Full Agenda PacketHedberg Public Library
Board of Trustees Meeting
November 16 2010 - 4:30 p.m.
HPL Public Meeting Room
I. Call to Order — Introductions
Agenda
H. Approval of Minutes
III. Review of Operating Statement
IV. Expenditure Approval
V. Reports
A. Activities Report
B. Arrowhead Library System Report
C. Friends of the Library Report
VI. Old Business
A. 2011 Budget process --update
B. Reading Between the Wines - update
C.
VII. New Business
A. Library of Congress: Gateway to Knowledge Exhibit
B. Trustee Essentials — Section 23
C.
VIII. Communications
IX. Next Regular Meeting —December 21. 2010 — Adjournment
The undersigned, as the designee of the presiding officer of the above governmental body, certify that on November 11,
2010, I posted a copy of this agenda on the Hedberg Public Library community information board and sent a copy of
this document to the City Clerk's office for posting in the lobby of the Janesville Municipal Building and for sending to
the official newspaper of the City of Janesville.
Janet Morehart, HPL Operations Coordinator
Hedberg Public Library
Board of Trustees Meeting
October 19, 2010
Minutes
Trustees present: Randy Golackson, Carole Bennett, Kathryn Shebiel, Douglas Derby, Cathy Jennings, Chuck
Goldstein, Dave Carlson (4:45 p.m.), Quiana Johnikin (5:05 p.m.)
Trustees absent: Lois Smith
HPL staff present: Bryan McCormick, Sharon Alfano, Janet Morehart, Sharon Grover, Carol Kuntzelman, Emrick
Gunderson, Jean Yeomans, Mary Buelow
Vice - President Bennett called the meeting to order at 4:35 p.m.
Approval of Minutes
Goldstein moved that the board approve the minutes of the September 21, 2010 board meeting minutes.
Golackson seconded and motion carried.
Review of Operating Statement
Board members reviewed the statement. No action was required by the board.
Approval of Pavables List
Golackson moved for approval of the payables list dated October 20, 2010. Shebiel seconded and motion
carried.
Reports
Activities Report— Library staff gave reports of recent activities. McCormick told the staff about the
city's planned listening sessions at Craig High School from 5 -7 p.m. November 17. He said that various
city departments will each have a table there and would be available to answer questions from the general
public. He told them that the library will have a table there also. McCormick said that a number of
library staff will be going to WLA during the I' week of November.
Arrowhead Library System —Derby reported on ALS activities.
Friends of HPL -- McCormick said the Friends annual fundraiser was scheduled for Wednesday,
November 3 where author Kathleen Ernst will speak about her book "Sites and Stories ". He said the
Friends' board will meet October 21
Old Business
2011 Budget Process — update — McCormick said that he met with the City Council on October 13 and it
went well. Another meeting was scheduled October 21 when the library and JATV budgets will be
discussed. The proposed library budget includes closing the library earlier on Friday evenings (5 p.m. vs.
9 p.m.).
Discussion followed about JATV and how the change in PEG funding and the law regarding
advertising /commercials for public access channels will change the JATV business structure.
Award presentation for Sue Braden —Peter Gottlieb of the Wisconsin Historical Society presented staff
member Sue Braden with the Governor's Archives Award for her work in preserving testimonials of
former GM workers and making them available on the library webpage.
Reading Between the Wines — McCormick summarized the upcoming fundraiser program sponsored by
the Friends of HPL, the HPL Foundation, and The Literacy Connection.
New Business
A302b Internet Acceptable Use Guidelines — Public WI -Fi —Board Policy. Library staff presented a new
policy for the board to consider, one that addressed WiFi usage in the library. The policy follows the same
format as Board Policy A301 : Internet Acceptable Use Guidelines.
Bennett asked what parameters were covered in the policy. Gunderson mentioned several examples and
stated that the policy does cover several usage parameters. Discussion then followed regarding violations
of the policy and what the suspensions might be. The board discussed the idea of possibly putting the
current suspension procedures into the policy. Library staff countered that we do need flexibility when
suspending patrons for violations of the policy, and by putting the procedures into policy we lose that
flexibility. Gunderson also mentioned that some violations might be more serious than others, such as
someone who is trying to hack into our network. The library board agreed and felt that the staff had a
good handle on the current suspension process.
