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Luton Libraries Stock Policy


Introduction


Our stock collections include books, audiobooks, newspapers and magazines in physical and digital format, objects, streaming music, and other formats that provide learning, leisure, or information. 

This policy explains:

  • How and why we select materials.
  • How we maintain and manage resources.
  • The policies concerning stock selection and management.

Our goal is to provide stock in the most appropriate formats and quantities to meet community needs. We are dedicated to eliminating barriers, ensuring equal access for everyone, and providing collections that represent everyone in the community. Collaborating with customers, community partners, and suppliers, we will offer resources for specific groups, such as visually impaired individuals, speakers of languages other than English, and children with special educational needs. We aim to make effective and efficient use of our stock and will proactively manage stock performance using our library management system and other tools.


This policy is for guidance only and is not legally binding. It does not confer any contractual rights and may be amended at any time. It will be reviewed at least once every three years to reflect the changing needs and priorities of the communities we serve. 


Stock Principles

  • The resources fund will be allocated in ways that effectively meet community needs and service development for each library.
  • All stock will be purchased and managed as a Luton-wide resource.
  • Within the limits of our budgets, stock will be provided in the most appropriate format to meet community needs at each library.
  • Stock audits, performance monitoring and stock profiling will be conducted for all service points to form the basis of stock plans.
  • Stock transfers will be used to maximise the use and lifespan of all materials and deliver value for money.
  • Stock will be organized and presented consistently and kept tidy.
  • Displays and stock promotions will be used to highlight the range and choice of stock available.


Customer Consultation and Engagement


Establishing the needs of customers and potential service users is vital to ensuring that our stock is tailored to their requirements and responsive to local needs. Customer feedback is a key factor in determining what items are included in our collections. We will gather input from users and potential users through various methods including customer comments, purchase suggestion forms, feedback from activities, events, talks, and special promotions. 


We welcome comments and suggestions for improvement which can be made by speaking to any member of our team, filling in a stock suggestions form, filling in the feedback form on our website or sending us an email at [email protected].


Intellectual Freedom and Censorship


The central law in the UK relating to censorship, freedom of expression and intellectual freedom is the Human Rights Act 1998. Article 10 of the Act5 states: 


‘Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers’’


We also follow the guidelines set out in CILIP’s (The Library and Information Association) Ethical Framework:


“As library and information professionals we are committed to upholding, promoting, and defending human rights, equality and diversity, and intellectual freedom including freedom from censorship.“

 

Stock Sources


To get the best value for our budget, we primarily acquire our physical stock from specific library suppliers. These suppliers are chosen through a competitive process managed by the Central Buying Consortium. We also purchase from specialist suppliers for items such as large print, audiobooks, and world languages.


Many small independent publishers, self-published authors, charities, and professional organizations do not always make their stock readily available to library book trade. This means that sometimes it is not possible for us to obtain these items.


Stock Selection Criteria


Factors which will be considered when we are purchasing stock include:

  • The popularity of author, subject or genre
  • The author/subject area is underrepresented in the current stock.
  • Value for money
  • The likely and potential use of item

 

Factors which may result in rejection of an item for purchase may include:

  • The content of the item is poor.
  • It is in an overrepresented or a well-covered author/subject area.
  • The content or information is out-of-date.
  • Poor physical quality, e.g. type, binding

 

Items Outside Our Scope

  • Items that are illegal in the United Kingdom
  • Items which could be used to harm others, commit crimes, or promote prejudice against any social group.
  • Pornography or materials likely to constitute obscenity under the Obscene Publications Act 1959
  • Titles restricted by publishers for sale in the United Kingdom
  • Expensive luxury editions
  • Trivial or novelty titles
  • Vanity publishing
  • Non-fiction self-published titles, not including creative writing, which exhibit no obvious authorial expertise on the subject or no independent editing process. 

 

Potentially Offensive Materials and Bias


Regarding potentially offensive materials and bias, we are guided by best-practice set out in Managing safe and inclusive public library services: A Practical Guide, by CILIP, The Library and Information Association. 


Some of the works in our collection may reflect the morals and social attitudes of their time or the culture from which they originate. This might include language and content that could be offensive and challenging to read. These titles are preserved to maintain the historical record and support research and learning. This does not mean they reflect the views and opinions of Luton Libraries, Active Luton, or individual team members. 


