Purpose
Teton County Library believes that collections are part of the broader content of a library: its experiences, spaces, materials, and collaborations. As such, the Collection Development Policy is one of the Library’s fundamental policy documents. It outlines the philosophies that create and shape Teton County Library’s unique collection, the practices that maintain it over time, and the guidelines that help the collection respond to community needs while protecting the collection from societal and political pressures. The Collection Development Policy ensures that, over time, the Library’s collection will remain on course, reflecting the needs of the community it serves, while facilitating equitable experiences for engagement, education, and inspiration for every patron.
Philosophy and Scope of the Collection
Teton County Library develops a meaningful, evidence-based collection in a variety of popular formats that is designed to serve the general educational interest, recreational, and entertainment needs of the communities it serves. The collection reflects the racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the community as well as a generous world view.
Broad interest and usage are the most powerful influences on development of the Library’s collection. The Library’s strategic direction and mission statement are other important driving forces.
The Library recognizes and celebrates that Teton County is unique, with broad and diverse interests. Each Library location – Jackson & Alta – provides a collection based on its purpose, space, and use patterns.
Collection Development Principles
- The Library advocates for broad and meaningful participation in the Library, including the sustained use of materials.
- The Library protects the right of the individual to access information, even when the content may be controversial or unacceptable to others. Privacy and confidentiality are key tenets.
- The Library upholds the American Library Association’s Freedom to View (1990 version), Freedom to Read (2004 version), Library Bill of Rights (2019 version) and the American Library Association’s Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights.
- The Library will challenge censorship in the fulfillment of its responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.
- The Library recognizes and respects intellectual property rights and follows existing copyright laws.
- The Library supports open access which favors electronic sources that are device and platform neutral, that use open and/or public file formats, and that support the traditional legal principles of first sale and fair use.
- The Library is committed to resource sharing at local, state, and national levels.
- The Library does not collect textbooks, academic, or technical materials unless they are considered useful generally or supportive to the Library strategic direction or mission.
- The Library uses a wide variety of selection resources including, but not limited to, professional journals, popular media, publishing trends, local interests, patron recommendations, and circulation data.
- The Library conducts regular diversity audits of its collections to ensure that the community can see itself represented in the collection and that the collection provides a global perspective.
- The Library’s collection is not archival. No extraordinary efforts are made to retain or preserve last copies or out of print titles.
- The Library is committed to being good stewards of the community’s tax dollars and community assets.
Selection
In selecting materials and developing collections for adults, teens, and children, the Library includes materials that represent the broad range of human experience, reflecting the ethnic, religious, racial, and socio-economic diversity not only of Teton County but also the larger global perspective. The Library’s collections provide a broad range of opinions on current issues.
Library collections contain popular works, classic works that have withstood the test of time, and other materials of general interest. Works are not excluded or included in the collection based solely on subject matter or on political, religious, or ideological grounds. In building collections, the Library is guided by the principle of inclusion rather than exclusion or censorship.
To build a collection of merit, materials are evaluated according to one or more of the following standards. An item need not meet all these criteria in order to be included in the Library’s collection.
General Selection Criteria
- Present and potential relevance to community needs
- Suitability of physical form for Library use
- Suitability of subject and style for intended audience
- Cost
- Importance as a document of the times
- Relation to the existing collection and to other materials on the subject
- Attention by critics and reviewers
- Potential user appeal
- Requests by Library patrons
Content Criteria
- Authority
- Comprehensiveness and depth of treatment
- Skill, competence, and purpose of the author
- Reputation and significance of the author
- Objectivity
- Consideration of the work as a whole, not selected passages or scenes
- Clarity
- Currency
- Technical quality
- Representation of diverse points of view
- Representation of important movements, genres, or trends
- Vitality and originality
- Artistic presentation and/or experimentation
- Sustained interest
- Relevance and use of the information
- Effective characterization
- Authenticity of history or social setting
AI-Generated and AI-Assisted Materials
The Library recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are increasingly used in the creation of written, visual, and audio works. In alignment with the Library’s mission to provide equitable access to information and lifelong learning, the Library may include AI-generated or AI-assisted works in its collections when those works meet the same selection criteria applied to all other materials.