Golackson moved that the board accept the policy as presented. Goldstein seconded. Carlson asked for a
friendly amendment to the motion, adding that the last statement in the policy should read "Violation of
this policy will result in suspension of WiFi access privileges." Golackson accepted the friendly
amendment, seconded by Goldstein. That motion was approved.
Trustee Essentials, Section 23— Discussion was tabled until next month.
Derby moved that the meeting adjourn, Jennings seconded and motion carried. The meeting adjourned at
6:10 p.m.
Submitted,
Janet Morehart
NOT OFFICIAL UNTIL APPROVED BY THE HPL BOARD OF TRUSTEES
HEDBERG PUBLIC LIBRARY
OPERATING STATEMENT
October 31, 2010
REVENUES
$ 3,839,045 $
2010 Budget
$ 3,075,581
Rec'd Oct
DEBT SERVICE
Rec'd YTD
Balance
% Rec'd
Tax Levy
$
3,141,812
$
-
Net Change in Fund Balance
3,141,812
$
-
100.00%
Rock Co. & Non -Res
623,689
13,201
Designated
621,800
1,889
99.70%
Arrowhead Lib Sys
44,944
386,492
-
542
44,402
1.21%
Fines, fees, etc.
150,000
10,142
102,140
47,860
68.09%
Miscellaneous
61,752
3,223
43,518
18,234
70.47%
Total Revenues
$
4,022,197
$
26,566
$
3,909,813
$
112,384
97.21%
EXPENDITURES
2010 Budget
Oct Expend
YTD Expend
Balance
% Spent
PERSONNEL SERVICES
01 -09 Wages and Benefits
$
2,828,780
$
219,967
$
2,322,849
$
505,931
82.11%
15 Training
6,075
158
1,091
4,984
17.96%
Subtotal
$
2,834,855
$
220,126
$
2,323,940
$
510,915
81.98%
CONTRACTUAL SERVICES
24 Telephone
$
17,497
$
798
$
10,420
$
7,077
59.55%
25 Postage
14,000
- 1,043
9,722
4,278
69.44%
26 Conference
4,905
1,388
3,106
1,799
63.33%
27 Auditing /Consulting
5,400
3,820
4,991
410
92.42%
28 Utilities
122,636
11,611
93,289
29,347
76.07%
30 Equipment Maintenance
14,890
446
10,999
3,891
73.87%
32 Building Maintenance
61,078
5,805
29,974
31,104
49.08%
33 Memberships
2,523
-
742
1,781
29.41%
34 Prop /Liab Insurance
32,548
-
31,392
1,156
96.45%
37 Rental of Equipment
24,450
1,515
16,401
8,049
67.08%
38 Computer Services
123,805
-
125,936
(2,131)
101,72%
39 Binding
12,500
859
8,534
3,966
68.27%
41 Other Contractual
20,050
2,086
12,732
7,318
63.50%
44 Programming
11,800
1,225
10,748
1,052
91.09%
45 Promotion /Printing
4,000
36
4,216
(216)
105.39%
Subtotal
_$
472,082
$
30,632
$
373,201
$
98,881
79.05%
SUPPLIES
60 Supplies
$
66,230
$
5,811
$
47,458
$
18,772
71.66%
CAPITAL OUTLAY
80 Electronic Information
$
54,721
$
1,200
$
28,261
$
26,460
51.65%
81 Periodicals
30,000
979
26,648
3,352
88.83%
82 Audio Visual
122,260
9,299
73,513
48,747
60.13%
85 Equipment
3,800
-
1,666
2,134
43.85%
87 Books
255. n97
71 39n
9nn Rai
sa 9na
7R 7soi
Total Operating Expenditures
$ 3,839,045 $
289,366
$ 3,075,581
$ 763,464 80.11 ° /
DEBT SERVICE
233.152
233,152
0 100.00%
Total Expenditures
$ 4,072,197 $
289,366
$ 3,308,732
$ 763,465
Net Change in Fund Balance
$ (50,000) $
(262,800)
$ 601,081
$ (651,081)
Fund Balance - Beginning
Designated
$ 50,000