We also acknowledge that unconscious personal and systematic bias in selecting and maintaining collections may be unavoidable and will endeavour to mitigate these biases.
If you come across content that you find offensive or if you notice bias in our collections, please reach out to us using the information provided in the Customer Consultation and Engagement section. We will carefully consider your feedback and make any necessary changes. Additionally, we will use this information to gain a better understanding of the issues and inform our future practices.


Children’s Policies


In most cases, we do not restrict children from reading or borrowing materials from the adult sections. We believe that parents and guardians are in the best position to monitor and decide what their children read. 

However, most publishers of comics and graphic novels have voluntary classification schemes for titles that contain mature visual content. Therefore, any titles classified in this way will be labelled as "Mature Content," and borrowing is restricted to customers who are fifteen and over.


Reservations (Holds) and Purchase Suggestions


You can request and collect loanable stock from Luton Libraries at any Luton branch for free. Notification of when an item is ready for collection is available by text or email.
You can also request most books to loan from any of our partner libraries in The Libraries Consortium. Please note that items requested from other authorities will have a minimum waiting period of 42 days for items added to stock within the previous 270 days, and 10 days for items added to stock between 270 and 365 days. Children’s board and picture books may not be borrowed from other authorities.
Luton Libraries do not participate in schemes to borrow books from other public library authorities outside The Libraries Consortium, academic or national libraries as it is not cost-effective. 


If an item is not in stock, you may place a purchase suggestion. The library service will decline to purchase an item if it does not meet the selection criteria or if it is unlikely to be borrowed by many other customers. Where a purchase is declined, our team will contact customers promptly, giving reasons for the decision. 


Orders for purchase suggestions are prioritized by our team and our suppliers. However, supply times will depend on the availability of an item at the supplier or UK wholesaler and may take several weeks to arrive. Orders for items not fulfilled within six months will be cancelled.


Periodical and newspaper articles supplied as photocopies or digital files can be obtained directly from the British Library on Demand service. There is a charge for this service. 

 

Donations

Most used items are not suitable for adding to library collections. Instead, we suggest offering them to charity shops or recycling them. The exception is materials related to the history of Luton, which we will consider. If you believe you have items that are in good condition and up to date, and would enhance our library collection, please email us at [email protected].

Please do not bring in items to the library without prior approval. Items left outside library buildings may be reported as fly-tipping. 


We will consider the donation of new items for the library, if they meet our selection criteria, add value to our current collection, and they contribute to a balanced range of viewpoints. Please contact us before sending any items. Please note that unsolicited items that are not needed for our collection will not be returned and will be recycled or disposed of.


All donations that are accepted will be treated like normal purchased stock. They will be withdrawn from the collection when they no longer meet our criteria for usage or condition. 


Local Authors

Luton Libraries aim to support self-published authors who are based in Luton or have strong connections to the area by adding selected works to our collection for others to read and discover. Each submission will be evaluated on an individual basis. We prioritize creative writing, as well as works focused on biographical, reflective, and local history subjects.


Books that are non-fiction, but lack evidence of the author's expertise, public demand, or interest, or that have not undergone a formal editorial process may be rejected, especially if similar titles from mainstream publishers already exist on the same topic.In most cases, we will initially accept the donation of one copy of one single title.

 

All proposals for items to be purchased by the library service will be treated as commercial inquiries and will be assessed according to our standard selection criteria.

 

Stock Losses

Library collections are a valuable community asset and loss of stock due to theft, damage, and unreturned loans, must be minimised to provide a high-quality service. To achieve this, a range of procedures are in place:

 

  • Items will only be issued to registered members of the library.
  • Notifications are sent to remind customers to return overdue and lost items.
  • The reduction of opportunities for theft by use of security systems.
  • Checking the condition of items when they are issued and returned.


Disposal of Stock

The amount of stock at each service point is limited by the available space for display. Therefore, as new items are acquired, other items must be continuously removed.
As part of regular stock audits and local stock action plans, items with outdated content, damage, poor condition, or are no longer in use are considered for removal from the collection.

