The American Library Association actively advocates and educates in defense of intellectual freedom—the rights of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely as guaranteed by the First Amendment. Intellectual freedom is a core value of the library profession and a basic right in our democratic society. A publicly supported library provides free, equitable, and confidential access to information for all people of its community.
City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) delivers exceptional learning opportunities and educational services for diverse student populations in Chicago.
We enhance knowledge, understanding, skills, collaboration, community service, and life-long learning by providing a broad range of quality, affordable courses, programs, and services to prepare students for success in a technologically advanced and increasingly interdependent global society.
We work proactively to eliminate barriers to employment and to address and overcome causal factors underlying socio-economic disparity and inequities of access and graduation in higher education.
City Colleges of Chicago libraries create exceptional student experiences and achieve equity in student learning outcomes through proactive planning, collaboration, acquisition of relevant resources, and data-driven instruction. We provide inclusive spaces in which we teach our diverse community how to find information, critically evaluate it, and create new knowledge effectively, ethically, and efficiently.
CCC libraries collect materials in a variety of formats to support academic curricula, career programs, information literacy goals, community interests, and lifelong learning pursuits of students and faculty.
Library faculty at each college are responsible for selecting materials for purchase and inform their decisions by using professionally recognized selection tools, subject-specific knowledge, and the input of other departments’ faculty and staff. Student requests are also considered.
While each library’s department chairperson or designated librarian has final responsibility for the selection of materials, all librarians work cooperatively in collection development and have the authority to make recommendations for purchase based on this collection development policy. Librarians are to be informed semesterly about collection priorities and budgeting.
When book orders are due, the library chair or designated librarian will review and prioritize recommendations based on curricular needs of the college and available funds.
Recommendations that are not ordered at the time will be carried over to the next fiscal year for further consideration.
The library considers the following factors when deciding to include specific materials in the collection:
No materials will be excluded from consideration because of the race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, political or social view of the material, the author, or the intended audience. Individual items that may be controversial or offensive to some patrons may appropriately be selected if their inclusion will contribute to the range of viewpoints and effectiveness of the library collection as a whole.
The library's collections support academic curricula, career programs, information literacy, community interests, and lifelong learning in a variety of formats.
Books: Are collected in clothbound and paperback editions depending on availability and anticipated use.
eBooks: Are available through district-purchased subscriptions and are accessible through the online catalog and individual databases. Each library may purchase individual eBook titles based primarily on need, demand, and budget. Individual purchases are accessible across the district.
Reference Materials: May include subject-specific encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, directories, statistical compilations, and handbooks.
Serials: The library’s access to serials (magazines, newspapers, trade publications, and academic journals) is primarily through online databases, a more cost-efficient option that is shared among CCC libraries.
Audio-Visual Media: In support of audio-visual needs, the library subscribes to streaming services and maintains a physical media collection. Faculty may also suggest items for addition to the collection.
Fiction: The library purchases fiction to support reading and literature courses at the colleges, as well as to support students’ leisure reading habits. The library purchases award winners, popular fiction, graphic novels, young adult fiction, established literary works, and new works receiving critical acclaim. Student suggestions and interests are considered.
Textbooks: The library’s textbook collection is composed of copies provided by the textbook vendor with which the CCC maintains a contract. The book vendor provides, with some exceptions*, current required textbooks. In addition, faculty may place required and recommended books in the textbook reserve collection. [*These exceptions include, but are not limited to, titles adopted as electronic books, out of print books, outdated editions, etc.]
ELL/ESL: The Library collects leveled readers to support students enrolled in English Language Learner/English as a Second Language courses. These are selected by librarians with the assistance of ELL/ESL faculty.
World Languages: The Library primarily collects books written in or translated into English. Non-English language materials may be purchased in support of the World Languages curriculum on the request of faculty from the World Languages Department.
Databases: Are subscribed to and provided by the CCC district office for use at all libraries. Individual libraries may purchase supplemental databases to support the local curriculum based on faculty requests and available funding. Databases provide access to online resources that enhance the breadth of the library’s collection and extend access to distance learners.
Duplicate Materials: Are added when warranted by heavy usage of copies already held by the library or when there is significant demand.
Microfilm: Is maintained for archival purposes in an existing collection.
Self-Published Books: In general, the library does not collect self-published books. The library may consider making exceptions for books on little-known local history, first-hand accounts (witness or participant accounts) of local history, and works by local authors affiliated with the College who are members of a population that is historically underrepresented in publishing. In such cases, the Library follows the Library of Congress’ guidelines for self-published or independently published textual materials and uses the General Criteria for Selection of
Materials in this collection development policy to determine if a self-published work should be added to the collection.
Archives: The library collects publications and other ephemera related to the history of the College. This includes course catalogs, annual reports, student literary journals, issues of the student newspaper, programs, photographs, and other relevant items.