% of year gone 83.33%
Undesignated
386,492
$ 436,492
Fund Balance - Ending
Undesignated $ 1,037,573
November 2010 Expenditure Approval List Added to Operating Statement - 91.67% year gone
Total Operating Expenditures
DEBT SERVICE 233,152 233,152 0 100.00%
Total Expenditures $ 1,243,417 $ 56,509 $ 3,365,241 $ (2,121,824)
2010 Budget
Oct Expend
YTD Expend
Balance
% Spent
15 Training
6,075
900
1,991
4,084
32.77%
Subtotal
$
6,076
$
900
$
2,324,840
$
(2,318,765)
38268.97%
CONTRACTUAL SERVICES
24 Telephone
$
17,497
$
798
$
11,218
$
6,279
64.11%
25 Postage
14,000
12
9,734
4,266
69.53%
26 Conference
4,905
54
3,160
1,745
64.43%
27 Auditing /Consulting
5,400
-
4,991
410
92.42%
28 Utilities
122,636
10,717
104,006
18,630
84.81%
30 Equipment Maintenance
14,890
254
11,253
3,637
75.57%
32 Building Maintenance
61,078
2,842
32,816
28,262
53.73%
33 Memberships
2,523
-
742
1,781
29.41%
34 Prop /Liab Insurance
32,548
-
31,392
1,156
96.45%
37 Rental of Equipment
24,450
2,430
18,831
5,619
77.02%
38 Computer Services
123,805
-
125,936
(2,131)
101.72%
39 Binding
12,500
787
9,321
3,179
74.57%
41 Other Contractual
20,050
1,560
14,292
5,758
71.28%
44 Programming
11,800
411
11,159
641
94.57%
45 Promotion /Printing
4,000
-
4,216
(216)
105.39%
Subtotal
$
472,082
$
19,866
$
393,066
$
79,016
83.26%
SUPPLIES
60 Supplies
$
66,230
$
3,475
$
50,933
$
15,297
76.90%
CAPITAL OUTLAY
80 Electronic Information
$
54,721
$
-
$
28,261
$
26,460
51.65%
81 Periodicals
30,000
2,915
29,562
438
98.54%
82 Audio Visual
122,260
10,221
83,734
38,526
68.49%
85 Equipment
3,800
-
1,666
2,134
43.85%
87 Books
255,097
19,134
_
220,027
35,070
86.25%
Total Operating Expenditures
DEBT SERVICE 233,152 233,152 0 100.00%
Total Expenditures $ 1,243,417 $ 56,509 $ 3,365,241 $ (2,121,824)
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Hedberg Public Library
Activity Report
October 2010
Central Services
When circulation checkout area construction was nearly completed, access to TV DVDs was
opened to the public on Wednesday, October 20 Circulation for this popular format almost
doubled compared to last October.
Checkout at the four self -check stations showed twelve days with percentages in the eighties
ranging from 80% to 84.6% (Friday, October 29 The lowest percent was 61.2% logged in for
Saturday, the 23`
As part of the circulation reorganization, circulation clerks began training as circulation
assistants creating one job class for the department in order to maximize staff for work tasks and
for staff vacancies due to illness or leave time increasing availability and flexibility. With this
change, all circulation staff will be scheduled to rotate among five stations: Account Services,
Full Service Checkout, circulation workroom, sorter and shelving.
On October 21 Linda Rogers, Circulation Department Head, announced her retirement with her
last day scheduled for January 3` 2011.