The Library acknowledges that AI is an evolving technology and may periodically review this policy section to ensure it remains relevant, ethical, and legally sound.
Electronic Resources
Electronic resources consist of content that is stored and displayed digitally and accessed via computers and other electronic devices. These resources are often referred to as databases, or as online or digital content, resources, or media. The Library collects a variety of electronic resources that may include some or all of the following: full-text magazines, newspapers, journals and other periodicals, reference sources, indexes, abstracts, images, electronic books, and streaming media.
With the electronic collection the Library aims to extend access to Library information, regardless of patron location. Patrons can access these collections within or beyond the actual, physical facilities of the Library. The electronic format enables increased usability of Library resources, allowing expanded searching and interactivity.
This format also increases depth and breadth of the collection, alleviating the need to purchase multiple copies of some print resources. Some electronic resources are shared with other Wyoming Library systems.
When selecting electronic resources, the following criteria should be considered in addition to the selection criteria for the collection at large:
- Content output options
- Coverage
- Ease of use
- Feedback on database trials
- Number of simultaneous users
- Ownership of content
- Possible impermanence of the technology
- Relationship of the resource to the print collection
- Remote access
- Technical supportability
- Usage statistics
Deselection
To maintain relevant collections and content in all formats, the Library must continuously evaluate and deselect materials. Criteria for withdrawing items include, but are not limited to: declining interest, poor condition, unnecessary duplication, or inaccurate or outdated information. Deselected materials may be donated to the Friends of Teton County Library, educational institutions, prisons, individuals, or discarded. Deselection decisions are made to align with the Library’s strategic direction and mission.
Cooperating Collections
As Teton County Library supports resource sharing and access to information, the Library may enter into mutual agreements with local organizations or libraries to maximize access to a larger array of resources by sharing the library collections of the cooperating organization or library through the Library’s integrated library system (ILS). Additionally, the Library may provide cataloging and/or processing services to the cooperating organization or library. The terms of any agreement, including costs for services to the cooperating organization or library, are outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Teton County Library and the other party. All materials in a cooperating collection are subject to the collection development policy of the cooperating organization or library and not the Teton County Library Collection Development Policy.
Interlibrary Loan
Interlibrary Loan is a process by which the Library attempts to obtain materials directly from another Library on behalf of a patron, or another Library borrows materials from Teton County Library on behalf of its patron. The purpose of Interlibrary Loan is to obtain materials which would not ordinarily be purchased by the Library and to provide material from the Library’s collection to other libraries. Patrons in good standing may request items not found in the Library’s collection through Interlibrary Loan.
Suggestions for Additions to the Collection
The Library strongly encourages input from the community concerning the collection. A suggestion for purchase procedure enables patrons to request that a particular item be purchased by the Library. All suggestions for purchase are subject to the same selection criteria as other materials and are not automatically added to the collection. It is the Library's intent that suggestions for purchase be used to help the Library in developing collections which serve the interests and needs of the community. Patrons may make a purchase suggestion online.
Gifts and Donations
The Friends of Teton County Library gratefully accepts donations of gently used materials for use in its bookstore and book sale events. No conditions may be imposed relating to any gift, donation, or memorial either before or after its acceptance. The Friends allow Library staff to select donated materials for inclusion in the collection where appropriate and according to the Library’s selection guidelines. Reconsideration of Library Materials Any resident of Teton County, Wyoming has the right to request the Library reconsider its decision to add an item to the Library’s collection. A Statement of Concern About Library Resources, Programs, Services, & Policies form (available at the Library) shall be completed and submitted to the Director of Library Services in accordance with the Library’s Intellectual Freedom Policy.
Adopted March 16, 2023
AI Addendum added August 21, 2025