Special Collections: The library may create special collections to separate books that are of interest to specific disciplines or programs of study or that are in formats that distinguish them from the general collection, such as picture books and graphic novels / comics.
Donations / Gifts: The library uses the same guidelines for inclusion of donated materials that are used for purchased materials. Materials should be in good condition with no writing or highlighting inside. There should be no stains, mildew, or yellowed/brittle pages. Binding should be in good condition. Donations that meet collection development guidelines may be integrated into the circulating collection at the discretion of the librarians. Donations of serials are not accepted. Librarians do not provide any estimation of value for donated items but upon request will provide a letter of acknowledgement describing any donation that is accepted. Individuals donating books must complete a Book Donation Agreement Form (see below).
The CCC Libraries gratefully accept donations of new and/or used books. Upon donation, librarians will assess the materials in accordance with the CCC Libraries Collection Development Policy. Per the policy:
“The library uses the same guidelines for inclusion of donated materials that are used for purchased materials. Materials should be in good condition with no writing or highlighting inside. There should be no stains, mildew, yellowed, or brittle pages. Binding should be in good condition. Donations that meet collection development guidelines may be integrated into the circulating collection at the discretion of the librarians. Donations of serials are not accepted. Librarians do not provide any estimation of value for donated items, but upon request will provide a letter of acknowledgement describing any donation that is accepted.”
All donations to the library are final. Librarians reserve the right to discard material that does not enhance the collection. The library does not provide an itemized list of the materials donated or an estimate of the value of the gift.
_____ I have read the information provided on this form and understand that the library will handle donated items at their discretion per the CCC Libraries Collection Development Policy.
Name: ___________________________________________________________________
Address: _________________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: ____________________________________________________________
Phone and/or Email: ________________________________________________________
CCC Identification Number (if applicable): _______________________________________
Spring 2024
Decisions are made regarding the replacement of lost, damaged, missing or worn items based on the following criteria:
De-selection, or weeding, of library materials is the process of removing items from the collection based on several criteria. De-selection is essential for the maintenance of a current, academically useful library collection as it ensures quality control for the collection by eliminating outdated, inaccurate, worn and no longer needed items. Librarians are responsible for conducting an ongoing de-selection effort. Faculty may be consulted as needed.
The Library is not an archive. As with selection, current needs in each subject area are considered. Materials that no longer meet selection criteria are removed from the collection.
Prior to discarding books the librarian should ensure that the record for each item and holding has been removed from the online catalog.
Step 1: Informal Complaint
A patron who wishes to request the reconsideration of library material for any reason may meet with the library department chairperson. If the patron is not satisfied after speaking with the library chairperson, they may begin the process of filing a formal complaint.
Step 2: Formal Complaint
Materials in the library are selected to support the instructional and research needs of the CCC community, as well as to support lifelong learning and literacy. A person who wishes to request the reconsideration of library material must file a formal written request for reconsideration using the library-provided form.
Step 3: Review
The formal written request for reconsideration will be reviewed by the appropriate parties including the department chairperson, the selecting librarian, and CCC librarians from across the district. A determination will be made in accordance with library policy and procedures, as well as CCC academic freedom policies outlined by the faculty union contracts. The patron will receive a final written response to the submitted request for reconsideration within 90 days of the library receiving the request.
Date ___________________________________________________________
Name __________________________________________________________
Address ________________________________________________________
City ____________________________ State/Zip _______________________
Phone __________________________ Email __________________________
Do you represent self? ____ Or an organization? ____ Name of Organization ___________________________
1. Resource on which you are commenting:
___ Book (e-book) ___ Movie ___ Digital Resource ___ Other
Title____________________________________________________________
Author/Producer _______________________________________________________________
2. What brought this resource to your attention?
___________________________________________________________
3. Have you examined the entire resource? If not, what sections did you review?
___________________________________________________________
4. What concerns you about the resource?
___________________________________________________________
5. Are there resource(s) you suggest to provide additional information and/or other viewpoints on this topic?
___________________________________________________________
6. What action are you requesting the committee consider?
___________________________________________________________
Adapted from the American Library Association’s Selection & Reconsideration Policy Toolkit for Public, School, and Academic Libraries, Fall 2022.
The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services.
I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.
IV. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.
V. A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.
VI. Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.
Adopted June 19, 1939, by the ALA Council; amended October 14, 1944; June 18, 1948; February 2, 1961; June 27, 1967; January 23, 1980; inclusion of “age” reaffirmed January 23, 1996.
Intellectual Freedom Statement
The American Library Association actively advocates and educates in defense of intellectual freedom—the rights of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely as guaranteed by the First Amendment. Intellectual freedom is a core value of the library profession, and a basic right in our democratic society. A publicly supported library provides free, equitable, and confidential access to information for all people of its community.
The Freedom to Read Statement (American Library Association)
Code of Ethics (American Library Association)