Materials Selection Policy
Updated November 4th, 2025
The Solano County Library (“the Library”) selects materials for its collection that support its mission, vision, and values. As a result, the Library has materials in a variety of formats. The collection of the Solano County Library serves the educational, recreational, and entertainment needs of the community. At the same time, the collection reflects the racial, ethnic, cultural, and political diversity of Solano County. Usage and customer demand are the most important influences on the Library’s collection.
The foundation of the Solano County Library’s collection development policy is respect for each customer’s experience. The Solano County Library provides materials to the community without placing a value on one customer’s preferences over those of another.
The Solano County Library upholds the right of individuals to access information that others may find unorthodox, offensive, shocking, meritless, or of no interest. The Library does not intrude on the parent-child (relative-child, caregiver-child) relationship and allows community members to determine which materials are welcome in their homes. Inherent in this approach is the acknowledgement that every family and home is unique. As a result, the Library does not limit access to materials based on age or any other characteristic.
Moreover, the Solano County Library adheres to the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights and the following interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights: the Universal Right to Free Expression, Labeling and Rating Systems, Access to Library Resources and Services for Minors, and Access for Children and Young Adults to Nonprint Materials. Thus, the Solano County Library selects materials that have not been edited to remove what some may deem offensive content.
Further, the Library affirms that its collection meets the legal requirements of the California Freedom to Read Act (AB 1825), ensuring that materials are selected in alignment with the principles of intellectual freedom, professional responsibility, and the diverse needs of the communities we serve in accordance with the following principles:
1. The collection meets the broad and diverse interests of the community and respects both the library’s autonomy and their specific community needs.
2. The public library serves as a center for voluntary inquiry and the dissemination of information and ideas.
3. Library materials should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people, and should present diverse points of view in the collection as a whole.
4. The right of the public to receive access to a range of social, political, aesthetic, moral, and other ideas and experiences is acknowledged.
The Library uses the following criteria when determining whether to add a title to the collection:
1. Community needs and interest
2. Publicity and review
3. Demand, both current and anticipated
4. Relationship to the existing collection
5. Reputation and qualification of the creator, publisher, or producer
6. Suitability of the format to library circulation and use
7. Publication date
8. Price and availability from library vendors
9. Whether the title has been vetted through traditional channels of publication or release
Customers of the Solano County Library may also request the Library purchase a title by completing a Suggest a Purchase form on the Library’s website at https://solanolibrary.com/catalog/suggest-a-purchase/ Purchase requests are subject to the above selection criteria.
The Solano County Library’s collection is constantly evolving. As new titles are added to the collection, the Library evaluates other titles to determine if they still have value for the community. For titles of an enduring nature, the Library makes every attempt to retain or replace them. To determine whether a title remains relevant to the community, the Library uses the following criteria:
1. Demand
2. Condition
3. Accuracy
4. Availability elsewhere
If the Library determines a title is no longer relevant to the community, it is deselected from the collection. Deselected titles may be given to one of the Friends of the Library groups for resale with the proceeds benefiting the Library. The Library encourages the community to donate materials to the various Friends of theLibrary groups that support the Library. Materials donated directly to the Library are subject to the same selection criteria as other material. The Library does not guarantee a specific disposition for donated material and will not return donated materials. The most likely outcome for donated materials is that they will be given to one of the Friends of the Library groups.
Final responsibility for collection development and maintenance rests with the Director of Library Services, who may delegate the responsibility to other staff members.
Request for Reconsideration Process
Members of the public may share concerns or complaints about library materials or displays through the Request for Reconsideration process. We encourage you to visit one of our branches and speak with a librarian about your concern. If, after this discussion, you wish to proceed with a formal request for reconsideration, please follow these steps:
1. Obtain a Request for Reconsideration packet from a librarian at your local branch. This packet is only available in person.
2. Complete the Request for Reconsideration form with your contact information. Provide staff with a copy of the item in question, or if it is a display, submit a photo of the display.
3. The Director of Library Services, or designee, will contact you within five (5) business days upon receiving your Request for Reconsideration form to confirm receipt.
4. A committee of library staff will review the item and make a recommendation to the Director of Library Services, who holds final authority on all requests for reconsideration.
5. You will receive a written response from the Director of Library Services within five (5) weeks of submitting your form.
Please note:
1. The item and all copies will remain in circulation during this process. Displays will also remain in place in their entirety throughout the review.
2. This procedure does not apply to items owned by SPLASH partners or LINK+ libraries, nor does it cover exhibits or displays from outside individuals or groups.
3. You must be a current library customer and live within Solano County to submit a request.
Approved by the Board of Supervisors on November 4th, 2025