Preamble: The Ketchikan Public Library, as an extension of the City of Ketchikan and a public entity charged with serving the people of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, regards the 1st Amendment of the United States Constitution to be sacrosanct. Library staff, the Ketchikan City Council, City of Ketchikan staff, and the Mayor of the City of Ketchikan are agents of the state and, as such, are solemnly tasked with upholding the 1st Amendment of the United States Constitution while erring on the side of the individual liberties of the citizens they serve if ever a conflict arises from the materials provided at the Ketchikan Public Library. It is with this truth in mind that the Ketchikan Public Library works diligently to ensure that all members of the community have access to a broad spectrum of materials that are carefully vetted and selected using established and proven sources, resources and guidelines. The Ketchikan Public Library will make every reasonable effort to select materials that fall within acceptable standards of public consumption while also being mindful of the harmful effects of censorship within a community and the Nation. 
 
Knowledge and freedom to acquire knowledge, in its many forms, is foundational to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Ketchikan Public Library Collection Development Policy is built on this pillar. 
 
Introduction: The Library Director, with the advice of the Library Advisory Board, will set policy and guidelines governing materials selection. This policy will be reviewed annually and revised if necessary by the Library Director and the Library Advisory Board to ensure that both understand and support the policy. The Library Advisory Board and the library staff recognize the responsibility to provide materials representing diverse points of view, as reflected in its mission statement, which can be found on the Library’s website: https://www.ketchikanpubliclibrary.org/. The Ketchikan Public Library subscribes to and supports the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights and the American Library Association Freedom to Read statement. 
 
The Library’s collection is composed of fiction and nonfiction titles that reflect the unique character of this community. It provides educational, recreational, cultural, and research information in a wide variety of formats. The Adult Division collection concentrates on the needs of the adult lifelong learner by providing popular and high interest fiction and nonfiction materials. A core collection of recommended materials in both reference and general works is augmented by a strong regional collection and well-developed marine, travel, health, crafts/hobbies, cultural, and “how-to” sections. The Children’s Division maintains a strong juvenile fiction and nonfiction collection. The Teen Room contains young adult materials. The Ketchikan Public Library does not collect for curriculum support. The Public Library can be an additional source of information and assistance, but the school libraries are primarily responsible for curriculum support. 
 
Selection Criteria: We base much of our selection on a wide variety of review sources because we believe that reviews provide the best way to evaluate the quality of an item. However, we broaden the collection by seeking out additional titles in areas that are not well covered by review media and by responding to requests from patrons and staff. Major selection tools for the Ketchikan Public Library include Booklist, Library Journal, School Library Journal, and Kirkus. Works that have won major awards such the Caldecott, Man Booker, and Academy Awards are also considered for selection. Patron requests are given strong consideration. Publishers or dealer’s catalogs and “bestseller” lists are also used for selection. No single standard exists which can be applied in all acquisition decisions. Some materials may be judged primarily on their artistic merit, some on their scholarship, some on their value as human documents; others may be added to satisfy recreational and entertainment needs. General criteria considered in evaluation and reevaluation of materials for the Ketchikan Public Library include: 
•    Funds and space 
•    Popular interest and usefulness 
•    Authority, effectiveness and currency 
•    Attention of reviewers, critics, and public 
•    Reputation and/or significance of author 
•    Suitability of physical form for library use 
•    Availability of similar material in other library collections 
•    Overall balance in subject and point of view 
Recommendations from library users are encouraged and will be purchased if they meet the above criteria.  
 
Most items in the Alaska Digital Library collection are selected by a committee of the Alaska Library Network. Patron suggestions are considered by the committee in making their selections. 
 
Resource Placement: Before deciding to order a new item, the selector makes a preliminary determination of the collection in which to place it, based on the information in the review sources:

•    The audience for which it is written or created 
•    Reading level 
•    Reviewer recommendations 
•    Placement of other items in the series (for items in series) 
When the Library receives the item, the selector makes a final decision about the collection in which it will be placed. If the selector thinks that the most appropriate place for the item is in a collection overseen by another selector, they will review the item with that selector and come to a consensus as to its placement. 
 
Parents and legal guardians should be aware that children have access to all materials in the Library. Library staff do not monitor or censor the reading selections of children. It is the responsibility of the parents or legal guardians to monitor their child’s access to materials while in the Library. Parents or legal guardians have the right and responsibility to determine what is appropriate for their own children. The Library relies on parents or legal guardians to be involved with their child’s use of the Library and to guide their child’s selection of Library materials. 
 
