It is the purpose of the Minerva Free Library to provide materials and information to all the residents of the Town of Sherman and surrounding towns and villages.
The library will try to provide our patrons with current, high interest materials in a variety of formats as our budget permits. We will always attempt to offer material on all sides of controversial issues. Censorship or parochial thinking is not appropriate to an institution dedicated to preserving free expression of ideas and the search for the truth.
Selection procedures for adult, young adult and juvenile materials will involve the search for the best that is available, relying on published reviews and the considered judgment of the staff.
In selecting material, their interest, information and enlightenment to all people of the community the library serves will be considered. Also, the library will attempt to make a comparison between new materials under consideration and those already published. Many works important in our culture contain isolated elements to which some individuals may object. Our selection will be guided by the value or impact of the work as a whole – the impact of the entire work transcending the specific words, phrases, or incidents of which it is made.
The library will provide books and other materials for young adults and children which are suitable for these age groups. Whenever possible, these materials will be clearly labeled and they will be separated from the adult collections. An attempt will be made to select materials for children which are authentic in fact and feeling, straightforward in presentation, unbiased in point of view and within the child’s ability to comprehend. However, we will not follow a selection policy which prevents adults from reading mature literature because of the possibility that it may fall into the hands of children.
In summation, it should be clearly understood that the library feels strongly that the freedom to read and reach decisions independent of coercion of censorship of any kind is extremely important and the basic privilege of all the library’s patrons.
Issues raised by this policy or questions concerning the selection of library materials will be directed to the Library Director.
Approved by the Minerva Free Library Board of Trustees on 6/14/13