Stock selection and management: basic principles

A huge volume of material is published annually in print and electronic formats, and the constraints of space and budget mean that it is impossible for the library service to buy everything. Our aim is to provide access to as wide a range of material as possible to support the information, learning, business, cultural and leisure needs of the county and its communities.

This Stock Policy document shows why we select our stock and defines the principles that underpin this process.

Within the budget available, we aim to ensure a balanced and comprehensive collection, with range and breadth, and in sufficient quantity to meet public demand.

Items are selected for stock in response to known demand, as well as anticipated demand in the light of reviews and media interest. Our primary objective is to provide an extensive range of titles. Multiple copies are purchased to meet demand only where it is possible to do so without  compromising the range of titles bought.

The needs and profiles of the communities we serve are considered when stock is selected for purchase. We are committed to increasing use of our services by all and so we take active steps to engage with communities and tailor services which address local need. We work to identify the needs of those who do not currently use library services, as well as meeting the needs of our existing customers.

Each library aims to provide a broad-based and varied stock, appropriate to its size, and the reading and information needs of its community. By providing a combination of new and older titles, we aim to ensure that a given library should be able to cater for the majority of everyday  demands from its readers in terms of subject coverage and depth of treatment. As a result, individual libraries may need to place different emphasis on certain areas or categories of stock to accommodate local need and demand.

We consider it important not to stereotype a community, nor to distort the balance of stock. Smaller libraries cannot be fully comprehensive, but they stock a range of titles to stimulate wider reading choices.

We regard every library as part of a single network. Material acquired for any one service point is not viewed as the sole property of that library, but as a shared resource to be exploited through stock circulation, inter-library lending and shared across Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness Libraries.

Whilst we will make as much material as possible available for loan, some material is restricted to use in the library only and, in certain cases, for use only in the holding library.

The Public Library Service does not offer bulk loans to schools to support the curriculum, as this fall within the remit of Library Services for  schools. We consider that a quality service cannot be provided simply by reacting to public demand and we take positive steps to build  collections in order to anticipate future needs.

Space and financial resources are finite, so our collections need constant management to ensure that they remain a relevant and useful  resource for the community they serve.

We aim to select stock in the format most suitable for a given purpose and most likely to prove of greatest benefit to the library user. Emphasis will be given to ‘large print’ and other formats for customers with individual needs. We aim to provide stock which is bright, attractive, well-presented and constantly refreshed by purchase, timely repair and maintenance, and by exchange between libraries. 

The price of an item is an important consideration, but there are times when it will be worth investing in a title which is a definitive work on a subject, provided it meets most of the criteria below.

If both hardback and paperback editions are available, a judgement is made about how long the book will be required and the usage demands made upon it.

Library stock deteriorates over time and with use; knowledge changes; information is revised, superseded or becomes obsolete. Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness Library Services make every effort to ensure that the information we supply is as current as possible, and that the items we lend to our customers are in good physical condition. Stock is managed and maintained by staff at all levels as part of the day-to-day routine.

Stock is maintained to a physical standard which actively encourages usage. However, we may retain items which do not meet our normal standards, in order to maintain an adequate level of coverage in particular subject areas, or to preserve a particular item which is unique or irreplaceable.

Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness Library Services and censorship

Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness Library Services do not practice censorship: books and other media which are legally available and have not incurred penalty under the law will be considered for purchase. Only books and other media that are legally available will be considered for purchase. Material that promotes racism or prejudice against any social group must be avoided. However, stock selection decisions will be made on the assumption that adults are able to make a reasonable and critical evaluation of the views and opinions expressed in an item of stock.

We adhere to the statement in the Managing safe and inclusive public library services: A Practical Guide. CILIP, 2023 regarding intellectual freedom, access to information and censorship issued by The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP).

Librarians and library staff have a core and ongoing commitment to freedom of expression and freedom of access to information. A library is not a place in which to hide from difficult ideas, but to equip our users with the critical literacy to engage productively with difficult ideas in their proper context. In this context, librarians have both an ongoing duty to oppose censorship in all its forms and a proactive duty to develop collections, activities and services which properly reflect and celebrate the diversity of lived experience and identities in the communities we serve. These professional commitments are central to the trusted role that libraries hold in our society and they should not be curtailed by any governing body or third party for any reason other than that they are expressly proscribed by law.

Members of library staff are responsible for the management of stock following the principles laid down in this stock policy and acting within current legal requirements.

The 2009 Museums, Libraries and Archives (MLA) Guidance on the Management of Controversial Stock in Public Libraries provides guidance to library authorities on the provision of library stock that may be considered controversial in nature, i.e. inflammatory and extremist. 

To reject stock solely because it is considered controversial would not be in the interests of intellectual freedom. Controversial material will be evaluated according to our selection criteria and the principles of this policy.

Whilst Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness Library Services welcome suggestions for stock, we will not add or remove any item of stock from our shelves solely at the request of any individual or group.

Members of library staff do not label items to warn customers of “offensive” or “harmful” content. Responsibility for the use of library materials from the adult lending collections by children, rests with their parents or legal guardians, not with library staff.

Similarly, parents or guardians must assume responsibility for guiding young people in their use of our digital and online services, whether these are accessed via the internet or apps. Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness Library Services accept no responsibility for materials accessed from the providers of our online resources.

The library only restricts access to material to protect it from damage or theft, not as a form of censorship. Some items of library stock are  available for use in the library only and cannot be borrowed. These items are required for study, research or to answer customer enquiries and need to be available to all customers whenever required. They include directories and other reference resources and items for Local Studies, and these items are clearly marked as Reference Stock.