The Monterey Public Library's Collection Development Policy outlines the basic criteria for selection and retention of materials and electronic resources in the Library collection. Its purposes are to define the current policies that guide staff in selection and other collection development assignments, and to provide Library customers and the public with an understanding of how the Library collection is developed and maintained.
The Monterey Public Library is a welcoming community, cultural and learning center for people of all ages. Our collections and services inspire, delight and educate, preserve Monterey’s memory and link the community with the knowledge and cultures of the world. Our staff members encourage discovery, share the joy of reading and protect the right to know.
B. Community and user groups defined
The City of Monterey is located on the central California coast. It is a Charter City of approximately 30,000 residents, with an average daily population of 70,000 when the visitor population is included. It is the economic center of the Monterey Peninsula.
Monterey Public Library is a department of the City of Monterey. Acquisitions reflect the needs and interests of City residents of all ages. Collection development decisions also respond to residents of nearby communities who come to Monterey for work, study, business, and pleasure. The Library participates in the Universal Borrowing provisions of the California Library Services Act, offering free library cards to California residents. Materials and information about Monterey and the region are acquired for tourists and other visitors, and all Library customers' requests and interests are considered in selection decisions.
The Library is a resource for City government and other local agencies. The collection also serves the general information needs of students, faculty and staff of area schools, including public and private elementary and secondary schools, Monterey Peninsula College, Monterey Institute of International Studies, the Defense Language Institute, the Naval Postgraduate School, and California State University Monterey Bay.
According to the United States Census 2000, 4.98% of the City population were under age 5 (1,477), 6.54% were ages 5-11 (1,942), 5.08% were ages 12-17 (1,508), 68.53% were ages 18-64 (20,337), and 14.86% were age 65 and older (4,410).
91.6% of the community was educated at a high school level or higher in 2000. 75% of people in Monterey spoke English as a primary language. 8.6% spoke Spanish as a primary language. Other languages spoken by more than 1% of the population included Italian, Japanese, German, Chinese, Russian, French and Arabic. 91% of the people whose primary language was not English also spoke English "very well".
C. Community needs and services defined
The primary objectives of the Monterey Public Library collection are to respond to the requests, appeal to the interests, and meet the needs of the diverse Library community and customers. Additional collection development priorities include providing and promoting:
- Current information about community, regional, state, national and world affairs.
- Information and ideas representing a wide range of viewpoints on topics of community interest.
- Inspiration, insight and delight from reading, listening, and viewing.
- Understanding of diverse social issues and cultural heritages.
- Assistance for individual, family, and community development.
- Support for language and cultural literacy.
- Resources for informal self-education and lifelong learning.
- Supplementary materials for assignments and research from grade school through undergraduate education.
- Assistance in improving job and career skills.
- Access to world history, culture, and literature.
- Preservation of community memory in local historic resources.
