The Pendleton Community Public Library provides library services, creative initiatives, and up-to-date technology in a comfortable facility with friendly, helpful staff.

• The History of Pendleton
• City data profile of Pendleton
• Markleville
• Ingalls
• Madison County

The Pendleton Community Public Library supports the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights and Code of Ethics. The community’s demographics also serve as a guide in the selection of services and materials.

The final responsibility and authority for the selection and maintenance of library materials and services rests with the Library Director acting within the framework of the policies of the Board of Trustees. Materials are selected to meet collection needs by the Director, Assistant Director/Children’s Librarian, and Reference Librarians. All selectors welcome and evaluate suggestions for material acquisition from the community.

Please note that while all of PCPL’s physical holdings have been selected using this collection development policy, the library does belong to a consortium in order to expand our digital offerings. eBooks and digital audiobooks are not necessarily selected by our librarians, but membership in purchasing consortiums for digital materials offers library patrons a wealth of material that would otherwise be cost prohibitive for the library.

Adult Collection

• Physical and digital fiction/non-fiction books
• Graphic novels
• Audiobooks
• Large print
• Reference materials
• Music recordings
• Periodicals
• Databases
• Movies

Teen Collection

• Physical and digital fiction/non-fiction books
• Graphic novels
• Audiobooks
• Periodicals

Children’s Collection

• Physical and digital fiction/non-fiction books
• Graphic novels
• Audiobooks
• Periodicals
• Reference materials
• Games
• STEAM Kits

Library of Things (LoT)

• Items to “try before you buy”
• Items needed for a short period of time, like for a project or social gathering

The library strives to offer its patrons access to current, relevant, informative, educational, cultural and popular materials. All selectors evaluate potential additions to the collection based on the following:

• Patron interest and demand.
• Relevance to community needs.
• The extant collection, and future circulation estimates based on selection criteria.
• Quality of writing, production, or illustration.
• Scope, accuracy, and currency of content.
• Appropriateness of subject, style, and reading level for intended audience.
• Critical reviews by experts and the public.
• Suitability of physical format for library use.
• Budget awareness.
• Usefulness of item and availability of it elsewhere, locally.
• Existence in the Public Domain, while the library maintains several texts considered "classics," the evolving nature of the collection requires that some public domain materials are retrieved, for free, via Project Gutenberg or Interlibrary Loan.

The process of selection is guided by the following resources:

• Reviews in professional and popular journals including, but not limited to, Library Journal, Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, School Library Journal, Scholastic, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Book Page, Bookmarks, and VOYA.
• Reviews on websites and blogs including, but not limited to, Amazon, All Music, the American Bookseller Association's Indie Next List, the American Library Association, National Book Award finalists, and LibraryThing.
• Award winners including, but not limited to, the Pulitzer Prize, the Man Booker Prize, the Caldecott Medal, the Newbery Medal, the Coretta Scott King Award, the Alex Award, the Nobel Prize, the Oscar, the Grammy, the American Music Awards, and the People’s Choice Awards.
• Vendor catalogs and online pre-pub reviews including those from Baker & Taylor, Ingram, Scholastic, H.W. Wilson, Midwest Tape, Gale/Cengage, Follett, Content Reserve; selectors utilize several publishers and vendors. The Children’s Department, for example, selects the best resources from many different vendors.
• Best seller lists as published in the New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, as well as author book tours, books into film notices, NPR author interviews, and other media coverage.
• Unbiased consumer reviews, as published in Consumer Reports or posted to vetted review sites.

The collection of materials within the library is continually, informally evaluated for relevance, circulation statistics, and physical condition. Items deemed outdated, unused and/or in disrepair are removed and/or replaced, as needed.

The collection is formally deselected using the guidelines found in the Pendleton Community Library Deselection Guidelines: A Supplement to the Collection Policy..

The Pendleton Community Public Library accepts gifts of materials; after evaluation by library staff, PCPL reserves the right to donate and/or dispose of items in accordance with the criteria comprising the collection policy. Materials in good condition, not added to the library’s collection, are sold in the Friends of the Library book sale, or are donated to an appropriate recipient, such as charities and institutions. As a general rule, the library does not accept artifacts.

Materials that are self-published may be considered for inclusion into the library’s collection if they have a local connection and are of good publication quality. When determining the appropriateness of the inclusion of self-published titles, the library will apply the same selection criteria as for other items.

Request forms for the reconsideration of library materials are available to the public. The Library Director, Assistant Director and/or Reference Librarians will review any completed forms and send a written response to the requestor within a reasonable amount of time, not to exceed one week after the next scheduled Library Board of Trustees meeting.

This policy, as well as the deselection policy, will be periodically reviewed to ensure that it represents the most current needs of the library and the community it serves.

It is the goal of the Pendleton Community Public Library to maintain a collection that not only meets the objective of the mission statement, but also meets the needs of its patrons by providing high quality, relevant, and aesthetically pleasing materials. By its very nature, a library collection must be evolving, and evaluation of materials is conducted by all professional library staff on a regular basis. The final deselection decision, and the formal evaluation and maintenance of the library’s collection, is the responsibility of the adult and children’s librarians.

