Materials Selection Policy

The Library maintains a diverse collection of materials designed to satisfy the needs and interests of a wide audience of adults in the Indianapolis community. Selections reflect the diverse interests, backgrounds, and perspectives of adult patrons. Material of a scholarly, academic, or highly specialized nature may not meet selection criteria. Selection of adult materials is not inhibited by the possibility that minors may inadvertently encounter these materials.

The Library selects materials for children and teens with the intent to foster a lifelong love of reading, support recreational interests, and encourage educational growth. Materials span a wide range of topics and formats to spark curiosity, broaden interests, and reinforce learning both inside and outside the classroom. The children and teen collections at all Library locations will be shelved in age-appropriate sections designated for them. Materials used in support of children’s programming are included. Curated reading lists, online resources, and staff guidance help young patrons, and their caregivers identify suitable materials for their developmental, educational, and recreational needs.

• Responsibility of Use of the Collection by Minors
  The Library does not act in loco parentis (in place of the parent.) Only parents or legal guardians have the authority and responsibility to decide the reading, viewing, or listening use of library materials – both physical and electronic – for their own minor children.

• Selection of Materials for Children
  Library staff select materials for children (birth–12 years) using the Library’s general criteria, with additional consideration for age and developmentally appropriate content, subject matter, style, and format. The collection includes fiction and nonfiction that support early childhood literacy, social-emotional development, and foundational learning across core subjects.

• Selection of Materials for Teens
  Materials for teens (ages 13–18) are selected to support academic success, personal development, and recreational interests. The collection includes fiction and nonfiction that reflect diverse perspectives, explore relevant social and emotional themes, and promote critical thinking and self-expression. Selections prioritize age-appropriate content, educational value, developmental appropriateness, and inclusive representation. Resources also support schoolwork, college and career readiness, and independent learning.

We support student learning at all K-12 academic levels by providing supplementary materials that enhance classroom instruction, foster independent inquiry and critical thinking, and encourage lifelong learning. Materials are selected to complement – not replace – formal curricula and are intended for individual use rather than classroom-wide distribution. Selections for curriculum support are guided by the Library’s general selection criteria.

We support the Shared System through collaborative collection development and by sharing materials with participating schools and community libraries, ensuring students, faculty, and other members have access to a significantly broader and more robust range of materials than would be available through a single institution. It is the responsibility of school staff to provide guidance on the suitability of materials borrowed from the Library for their students.

The Library supports homeschool families by providing educational resources that enhance individualized learning across grade levels and subject areas. Library staff select materials to supplement instruction, foster independent inquiry, and promote critical thinking.

The collection includes nonfiction, textbooks, workbooks, educational guides, reference materials, and enrichment resources for kindergarten through high school. While full curriculum sets are not purchased, selections align with homeschooling needs and follow our general criteria, with attention to educational relevance, developmental appropriateness, and copyright and licensing compliance.

These materials are intended to support personal curriculum use and offer flexible learning tools for homeschool families.

The Library encourages and supports all adults who nurture reading and learning in children and teens through collection development and by providing access to recommended titles, curated lists, staff guidance, and other resources. Selection follows the Library’s general criteria, with emphasis on practical use, literacy development, developmental appropriateness, and support for reading motivation and enrichment.

The Library is committed to providing materials that support patrons with diverse abilities by offering accessible formats and adaptive resources. These include:

• Braille materials for children/families with low-vision or vision loss. This browsing collection includes board books, picture books, and beginning readers, intended for young children ages 0- 6. This collection focuses on “twin vision” materials that include both braille and standard print/illustrations to be inclusive of as many adult/child reading experiences as possible.

• Audiobooks in physical and digital formats for those who benefit from auditory learning or have difficulty reading standard print.

• Large print books to support low-vision readers and readers with learning disabilities.

• Simplified and leveled texts to accommodate varying reading abilities and developmental needs.

• Digital resources that are compatible with screen readers and other assistive technologies.

Selection is guided by the Library’s general criteria, with additional consideration for accessibility, usability, and relevance to the needs of individuals with physical, cognitive, or learning differences. The Library continually evaluates and updates these materials to ensure inclusive access and meaningful engagement for all patrons.