  • Withdrawn items are sometimes used to create “Book Exchange” resources in selected venues.
  • Sometimes, withdrawn items may be offered to partners and charities, but most withdrawn items are unsuitable for this option.
  • Withdrawn items not re-used locally, will be sold to environmentally responsible book reusing companies, sold in local library book sales, or recycled whenever possible.


Stock Provision

The following list is not exhaustive and aims to give an overview of our stock provision.

 

Adult Fiction

We provide fiction to promote literacy and the pleasure of reading. We aim to cater to a broad spectrum of reading tastes by offering an extensive range of titles. 
Our adult fiction collections include:

  • Popular authors, series, and genres
  • Classics
  • Graphic Novels
  • Books for emergent readers

 

Adult Non-Fiction

We aim to buy the best material from the thousands of titles published annually to meet the needs of the local community for education, lifelong learning, recreation, and leisure. While we will consider and occasionally acquire university level textbooks and other materials it is not possible to provide comprehensive collections of these: this is the function of academic libraries.


Reference Works

The use of reference works has significantly declined in the past few decades. Additionally, many specialist items, whether print or online, are prohibitively expensive. However, we will continue to acquire cost-effective items for which there is a known demand.


UK Legislation

We do not stock print copies of UK Legislation. Most current UK Legislation such as Acts of Parliament, Local Acts, Bills, and Statutory Instruments can be found at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/. Command papers and other documents can be found at https://www.gov.uk/official-documents 


Children’s Stock

We offer a diverse selection of fiction and non-fiction books for children and young people in dedicated areas whenever possible. Our goal is to promote reading for enjoyment, cultivate a passion for books, and foster literacy by advocating for broader and independent reading. We strive to maintain a balanced inventory that caters to children's educational and recreational reading needs.

Our children’s fiction collections include:

  • Board books for babies and younger children.
  • Picture books
  • Multi-sensory books.
  • Begin to Read titles.
  • Short chapter books


Our children’s non-fiction books include:

  • Homework Help
  • Study Guides KS1 to KS2
  • Helping Collection


Teenage Sections

The teenage section may include books that address more mature or controversial topics. The collections will have adult books that are appealing to young adult readers, as well as books written specifically for them. These collections are meant to bridge the gap between children's and adult reading.


In the non-fiction section for teens, you can find study guides for Levels one to three (such as GCSE and A Level), The Reading Well for Teens collection (focusing on well-being), and titles related to the world of education and careers.


eLibrary and Online Resources

Our main eLibrary platforms are Overdrive and Borrowbox. These platforms offer a wide range of reading materials such as eBooks, audiobooks, newspapers, and magazines which can be accessed through a web browser or dedicated apps. These platforms are shared resources with other consortium libraries, and the available titles are selected centrally for all participating members. 

Additionally, we provide access to various other online resources that cater to specific needs or for learning and information.


Vision and Print Impairment

We provide materials in various formats to cater to individuals with visual impairment, including:

  • Large Print
  • Audiobooks
  • Giant Print and Braille books for children
  • Dyslexia-friendly books


Additionally, our eLibrary offers audiobooks and eBooks that can be accessed on devices allowing control over fonts and background colours.


World Languages

We curate collections of books in the languages that are most spoken in Luton. Small collections of books in other languages are also available. The main collections can be found at the Central Library. 


Additionally, children’s dual language and bilingual books are available in all branches and world language, dual language and bilingual books are also available from the eLibrary. 


Bits and Bobs to Borrow

We stock a variety of items besides books that individual members can borrow for free. Not all items are available at every branch but can be transferred upon request for collection.


Local Studies and Archives

The primary local studies collection is located at Luton Central Library and is dedicated to the history of Luton, with additional materials from nearby areas. The collection includes rare books, pamphlets, manuscripts, photographs, local newspapers, maps, trade directories, ephemera, posters, plans, census returns, parish registers, and other family history sources.


Family History

Luton Central Library has a collection of books covering general and specialist family history research. You can also view local family history records on microfilm and microfiche. 


Newspapers and Magazines

The widest range of newspapers and magazines is now provided in online format via the Borrowbox and Overdrive eLibrary platforms.


Luton Central Library offers some physical daily and weekend newspapers, magazines, and periodicals in languages other than English. Smaller branches receive one national daily newspaper where suppliers are available. All branches receive a copy of the Luton News.