Collection Development
Linda Rogers' report on the increase in `TV on DVD' circulation is not a surprise to HPL
selectors. The multi -disc TV series kits continue to be one of the library's more popular
collections. In the past, concerns about cost resulted in a policy of limiting purchase of DVD
multi -disc sets to one copy. In October, due to their popularity and the increasing number of
titles with long hold queues, the collection team agreed to the purchase of multiple copies of
popular multi -disc DVD titles to satisfy demand. The recent increase in circulation adds weight
to the team's belief that this is a collection that will continue to see a high level of public interest.
Reference Services
Total Patron Questions:
• Patron questions asked at Reference Desk —
• Patron questions asked at Service Desk —
• Asked at Youth Services
• Asked at Bilingual Desk (when staffed)
• Asked at Teen Central (when staffed)
• Asked via email
• Total patron questions
2010 2009
2906
3210
2869
2929
2016
2235
2
0
104
33
36
42
7933
841
Reportable Reference Questions:
•
Asked at the Reference Desk
1096
1379
•
Asked at Service Desk
266
191
•
Asked at Youth Services
669
693
•
Asked at Bilingual Desk (when staffed)
2
0
•
Asked at Teen Central (when staffed)
12
13
•
Asked via email
17
•
Total for all service points
2062
2276
Statistics from InterLibrary Loan:
• Items requested from other libraries for Hedberg patrons — 372
• Items received from other libraries for Hedberg patrons — 352
• Requests received from other libraries to borrow Hedberg materials — 579
• Items lent to other libraries from the Hedberg collection — 408
We have made some changes to our database lineup over the past few months. We ended our
subscription to World Book Online and to the journal database "Infotrac General Business File ".
Our use of World Book Online declined after Badgerlink added the Britannica databases to our
lineup. Since the Britannica does not cost HPL anything and we do not need two online
encyclopedias, we are discontinuing World Book Online. (We will, however, continue to
purchase the print version of World Book Encyclopedia.) "Infotrac General Business File" is a
very expensive database and business journal articles are available elsewhere through
Badgerlink. We were not using this database enough to justify the expense, so we have
discontinued this subscription as well.
We have expanded our subscription to the "P4A Antiques Reference" database so patrons that
may access "Antiques Reference" from home with their HPL library card.
UW- Madison student Matt Hendel is doing his Reference Field Study here at HPL. His main
focus will be Reference, and he will be at HPL for a total of forty hours during the months of
October and November. During the first half of the field study Matt will be talking with various
people about what they do and how it relates to helping patrons find information in the library.
He will spend the second half of the study at the Reference Desk observing and practicing the
reference process. Matt previously worked as a volunteer in the Children's Department for the
Summer Library Program
Mary Buelow, Carol Kuntzelman, Jean Yeomans, and Elizabeth Hough represented the library at
the 2010 Rock County Business Expo. We spoke to people about a wide variety of library
resources: programs for adults, children's storytimes, audiobooks, overdrive, book discussion .
groups, computer classes, space for quiet study, WiFi access, library and Badgerlink databases,
Reference USA and other business resources. (The Library's participation in this project follows
the Strategic Plan goal of "Communicating our Mission and Value - Increase staff presentations
to adult community groups ")
Question of the month: "Where is the sidewalk map ?"
The City of Janesville has developed an installation plan for sidewalks in the city. The City
Engineer's Office has published a document titled "Pedestrian Transportation Corridor Plan" that
describes the plan's details, and a companion map to help property owners determine the
approximate year sidewalk installation is scheduled along their property. The map gives the
sidewalk construction schedule for Janesville streets through 2017. The library keeps the
document on the "Current Shelf' at the Reference Desk - which is where we keep government
planning documents while they are featured in the news media - and we have posted the map on
the wall near the Reference Desk. Many Janesville residents have come to view the map over
the past few weeks.