• The physical condition of the item: Materials with missing pieces, torn and/or stained conditions are removed from the library’s collection. Further research is conducted before items are replaced.
• The circulation status of the item: In general, fiction and non-fiction texts should not sit untouched for more than 5 years. Some non-fiction categories demand more stringent replacement consideration due to the nature of the subject. See Appendix A for Dewey classification from the CREW (continuous review, evaluation and weeding) method of deselection. See Appendix B for deselection guidance questions. Digital, media and audio materials have a 1-3 year circulation requirement depending on the material.
• The relevance and age of the material: See Appendices A and B for specific guidelines.
• Special Collections inclusion: Literary criticism, Indiana authors, items of local significance, genealogical studies, religious studies, some reference materials, and items donated “In Memory” are often exempt from the criteria of age and circulation status. Librarians evaluate historical significance, reference availability, and community needs in regards to these items. See Appendices A and B for specific guidelines.
• Duplications: The library typically leases duplicate copies of popular titles when published. Occasionally, due to high demand, a duplicate copy will be purchased for the library’s collection.

• 010 Bibliographies
• 020 Library and Information Sciences
• 030 Encyclopedias and books of facts
• 050 Magazines, journals and serials
• 060 Associations, organizations, museums
• 070 News media, journalism, publishing
• 080 Quotations
• 090 Manuscripts and rare books

In addition to deselection policy procedures, the following restrictions exist for this section: Encyclopedias must be kept updated every 5 years, but this can be in online or database availability; computer information must be updated at a pace similar to its related technology.

• 110 Metaphysics
• 120 Epistemology (the nature of knowledge)
• 130 Parapsychology and occultism
• 140 Philosophical schools of thought
• 150 Psychology
• 160 Logic
• 170 Ethics
• 180 Ancient, medieval, Eastern philosophy
• 190 Modern Western philosophy

In addition to deselection policy procedures, the following restrictions exist for this section: self-help books should be updated more frequently than the 5-8 year guideline for scholarship in this area.

• 210 Philosophy and theory of religion
• 220 The Bible
• 230 Christianity, Christian theology
• 240 Christian practice and observance
• 250 Christian pastoral practice and religious orders
• 260 Christian organization, social work and worship
• 270 History of Christianity
• 280 Christian denominations
• 290 Other religions

In addition to deselection policy procedures, the following restrictions exist for this section: Popular religious leaders’ works should be included, and the collection should not only reflect the needs of the community, but the global community as well. All major religions should be represented by a current (fewer than 8 years old) text.

• 310 Statistics
• 320 Political Science
• 330 Economics
• 340 Law
• 350 Public administration and military science
• 360 Social problems and social services
• 370 Education
• 380 Commerce, communications, transportation

In addition to deselection policy procedures, the following restrictions exist for this section: Almanacs must be updated within 2 years. Statute/law information must be current, though vetted online sources may substitute for physical texts. The collection must contain a balance of perspectives.

• 410 Linguistics
• 420 English and Old English languages
• 430 German and related languages
• 440 French and related languages
• 450 Italian, Romanian and related languages
• 460 Spanish and Portuguese languages
• 470 Latin and Italic languages
• 480 Classic and modern Greek languages
• 490 Other languages

In addition to deselection policy procedures, the following restrictions exist for this section: Some of these books have heavy circulation; their physical condition should be regularly evaluated.

• 510 Mathematics
• 520 Astronomy
• 530 Physics
• 540 Chemistry
• 550 Earth sciences and geology
• 560 Fossils and prehistoric life
• 570 Life sciences, biology
• 580 Plants (botany)
• 590 Animals (zoology)

In addition to deselection policy procedures, the following restrictions exist for this section: Historical works must be retained, but this area of the collection must otherwise be continuously updated.

• 610 Medicine and health
• 620 Engineering
• 630 Agriculture
• 640 Home and family management (including cookbooks)
• 650 Management and public relations
• 660 Chemical engineering
• 670 Manufacturing
• 680 Manufacture for specific uses
• 690 Building and construction

• 710 Landscaping and area planning
• 720 Architecture
• 730 Sculpture, ceramics, metalwork
• 740 Drawing and decorative arts
• 750 Painting
• 760 Graphic arts
• 770 Photography and computer art
• 780 Music
• 790 Sports, games, entertainment (humor)

In addition to deselection policy procedures, the following restrictions exist for this section: Art & music histories can be kept in the collection as long as the item is in good physical condition. Other areas, especially the decorative arts (crochet, knitting, etc.), should be refreshed with new selections yearly. This area is a popular one for PCPL patrons; new materials are appreciated.

• 810 American literature in English
• 820 English and Old English literatures
• 830 German and related literatures
• 840 French and related literatures
• 850 Italian, Romanian and related literatures
• 860 Spanish and Portuguese literatures
• 870 Latin and Italic literatures
• 880 Classic and modern Greek literatures
• 890 Other literatures

In addition to deselection policy procedures, the following restrictions exist for this section: This area should be compared to reading lists from local school systems, and copies of all items should be in good condition.

• 910 Geography and travel
• 920 Biography and genealogy
• 930 History of the ancient world (to circa 499)
• 940 History of Europe
• 950 History of Asia
• 960 History of Africa
• 970 History of North America
• 980 History of South America
• 990 History of other areas

In addition to deselection policy procedures, the following restrictions exist for this section: These items should be evaluated for accuracy and a balance of perspectives. Travel guides especially must be kept current within 2 years.

It is important to keep up with new releases, and retain well written biographies of persons of significance.

The Reference collection requires special consideration because these items do not circulate. Annuals, collection values, technological, medical and science works that are not available in a database like INSPIRE, must be updated annually. Revised editions should replace previous editions except in the case of supplements and dictionaries.

Much of the history collection is in the process of being digitized; this includes some primary source material as well as irreplaceable secondary sources. Many of these paper items will be saved from disintegration by this process.