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Local citizens complained about a Satanic children’s book that was donated to the Saline County Library. The library says they don’t immediately put books on the shelf when they are donated.
On Tuesday, a local citizen notified the media that he donated the book aimed at a child audience, that lists tenets from the Satanic Temple. You can read his letter here. And the complaints at this link.
See the Library’s public reply below. ??
Saline County Library Statement – June 7, 2023
On June 6th, the Saline County Library received the book “Goodnight Baphomet” as a donation from a patron. We accepted the book donation like we normally would, and we are in the process of reviewing the material to see if it fits within our selection criteria guidelines. It has not been added to the collection or catalog.
You may find our selection criteria guidelines under the Collection Development Policy on our website.
The following is a section of the page regarding Selection Criteria for the Saline County Library’s collection that is available to the public. Click the link above for the policy in its entirety.
Selection Criteria
Public libraries provide collections containing a wide variety of material formats, including print, audio-visual, and electronic. In selecting materials and developing collections for adults, as well as for children and teens, library staff includes materials that represent the broad range of human experience, reflecting the ethnic, religious, racial, and socio-economic diversity not only of Saline County, but also the larger global perspective. Library collections will provide a broad range of opinion on current issues.
Widespread interest and usage are the most powerful influence on the Library’s collection. Circulation, customer purchase requests and holds levels are all closely monitored, triggering the purchase of new items and additional copies of high demand items. The other driving force is the Library’s Strategic Plan.
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, library staff is guided by the principle of selection, rather than censorship. Furthermore, the selection of a given item for a library’s collections should not be interpreted as an endorsement of a particular viewpoint.
We endeavor to build collections of merit. As such, materials are evaluated according to one or more of the following standards. An item need not meet all of these criteria in order to be acceptable.
General Criteria
· Present and potential relevance to community needs
· Suitability of physical form for library use
· Suitability of subject and style for intended audience
· 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
· Cost
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
· 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
Special Considerations for Online Collections
· Ease of use of the product
· Availability of the information to multiple simultaneous users
· Equipment needed to provide access to the information
· Technical support and training
· Availability of the physical space needed to house and store the information or equipment
· Available in full text
Examples of Authoritative Public Library Reviewing Sources
· Booklist
· Goodreads
· Library Journal
· New York Times Book Review
· Publishers Weekly
· School Library Journal