Library resources include more than just materials for loan. Libraries also provide programs and events (in-person and virtual), displays and exhibits, and a range of electronic resources, usually accessed online, which include research databases, e-books and magazines, downloadable audio, video streaming services, and social media content. In addition to the traditional circulating print and audio/visual collections, Forbes provides a Library of Things to borrow and free take-home kits to keep. The Library also maintains an archive of local history materials and the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library & Museum for in-library research and online access.
For all these formats and methods of delivering library resources, as well as formats and delivery methods yet to come, the Library subscribes to the principles of intellectual freedom. This allows for every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction. The Library provides for free access to all expressions of ideas through which any and all sides of a question, cause, or movement may be explored. Intellectual freedom encompasses the freedom to hold, receive, and disseminate ideas.
If an individual objects to or wishes to express concern about particular Library resources, and the concern is not resolved by informal conversation with Library staff, the individual may complete a Statement of Concern About Library Resources Form. The Library Director will review the resource, evaluate the original decision and current community needs for the resource, meet with Library staff, and meet with the individual to review the complaint. The Director will make a written ruling on the request, based on the Collection Development Policy and the principles of intellectual freedom, as well as the Special Collections Policy and the SAA Core Values and Code of Ethics where applicable. If the individual is not satisfied with the Director’s decision, the person may make a written request to the Board of Trustees. The Trustees’ decision is final.
Eligibility: To file a request for reconsideration, the requesting individual must be a member of the greater Northampton community served by the Library. Anonymous submissions will not be considered.
Time limit: Any resource reconsidered under this procedure will not be the subject of a review again for a period of three years from the date of the Library Director’s receipt of the initial objection form.
STATEMENT OF CONCERN ABOUT LIBRARY RESOURCES FORM
User-Initiated, Library-Hosted Resources
In addition, the Library provides meeting space and display space for community groups and individuals to present their own content to the public. The Display/Exhibit Policy and Meeting Rooms and Grounds Use Policy delineate how these spaces can be used.
Appendices: Diverse Collections: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights
Other Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights address nontraditional library resources such as Digital Resources and Services, Programs and Displays, Visual and Performing Arts, as well as elaborating on many areas of library services and materials that are frequently targeted for censorship. Historical collections and the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library & Museum are also guided by the Society of American Archivists Core Values and Code of Ethics.