The Library supports and celebrates the linguistic and cultural diversity of Indianapolis by selecting authentic, high-quality materials in world languages for all age groups. The acquisition of non-English materials is guided by principles of cultural accuracy, representation, accessibility, and availability. Selection decisions are informed by patron requests, circulation data, school enrollment figures, the presence of international community centers, documented demographic changes, and other relevant factors. Library staff review this process annually to support budget planning and ensure the collection remains responsive to evolving community needs and publishing trends.

The Library is committed to building collections that reflect the voices, histories, and lived experiences of marginalized communities. Materials are selected across all formats to ensure accurate, affirming, and inclusive representation of groups historically underrepresented or misrepresented in mainstream publishing. This includes, but is not limited to, communities defined by race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, and immigration status.

Titles are chosen for their authenticity, relevance, and potential to foster understanding, empathy, and dialogue. The Library prioritizes works by authors from marginalized communities and actively seeks out publishers and sources that elevate underrepresented voices.

Titles selected for the Book Club in a Bag collection are selected based on their wide appeal, potential for meaningful conversation, and lasting relevance. Preference is given to books that resonate with a broad audience and offer rich themes or perspectives suitable for group discussion.

Selection is guided by community interest and reading trends, with consideration for the Library’s collection budget. The collection includes both newly acquired titles and donated materials, particularly those provided by branch book clubs using Library Foundation-supported funding.

The Library purchases materials users want when they want them. These materials include best sellers, information on timely topics, and titles of specific local interest.

Critical, relevant, and sufficient positive reviews in websites, blogs, social media, journals, and the popular press are used to determine the potential popularity of materials in Indianapolis.

The Library provides an overall collection that is up to date with attention paid to rapidly changing subject areas.

Works by best-selling and well-known authors, directors, illustrators, and creators are selected. Works from independent and small presses warrant closer evaluation.

• CRITERIA: Self-published materials
  Self-published works warrant closer evaluation. In most cases, the Library will not purchase selfpublished material without positive reviews from established review sources. Exceptions may be made for materials of local interest that meet the Library’s selection criteria. In the interest of child safety, the Library will not accept books by authors under the age of eighteen.

• CRITERIA: Local authors The definition of "local author" may include individuals who meet one or more of the following criteria:
  
  Born and raised locally but have since moved away, attending school in the area, especially high school.
  
  Long-term Resident - Someone who has lived in the region for a substantial period (e.g., 10+ years), regardless of birthplace.
  
  Community and cultural Contributor - An author whose work reflects or engages with the local culture, history, or community issues.
  
  Locally Created Work - Authors who wrote or published their work while living in the Marion County and the surrounding counties, even if they have since relocated.
  
  Local Literary Entrepreneur- An author who owns a business or bookstore in the area, contributing to the literary ecosystem.
  
  Age Requirement – In alignment with child safety policies, authors must be at least eighteen years old to be included in this collection.

The Library is committed to maintaining a collection that reflects human creativity, knowledge, and expertise. As such, the Library does not intentionally purchase, acquire, or accept donations of materials that are primarily generated, authored, or written by artificial intelligence (AI). This policy ensures that the Library upholds the quality and authenticity of our collection and standards of intellectual integrity for our community.

The breadth and depth of the collection reflects the interests of the diverse and ever-changing Indianapolis community and is a priority for building the collection. The Library may limit the number of copies within a subject area to maintain breadth of collection.

The Library upholds the First Amendment rights of all users by providing access to a broad range of materials, including those that may express extreme or unpopular viewpoints. While individuals may choose not to engage with certain materials or personally reject materials of which they do not approve, individuals or groups may not restrict others’ freedom to read, view, listen, or inquire.

Materials on controversial subjects are selected to represent diverse perspectives. Selection is based solely on the merit of the work and its contribution to the collection and patron interests. The Library may exclude content deemed excessively sensational, inflammatory, or created solely to appeal to prurient interests. However, materials that offer insight into aspects of life will not be excluded solely because they may offend some patrons. All materials are evaluated within context, with a commitment to accurate representation and intellectual freedom.

Materials that are nominated for or receive regional, state, national, or international recognition will be considered for purchase.

