Purpose

We believe strong library collections are fundamental to excellent library service. It is the intent of this policy to support public understanding of the purpose and mission for the collection of the Hillsboro Public Library (HPL) and to give guidance and direction to library staff for collection development and maintenance.

The Collection Development policy is reviewed every three years by the Library Director, Library Manager, Library Board, and City Council to ensure that the policy is aligned with City and Library goals and objectives and is responsive to the needs of a growing and diverse community.

Service Area and Cooperative

We proudly serve everyone in the City of Hillsboro and Washington County, including visitors to the area. The Hillsboro Public Library operates as a department of the City of Hillsboro and serves the residents of the city. The Library is also a member of the Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS), a network of taxpayer-funded libraries in Washington County which exists to provide equal access for Washington County residents. The Library’s membership in WCCLS makes the collections of those libraries conveniently available to Hillsboro Public Library patrons through inter-library borrowing and reliable courier/delivery service. This policy is only applicable to items that are owned and maintained by the Hillsboro Public Library.

Mission, Vision, and Values

We are guided by the following when creating and crafting policy, making decisions, and setting priorities.

• Our mission: For Everyone / Para Todos
• Our vision: Welcoming and inclusive, the Hillsboro Public Library is a world-class system where our entire community gathers, connects, and explores.
• Our Core Values: Guiding all of our work at HPL are the City of Hillsboro Guiding Principals and Council Priorities as well as the American Library Association's Core Values of Librarianship. We interpret the guidance offered by these documents into these four core values:
  • Provide equitable access for all.
  • Empower the user.
  • Be a welcoming community space.
  • Encourage innovation and lead change.

Collection Goals

HPL provides a dynamic collection which reflects the community’s needs, interests, diversity, and backgrounds. Our collections are available in multiple formats appropriate for all users. The Library strives to:

• Inspire the love of reading and the exploration of ideas, culture, and knowledge with a focus on supporting literacy and learning, student success, and lifelong learning.
• Provide current, popular materials in a cost-efficient manner.
• Maintain a small local history collection.
• Offer world language collections that reflect the languages most frequently spoken at home by Hillsboro residents. Because Spanish is a primary language for a significant portion of our community members, we prioritize supporting a robust Spanish collection for readers of all ages.
• Expand community access to a rotating mix of popular materials through self-service kiosk, our Library on the Loose outreach van, and community deposit collections.

Responsibility for Selection

Collection development is managed by a team including a Library Supervisor and Library Manager, with oversight by the Library Director. Staff members are assigned to review sources of purchasing information, monitor collection usage, and make selections based on accepted professional practice and an assigned budget. 

Materials Selection Guidelines

Any materials selection procedure must be broad, and librarians should always exercise their knowledge and experience of all library materials and of the community served. Librarians have a professional responsibility to be inclusive, not exclusive, in developing materials collections and to comply with the tenets of the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights and Freedom to Read Statement (see Intellectual Freedom and Diversity section).

No material will be excluded because of the race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, political or social views of the author. Primary review sources used include but are not limited to professional and reputable print and media reviews, and evaluation of review copies from publishers. Selection of materials by staff does not mean the Library endorses the contents of the views expressed in those materials. 

The Library may acquire independently published books with content otherwise not obtainable through major publishers when they include unique local content or are by a local author. In this instance, the staff will still refer to selection criteria for guidance. The Library defines “local” author as those living in the Hillsboro/Portland Metropolitan Area. 

Materials dealing with controversial views are judged as entire works, not on isolated passages or sections. 

Criteria to be considered in adding specific materials (including gifts) to the collection include, but are not limited to:

• collection objectives
• existing subject coverage
• community needs, interest, and demand
• timeliness of topic
• current or historical significance of author or subject
• diversity of viewpoint
• creativity of content
• entertainment or enjoyment
• availability of item elsewhere in the cooperative or through interlibrary loan
• reputation, qualifications, and competence of the author or publisher
• cost and physical durability
• circulation of similar materials

Formats

The Library purchases materials in a variety of formats. These formats may change in response to evolving technology. 

Textbooks and materials of a highly technical or specialized nature, more appropriate for research or special libraries, are not purchased but may be accessible through cooperative or interlibrary loan agreements.

De-selection of Materials

De-selection, known as “weeding,” is a crucial aspect of maintaining library collections that are current, up-to-date, present a diversity of viewpoints, and best serve the community. Collection Development Librarians continually assess assigned collections so these remain current, in good physical condition, and within designated space allocation. Weeded items are considered surplus and are disposed of following the Declaration of Surplus Book and Similar Materials policy.

