Collection Mission Statement

The Charlotte and William Bloomberg Medford Public Library develops and maintains collections in a variety of formats for all ages to fill the informational, educational, vocational, and recreational needs of the community. Our Library’s mission is to be a center for innovation, opportunity, creativity and learning and the collection reflects these goals. Our staff strives:

• To build collections that represent diversity among and within our communities of users, reflecting a broad range of topics, ideas, viewpoints, and tastes. We also assess materials for their significance and relationship to the City of Medford and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 
• To offer library materials in various formats that reflect the diverse needs of our population, incorporating new formats as they develop and removing formats as they become obsolete.
• To provide primary and secondary sources through a dedicated archive and local history collection to document the history of Medford.
• To make our collections accessible, findable and shared by prioritizing cataloging to facilitate public discovery. We share our materials with users around the world by participating in interlibrary lending networks and by supporting a robust digitization program.
• To ensure our collection meets our cooperation agreement with Minuteman Library Network and facilitates the best management of public funds allotted to us by the City of Medford.

Collection Development Goals and Objectives:

These goals, objectives, and criteria should inspire and direct the library staff responsible for the collection. They should also define the collection’s current scope and its future direction.

Collection Access

Medford Public Library provides free access to information and resources through physical collections, digital collections, and interlibrary loan. The Medford Library does not restrict use or borrowing of any materials according to age. The borrowing and online privileges of patrons whose library cards have fines, fees, or outstanding materials over certain amounts will be restricted until materials are returned or fines are paid.  Access to some digital resources is limited to Medford residents only.  Use of materials within the library is unrestricted although patrons with charges on their cards may not be able to access public computers.

Collection Scope

Recognizing that library users use a variety of formats, the Library provides access to content through print, media, and technology.  As of 2026, the primary collection formats are as follows:

• Print: Hardcover, trade paperback, large print, magazines and newspapers
• Non-print: DVDs, Audiobooks, Music CDs
• Digital:  eBook/audiobook platforms, streaming services, educational, informational, local history, and recreational databases and services

Due to budgetary and space limitations, the Library does not purchase items in all available formats.  When several similar formats exist, such as DVDs and Blu-Ray discs, or audiobooks on CD, MP-3, and Playaway, the Library will choose the most popular format.  Interlibrary loan is available for those patrons who prefer formats that the Library does not carry.  When new formats are introduced, the Library will create a collection if there is sufficient demand and funding.

Criteria for Selection

Selection decisions are made by professional librarians and overseen by the Youth Services Manager, Assistant Director, and Director, as applicable. Acquisition of collection materials is carefully evaluated and represents an investment of time and effort. The main points considered in the selection of materials are:

• popular appeal and public demand
• subject or genre 
• format
• quality of reviews
• local interest and relevance
• existing library and network holdings 
• accuracy, timeliness, format durability and ease of use
• cultural significance and critical acclaim
• authority and reputation of author, illustrator, or publisher
• diversity of viewpoint 
• price and availability

Collection Procedure

All materials are selected by professional staff using a variety of selection tools.  Reviews are a major source of information about new materials. During selection, the library staff use such library and publishing industry publications as Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Voice of Youth Advocates, Booklist, and the New York Times Review of Books.  Librarians also consult publishers’ catalogs, genre selection lists, bestseller lists, major book awards, lists of upcoming releases, and independent book review websites and blogs.

Standing orders may be maintained for popular fiction authors, popular series, and for titles, such as travel guides, that are published annually or at regular intervals. 

Collection Evaluation and Deselection

The acquisition of materials does not commit us to keep them in perpetuity. The periodic withdrawal of materials allows us to add new items to the collection. These decisions are made using established procedures based on the type of the collection, and utilizes statistics on library usage which informs the decision-making process, allowing staff to remove outdated, inaccurate, unused, and low circulating items, or where duplication exist. We also withdraw items in poor condition.  When items are withdrawn for reason of condition, loss, or damage they will be considered for replacement if they are still current and in demand.  Items removed from the collection are disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner.

Requests to Purchase

If a patron requests that the library purchase a particular item not available in the collection, library staff will consult the selection criteria listed above. These requests can be made online or in person. If the requested material meets the library’s needs and criteria, the item will be purchased as funding allows.

Donations

The Library accepts donations of print and AV materials.  Items not added to the Library collections may be passed to the Friends of the Library book sale.  Donated items may be discarded or passed on to other organizations. Upon receipt, all donations are considered legally transferred to the Medford Public Library. We do not take responsibility for donations and will not guarantee that they will be added to the collection. Any donations sent or given to us for consideration will not be returned to the donor and may be donated to partner organizations, if appropriate. We do not provide valuation on donated materials. 

Local Authors: Exceptions to the above donation policy will be made for local authors. The Library will accept donation of self-published or professionally published items by authors who are Medford residents. These items will be added to the Medford Author collection. If preferred by the author, works will be included in the circulating collections if they meet the selection criteria.  We encourage local authors to donate to the Local Author collection even if their works do not meet our circulating collection criteria because their voices and stories are an important part of our Medford history.

Intellectual Freedom Section & Requests for Reconsideration suggestion:

The Medford Public Library defends and protects freedom of information rights of our users. The Library upholds the following documents from the American Library Association: Library Bill of Rights, Freedom to Read, and Freedom to View statements.  Individuals should form their own opinions about the resources they choose to read, view, listen to, or otherwise access, and the Library supports this by providing unrestricted access to materials. As minors under the age of ten cannot be in the Library without an adult or guardian, responsibility for their materials selection rests with their adults.

The Library believes in providing access to the widest possible range of materials, which in some cases may include unpopular points of view. While individuals are free to personally reject materials of which they do not approve, individuals or groups may not restrict or exercise censorship over anyone’s freedom to read, learn, or inquire. 

Our holdings may contain historical materials that reflect the attitudes, norms, and ideas of the era and culture in which they were created or collected. As such, some materials and item descriptions contain imagery, language, or opinions that may be offensive or harmful to marginalized communities. We continue to make these materials available because access to primary source materials is uniquely valuable to the community at large. 

Any patron may question the inclusion of materials in our collection. Those individuals may ask for a “Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials” form from a staff member. All forms must be signed, as anonymous complaints will not be considered. The item will be reviewed by a staff committee that will take into consideration professional reviews and our criteria for selection. The committee will submit its recommendation to the Library Director. It is the responsibility of the Library Director to determine the Library’s official response. No titles will be removed from the library collection while they are reviewed. We reserve the right to limit the number of times an individual can request reconsideration of titles within a time frame of 1 full year; individual titles that have already faced a request in that time frame will not be reconsidered.