Staff consider the overall quality and technical standards of an item’s presentation. This includes illustrations, cover design, binding, layout, printing, recording, and packaging. Materials must be durable enough to withstand frequent handling and use by multiple patrons. Items with flimsy paperback covers, spiral bindings, or multiple loose components may be deemed unsuitable for the collection. Similarly, novelty items, such as pop-up books or materials with movable or removable parts, are not appropriate for inclusion.

For audiovisual materials:

• DVDs must be Region 1.

• Blu-rays must be Region A.

• Unauthorized or illegal copies, including bootlegs or recordings of streaming-only content, will not be added.

• The Library does not allocate collection funds for public performance rights.

The Library may consider adopting new formats when there is clear, evidence-based demand from the community. Other criteria such as item availability, cost, and the Library’s capacity to support the format will influence the adoption of formats in the collection.

In combination with other criteria or alone, items with significantly high prices are scrutinized to ensure the demand for the item justifies the expenditure.

Except for world languages, the Library purchases new materials through US-based vendors and sellers. The Library may purchase used or out of print materials on a case-by-case basis.

When selecting materials for the collection, the Library adheres to all applicable federal and state laws, including copyright regulations and statutes governing obscenity. Materials that violate Indiana Code, such as books visually depicting uncovered genitalia in a sexual context and without serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value, are excluded from the collection in accordance with legal standards. The Library’s commitment to intellectual freedom is balanced with its responsibility to comply with legal requirements.

The Indianapolis Public Library’s collection is a shared collection across all locations, with Central Library holding the most comprehensive collection to serve the needs of the broader Indianapolis community. Twenty-four branch libraries located throughout Marion County offer smaller representative collections, which cover a wide range of topics, reading levels, and formats.

To ensure easy access, discovery, and retrieval of materials, the collection is organized using a common shared classification system. Individual locations may adjust the organization of certain subcollections based on community needs, space, best practices, and staff expertise, with support from centralized collection management staff.

The Library maintains a single, shared floating collection of materials that moves freely among all Library locations. This approach helps ensure that materials are available where they are most needed, based on community demand and interest. It also allows the Library to maximize its collection budget by building a broader, more robust system-wide collection. To reduce wait times and improve access, the Library strives to purchase an adequate number of copies for popular titles, as the collection budget allows. To keep the floating collection healthy and responsive, materials are regularly redistributed across locations, guided by evidence-based data which reflects usage patterns and community interests.

To ensure every community has reliable access to essential materials, each Library location maintains a core collection of award-winning and evergreen titles. These high-quality, foundational works are selected to reflect lasting value and broad appeal. Unlike the rest of the Library’s floating collection, which moves between locations based on demand, core collection items remain at their designated branches. This approach ensures that all neighborhoods have consistent access to trusted, enduring materials, regardless of circulation patterns.

The Library maintains a high-quality, current, and relevant collection through thoughtful selection and consistent, strategic weeding. Ongoing evaluation of library materials is essential to ensure the collection remains active and aligned with the interests and needs of our users. To support this, the Library applies a range of criteria to identify items for weeding and removal. These include materials that are outdated, no longer in demand, physically worn, or available in electronic formats that offer broader access. Weeding is a continuous process at all Library locations, making space for new materials and ensuring the collection remains current and dynamic.

Collection evaluation is guided by shifting priorities, user demand, and evidence-based metrics such as relative use and turnover rates. These factors inform decisions across all formats, audiences, and subcollections.

The Library will phase out formats that no longer effectively serve the community. Decisions to discontinue a format, such as CD audiobooks or music CDs, will be based on clear, evidence-based factors including item availability, usage trends, cost, space constraints, sustainability, and the Library’s capacity to support and maintain the format.

Materials withdrawn from the collection are transferred, along with public donations, to the Library Foundation for the Library Bookstore. The Foundation handles their disposition in accordance with Indiana Code 36-12-3-5 and IndyPL Policy 123.4: Acquisition, Disposition, and Unneeded Real and Personal Property. Proceeds from the sale of items in the Library Bookstore go toward the funding of Library programs.

The Library advances sustainability by maximizing the use and reuse of materials through community and Shared System circulation, ensuring equitable and affordable access to information. The Library of Things collection further promotes resource sharing by offering free access to practical items, helping patrons save money and reduce waste.

Through responsible recycling and resale of withdrawn materials in partnership with the Library Foundation, the Library extends the life of resources, making them available to individuals and educators in an affordable and environmentally conscious way.