Technical Services
Collection manager Carol Kuntzelman attended a `Some Dewey' webinar in October. Staff from
the Gail Borden Library District, Elgin, Illinois, reported on their effort to de- emphasize the use
of the Dewey classification system and to set up browsing collections at both the branch and
main library. In an effort to provide better customer service and more self - service for patrons, the
branch set up `bays' representing 28 non - fiction and 10 fiction categories. Non - fiction subjects
ranged from Cooking /Entertaining to Home & Garden with genre collections including such
popular categories as Fantasy, Inspirational and Thriller. The layout resembles a bookstore
setting with a lot of face out shelving and excellent signage. The immediate result of the change
was a 50% increase in circulation in the collection. Their modified Dewey collections are similar
to our HPL's neighborhoods; in fact, one of their collections is designated `DIY'. They have
taken the concept further, however, and I think their success calls for my arranging a an HPL
collection team field trip.
Youth Services
Children's Services
One of the highlights of this month was a wonderful Library Explorers program on stamp
collecting. Aimee Devine, homeschool mother of two boys and a regular library user, offered to
help introduce children to stamp collecting. Sixteen children had a terrific time listening to mail
related stories, learning about the tools of stamp collecting, and creating a page for their own
stamp collection with the many stamps that Aimee brought with her for the children to take
home.
Camille Rammer, along with Rene Bue and Bryan McCormick, attended the Rock County
Community Baby Shower where we gave away our first "Growing a Reader" packets. One of the
mothers with whom Camille spoke that evening came to get a library card and redeem the
coupon for her baby's board book the very next day.
In conjunction with our Box Office Books reading incentive program, we kicked off our Harry
Potter movie countdown with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on Friday, October 8. Fans
of all ages are enjoying the movies and the popcorn that Movies 10 pops for us.
On Saturday, October 30, Story Shorts featured Halloween books, music, and crafts and was
followed by a Halloween Parade that wound its way through the Children's Room and the
Check -Out area, with stops along the way where staff handed out stickers and bookmarks. Most
children came in costume accompanied by their parents and grandparents. It was great fun.
As part of the Jackson Elementary School Resource Sharing Pilot Project, Sharon Grover and
Rene Bue did a bilingual storytime for 196 children in Early Childhood through third grade
classes. The audience was so appreciative they clapped at the end of every page! The teachers
and the school library media specialist as well as the school principal are very pleased with how
this pilot project is proceeding.
Young Adult Services
Teen Advisory Board members met and elected officers for 2010 — 2011 school year: President,
Isaiah Hoffland; Vice President, Patrick Cummings; Secretary, Catrina Janssen. 2011 Summer
Library Program discussions have begun.
Laurie Bartz and Shannon Murphy - Tollefsrud created "The Hunger Games: Read It, Play It,
Survive It!," a program based on the popular trilogy by Suzanne Collins, featuring nerf archery,
plant identification, knot tying, and a cornucopia filled with items to help teams survive the
mock games.
Sixth grade class visits to the library got underway during Teen Read Week in October and will
continue through December.
Sharon Grover was invited to Edison Middle School to booktalk titles that seventh graders would
enjoy reading for pleasure. Using a PowerPoint presentation (suggested by the teacher), about 15
age- appropriate books and audiobooks were presented to 68 students and five teachers.
A dragon - drawing poster contest was held for teens and the winners were announced at the
showing of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on Friday, October 29. This is the book and
movie where Harry must battle dragons in the Tri- Wizard Tournament and the teen winners drew
their inspiration from the dragons in the book.
Teen volunteers contributed 23 hours in October. Interviews and training continue for new
school -year volunteers.
Other Youth Services News:
Sharon Grover, Julie Westby, and Laurie Bartz met with 14 homeschool parents to
discuss library services to homeschool families. Our relationship with these families is
very solid and, as part of our strategic plan of identifying and communicating with target
audiences, it was time to reach out to this group more formally to ask how we're doing
and discover what else they're looking for from the library. All of the parents (who
covered a wide range of homeschool philosophies) raved about HPL services and offered
some suggestions for materials that would be beneficial to many homeschool families.
We've begun ordering some of the suggested titles and are happy to now have an open
email dialogue with this group. We've agreed to meet at least once a year.
Laurie Bartz, as a member of the College Goal Sunday planning committee, participated
in a conference call with committee members.
