisfied with group’s decision, the patron may appeal the decision to the Idaho Digital Consortium Board within 10 business days of receipt of group’s decision.
- The Idaho Digital Consortium Board will review the material(s) in question, along with and a full consideration of the specific material in relation to the Collection Development Policy. The Board shall make a final determination, via written response to the patron, of the matter within 60 business days of the receipt of the appeal request in regard to whether the Library is in compliance with the Collection Development Policy.
The Idaho Digital Consortium Board’s decision is final. Material(s) being questioned will remain available to other Idahoans during the reconsideration process. In reviewing all Requests for Reconsideration, each work will be considered as a whole, and individual passages will not be considered out of context. They will also consider the literary merit of works recognized as classics, even though classic works may contain words or sentiments which, today, are deemed controversial.
Request for Reconsideration Form
Policy Review
The Electronic Resources Collection Development Policy will be reviewed on an annual basis. The Board will not change the policy while an active Request for Reconsideration is underway.