Reconsideration of Materials in the Library’s Collection

Policy Statement:

The library’s collection reflects a variety of viewpoints on a variety of subjects. Because a collection of diverse materials may result in complaints about materials or requests for reconsideration of materials, the library has a process for the reconsideration of library materials to assure that concerns are handled in an attentive and consistent manner.

Definition:

Reconsideration request: a request to remove or reclassify an item in the library’s collection.

Regulations:

  1. The Collection Development Policy governs the addition or withdrawal of items in the collection.
  2. The selection of any item does not imply endorsement of any expressed viewpoint. Library material will not be identified to show approval or disapproval of the content, nor will items be sequestered, except for the purpose of protecting them from damage or theft.
  3. Library staff is available to discuss concerns and comments about the suitability or classification of an item in the library’s collection and will try to assist customers in finding materials that are suitable for their use.
  4. If customers wish to pursue their concerns further than discussion with staff, they may fill out a Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials form.
    1. The Request for Reconsideration form can be picked up from any Library public service desk.
    2. Customers must reside within the library’s service area in order to fill out this form (Chase, Clay, Dickinson, Geary, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, Morris, Pottawatomie, Riley, Wabaunsee, and Washington counties).
    3. This form may only be filled out for one title at a time.
    4. The Request for Reconsideration form must be filled out completely to be considered valid.
    5. Due to the nature of a consortium, content on Sunflower eLibrary (Libby) cannot be reconsidered if it was purchased and shared by another library. Content on other online resource may also be ineligible for reconsideration, depending on how the library subscribes to content on each online resource.
    6. A patron may only have one active Request for Reconsideration at a time. A Request for Reconsideration will be considered active from the date it is first submitted until the end of the period when the decision can be appealed to the Board of Trustees, four weeks after the Director’s letter.
  5. The director will inform the board of trustees of all requests for reconsideration of library materials and their disposition in a timely manner.
  6. Completed forms are to be sent to the director.
  7. Upon receipt of a Request for Reconsideration form, the director will appoint an ad hoc committee from the staff to consider the material and set a deadline for the committee to make recommendations for the disposition of the material of no later than eight weeks from the time the form was received. The committee can use the “Request for Reconsideration Committee Form” as they work through the reconsideration process.
  8. The material will be removed from the shelf as needed for the committee to review during the reconsideration process.
  9. The director will notify the person who initiated the request in writing of the committee’s decision.
  10. If the person (persons) submitting the Request for Reconsideration form, disagree with the library’s response, an appeal can be made to the Board of Trustees in the form of a written letter no later than four weeks after the date on the Director’s letter.
  11. The president of the board will request a subcommittee of at least three board members to review the material. The president will set a deadline for completion of the review, no later than two months of the receipt of the appeal.
  12. The board will make a decision following the subcommittee’s report and recommendation.
  13. The president of the board of trustees notifies the customer of the final decision in writing.
  14. The final decision will stand for 36 months, and new patron-submitted requests for reconsideration for the same title will not be considered until the decision expires after 36 full months.
  15. The ALA Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read and Freedom to View state­ments are endorsed by the library board of trustees.
  16. Collection development staff can move an item that was moved as part of a reconsideration if it is being moved to a collection of similar or older audience (e.g., moving from young adult graphic novel to young adult nonfiction, or moving from young adult to adult). If collection development staff want to move an item to a collection for a younger audience, they must wait 36 months from the date of the reconsideration decision, form an ad-hoc committee of staff, read the item in its entirety, and discuss the request with the director.

Approved by the Board March 28, 2006, revised 10/27/25

Top