• Sharon Grover attended a meeting of the Even Start Family Literacy Advisory
Committee. The Even Start Family Literacy staff is very worried that their funding will
be discontinued next year and the program will cease to exist. Even Start Family Literacy
provides literacy services to low- income adults in addition to preschool for their children.
The program is housed at Wilson Elementary School.
Laurie Bartz attended a meeting of the Janesville Virtual Academy Board on which she
serves as a member.
• Laurie Bartz and Diana McDonald met with a representative from the Great Lakes
Higher Education Corporation to plan some programs that will aid parents and students
with the college application process.
Trustee Essential
Dealing with Challenges to Materials and
Policies
This Trustee Essential covers:
• The need to have a written policy to deal with challenges
• Your responsibility as a trustee in a challenge
One of the most difficult tasks you may face as a public library trustee is that of dealing with
an objection to materials in the library's collection, or an objection to library policies.' This
is why it is essential for every library to have a written policy in place that specifies how
complaints will be handled, including a procedure to be used by concerned citizens.
The challenge policy
The policy should be written so that it calls for at least the initial steps of the process to be
handled by staff; and in many, if not most, instances the issue can be resolved at that level.
However, there may be times when the library board becomes involved more directly.
Again, what is most important is for the board to have a policy and a corresponding
procedure for dealing with either circumstance.
Regardless of the level of board involvement, it is important for you as a trustee to be
committed to the principles of freedom of expression and inquiry that are fundamental to the
role of public libraries. The entire community benefits collectively when democratic
institutions uphold the right of access to information. Public libraries are for everyone and
for every inquiry, and as such must include materials with varying points of view and a wide
range of subjects. However, throughout history there have always been those who seek to
limit what others may read, see, or listen to, and when this occurs in a public library setting it
must be addressed thoughtfully and carefully by those ultimately responsible for all library
operations, i.e., the library board.
When you became a library trustee, you may already have had considerable knowledge
about intellectual freedom and censorship. However, many trustees need to learn more
about these issues so that if an objection is raised they will be prepared. There are many
resources; one of the most complete is the Intellectual Freedom Manual published by the
Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association. The manual is
updated frequently, and your library should have a copy of the latest edition. Other
resources are listed at the end of this Trustee Essential. (See also Trustee Essential #22:
Freedom of Expression andinguiry.)
The trustee role in dealing with challenges
So what is your role when a complaint against a specific book, video, music CD, or policy is
made? In many communities (especially smaller ones) you may receive the complaint
' While this Trustee Essential focuses primarily on complaints or challenges to materials, a similar procedure can
be used for objections to library policies such as those goveming use of meeting rooms, the Internet, etc.
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personally through a phone call or a face -to -face conversation rather than as an item of
business at the next board meeting. If this happens, you will be better able to respond
appropriately if there is a policy and procedure already in place.
An important first step is to communicate with the library director about the complaint, since
you and your fellow trustees have, no doubt, delegated to the director the responsibility for
selecting materials. This means that you should not express your own personal views to an
individual citizen, but should instead refer the complaint to the director promptly. Inform
the citizen that there is a policy for handling objections, and explain that you are not
individually responsible for deciding what will be done. Make sure the objector understands
there is a process, and that he /she has the right to use that process. See the attached Sample
Complaint /Concern Form, which includes a sample policy for dealing with complaints.
In other instances, the complaint may be made directly to the library director, either orally or
in writing. In both cases, the objection may become a formal challenge if it cannot be
resolved through informal dialog. You and your fellow trustees should be informed by the
director that a challenge has been received and kept informed of the steps in its resolution.
Or the trustees may receive a challenge as a formal item of business, and the process will
start from that point.
If a formal challenge has been received, it may become known to the general public,
sometimes generating debate in the media and among other public officials. This can create
great stress for library trustees, for you may be contacted for your opinion by members of the
public or by the media, or even by members of the municipal board which confirmed your
appointment. Again, it is your responsibility not to engage in public debate as an individual.
Your library's policy for dealing with challenges should specify that all deliberations
involving trustees will be made at open board meetings; it should also specify that there is an
official spokesperson (often the library director, sometimes the board president) through
whom all information will be given out, especially to the media.