When deciding whether to keep, withdraw, or replace an item, the Library considers:

• physical condition
• accurate and current information
• usage statistics
• community needs
• number of copies in the collection
• space limitations
• availability of item elsewhere in the cooperative or through interlibrary loan
• historical or local value

Librarians refer to professional practice for guidance in weeding collections. These include but are not limited to the CREW method (Continuous Review, Evaluation and Weeding) developed by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. The CREW method is considered by the American Library Association to be the benchmark tool for weeding library collections. 

Intellectual Freedom and Diversity

HPL strongly supports intellectual freedom. 

The Library upholds the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, the Freedom to Read Statement, and the Freedom to View Statement, and we are proud supporters of the Oregon Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee. We support the right of individuals to read or access materials others may find controversial, unorthodox, or unacceptable. We will have a wide variety of viewpoints represented in our collection. We believe in the democratic right of community members to make individual, informed choices about their reading material.

HPL strongly supports a diverse collection. 

The Library does not act ‘in loco parentis’.

Donations of Library Materials

The Friends of Hillsboro Public Library accepts donations of a wide variety of materials. For more information, see the Donations of Library Materials policy.

Monetary Donations

The Library welcomes monetary donations, including bequests and memorials. Monetary donations, bequests, and memorials are managed through The Library Foundation of Hillsboro. For more information, please see the Library Foundation of Hillsboro’s Donate website. 

Patron Requests Concerning Library Materials

The Library welcomes expressions of opinions from the public concerning materials selected or not selected for inclusion or removal from the Library’s collection.

Request for Addition of Materials

All members of the community are encouraged to suggest items for inclusion in the collection. Current tools designed to capture patrons’ comments, ideas, and suggestions are available at the libraries and online. Requested materials are evaluated using the criteria listed under Materials Selection Guidelines. Requests may be met through resource sharing with other libraries, electronic delivery, or other means. 

Requests for Reconsideration of Materials

If a patron objects to the presence of any library material, they will be referred to this Collection Development policy and offer a pathway for communication with the Collection Development staff.

If a patron wishes to file a Request for Reconsideration of Library Material form, the Library will review the selection decision in reference to this policy and in conversation with the patron. During the review process, the title in question will not be removed from the library collection. Submissions from requestors outside of Washington County and anonymous submissions will not be reviewed.  A title will be reviewed only once within a five-year period unless the content has undergone major revisions.

• Patron requests that materials be included or excluded from the Library’s collection will prompt a review of the suitability of identified material for inclusion in the Library’s collection by the Library Collections Manager. The patron will be informed in writing of the Library Manager's decision.
• The decision whether to include or exclude material from the Library collection rests with the Library and at the discretion of the Library Director. The decision will be made in reference to this policy and in alignment with intellectual freedom principals, which support the right of individuals to read or access materials others may find controversial, unorthodox, or unacceptable (see Intellectual Freedom and Diversity section). 
• The patron may appeal the decision of the Library Director to the City Manager. If the patron wishes to appeal the decision, they may present the original Request for Reconsideration to the City Manager, along with any additional information the patron deems relevant to the appeal by letter for final review. The City Manager may at their sole discretion, determine whether to accept the appeal. If the City Manager decides not to accept the appeal, the City Manager shall notify the patron in writing and the Library Director’s decision shall become final. If the City Manager accepts the appeal, the City Manager will consider the original Request for Reconsideration, any information provided in the appeal letter as well as the Library Director’s decision and will independently determine whether to uphold or overturn the Library Director’s decision. The City Manager shall notify the patron of the decision in writing. The Manager’s decision shall be the final decision of the City.
• Any appeal of the Library Director’s decision must be made within 30 days of the date the decision being appealed was put into writing.  

The original request for reconsideration and written responses become part of the public record. The specific item(s) included in the request are reported to the State Library of Oregon and the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom. 

The Collection Development policy will be periodically reviewed by the Library Director and the Hillsboro Library Board to ensure that the policy is responsive to the goals and objectives of the Hillsboro Public Library and to address the changing needs of a growing community.

Adopted July 22, 2011  
Updated October 2016
Updated June 2021
Reviewed and adopted in October 2025

Free viewers are required for some of the attached documents.
They can be downloaded by clicking on the icons below.

Acrobat Reader Windows Media Player Word Viewer Excel Viewer PowerPoint Viewer