Privacy laws of the State of Alaska (Sec. 40.25.140) prohibit public libraries from revealing details of a patron’s account—including those of minor children--to another individual. However, a child may request that a permission note be added to their library account to allow parental access.

 
Labeling: Library sanctioned labels may be used on library materials as viewpoint-neutral directional aids. The intent of these genre labels is to assist users in quickly locating materials of interest to them. 
 
Cooperative Collection Development: The Ketchikan Public Library is part of the First City Libraries system. This means it shares computer equipment, a common database, and a circulation system, with the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School district. The computer system is fully integrated so each library can tell exactly what titles other libraries own, thereby avoiding needless duplication and facilitating cooperative collection development. Materials owned by member libraries are, in most cases, freely shared with all patrons. 
 
The Ketchikan Public Library also participates in an interlibrary loan program. The library is an active member of the OCLC Network, which provides access to the bibliographic holdings of libraries nationwide. 
 
Weeding & Inventory: Using selection criteria and circulation statistics, librarians select items to withdraw from the collection in an ongoing process.  This ensures that the Library’s collections are relevant and meet the community’s changing needs. A complete inventory of the collection is done yearly. 
 
Selection Responsibility: The Library Director has the final responsibility for maintenance and development of the collection. The Adult Services Librarian is the acquisitions librarian for the adult fiction and nonfiction. The Children’s Librarian is the acquisitions librarian for the children’s and young adult (teen) collections. The large print collection is the responsibility of the Outreach Librarian.  
 
Collection Maintenance: Materials are reviewed regularly and systematically by the appropriate librarians to assess overall quality and physical condition. Materials of current value but in poor physical condition will be evaluated for mending, rebinding, or replacement.  
 
Duplication: Duplicate titles are added to the collection only under careful consideration and sufficient demand. This situation is driven by budgetary and space constraints. 
 
Conservation: The library supports conservation and preservation of historic materials of regional interest. Many books in the Tongass Historical Museum collection have been entered into the First City Libraries catalog. While the Tongass Historical Museum’s collection does not circulate, it is available for the public to use in-house. Occasionally, an item from the library collection will be donated to the Museum. 
 
Gifts: Selected donations will be evaluated for inclusion in the collection in the same manner as new materials. Items not selected for inclusion in the collection will be disposed of or given to the Friends of the Ketchikan Public Library to be sold at their book sale. The library cannot legally appraise gifts for tax purposes.  
 
Displays: The Library includes diverse opinions, viewpoints, interests and genres in its displays. The purpose of Library displays is to draw attention to the variety of materials in the Library’s collections. 
 
Collection formats:
•   Alaskana:  Items of state and local interest are placed in the non-circulating Alaskana collection so that they will always be available for patron use and research.  Extra copies may be placed into general circulation, depending on value and ease of replacement. 
•  Magazines: All but current copies circulate. Back issues are generally held for one year for monthly periodicals and 3 months for weekly periodicals.  The Library’s subscription list is reviewed annually and titles are added or dropped according to use. 
•   Newspapers: Subscriptions to regional and state newspapers provide patrons with current information. All newspapers are kept for at least two weeks. The Ketchikan Daily News is kept in hard copy until microfilmed. Microfilm copies of Ketchikan papers are retained for research. 
•  Pamphlet files: State and local historical items are kept for Alaskan and general interest information. Small items which present shelving problems, or clippings are included as well as information not available in other formats. 
•  Maps: The Library topographic maps of Southeast Alaska and some local navigational charts are collected.  
•  Video and audio: Informational, educational, and recreational DVDs, CDs and other video and audio materials are collected to provide alternate access to information. Price and space are serious considerations in the purchase of videos and audiobooks. Outstanding popular culture and award winning films are included. Critically acclaimed foreign films, independent films and PBS productions are heavily collected.  DVDs and various audio formats are currently being purchased for the collection. 
•  Online: The Library is a member of the Alaska Digital Library and through it provides access to a large collection of downloadable electronic and audio books. The Library also provides access to the State’s SLED databases, and subscribes to a small number of electronic databases. 
•  Realia: The library collects a variety of items that are not text-based. These items are chosen for their durability, local interest, ease of circulation and storage, and contribution to the library’s mission to supply materials for educational and recreational purposes.