Public hearings
Most challenges are resolved before they become issues of public debate. Depending on
your challenge policy, occasionally the library board may decide to hold a public hearing at
which testimony is taken. This process must be carefully and thoroughly crafted to allow
both sides of the issue to be heard, and to prevent (as much as possible) undue
sensationalism. (The Intellectual Freedom Manual has an excellent section on planning a
public hearing.) While the steps of this process need not be spelled out in your library's
policy, there should be a statement that refers to the process.
If a hearing is held, it is important for trustees to listen as carefully as possible and not to
participate in the debate. They should also defer any decision on the challenge until a later
meeting. This meeting should be scheduled fairly soon after the hearing but allow enough
time for trustees to consider the issues that have been raised in a less emotional atmosphere.
Regardless of how the challenge ultimately arrives before the trustees, it is probable that you
will eventually make your views known through a vote that will decide the outcome. This is
the time to make a public statement giving the reasons for your vote. Such a statement is not
obligatory, but it gives trustees a forum to reiterate the principles of intellectual freedom, and
why you do (or do not) support them in this instance. Once the board has decided the
outcome, there is usually no further recourse for action by the challenger except a court case.
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A formal challenge can be an opportunity for growth for all parties: the challenger, the
library director and staff, and perhaps most of all for trustees. Having a policy in place that
describes the process to be followed and the responsibilities of the various participants in a
challenge will make it much easier for you and your fellow board members to deal with
attempts at censorship.
Discussion Questions:
1. Why is it important for a library to have a policy for dealing with challenges to library
materials and policies?
2. Does your library have an adequate policy and procedure for handling challenges? Are
there any ways your policy and procedure could be improved?
Sources of Additional Information:
Attached Sample Complaint /Concern Form
Intellectual Freedom Manual, latest edition, published by the Office for Intellectual
Freedom, American Library Association
Dealing with Selection and Censorship, 1999, Wisconsin DPI
Your library system staff (see Trustee Tool B: Library System Map and Contact
Information)
Children's Cooperative Book Center, University of Wisconsin- Madison (for challenged
children's materials), http : / /www.education.wisc.edu /ccbc
Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning staff (see Trustee Tool C for
contact information)
Trustee Essentials: A Handbook for Wisconsin Public Library Trustees was prepared by the DLTCL with the
assistance of the Trustee Handbook Revision Task Force. Copyright 2002 Wisconsin Department of Public
Instruction. Duplication and distribution for not- for - profit purposes permitted with this copyright notice. This
publication is also available at http: / /dpi.wi.gov /pld/bmdbook.html.
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Sample Complaint /Concern Form*
Your complaint or concern is about (please check):
O Book
O Audio item
O Video item
O Internet web site
O Library policy
O Other, please explain:
Please indicate (if relevant):
Title:
Author/Producer /URL:
What is your concern about this material, resource, or policy? (Please tell us all you can to
help us understand your concerns.)
Please print your name and address:
Signature:
[On the back of the form, include the board- approved policy for dealing with written
complaints about materials. See the next page for an example.]
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* Sometimes called a material reconsideration or challenge policy.
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Sample Board Policy for Handling
Material Complaints /Concerns
The library director (or staff responsible for selecting materials in this area) will:
1. Examine the material, reviews, and other information about this title or similar titles.
2. Decide whether the item should be kept, moved to another section of the library, or
withdrawn.*
3. Write the person who filed the complaint with a decision and explanation within
_days of receiving the complaint.
If the person who filed the complaint is not satisfied with the decision, he /she can appeal to
the library board. Upon receiving an appeal, the board will:
1. Set up a committee with board members, library staff, and/or community members
to examine the material.
2. Consider the committee's recommendation to the board.
3. Hold a public hearing if deemed desirable by the board.
4. Make a final decision on the material.*
*The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that officials may not legally remove materials from a library collection
"simply because they dislike the ideas contained in those books and seek by their removal to prescribe what shall
be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion or other matters of opinion."
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