Collection Development Policy

The library is a forum for information and ideas. It provides book and non-book materials that contribute to the cultural, education and recreational enrichment of the community. Historically, the public library was developed as an agency for the free, informal education of individuals. The Yorba Linda Public Library believes in this premise. The purpose of this policy is to assure the selection of materials of the highest quality in order to maintain an objective collection appropriate for the residents of Yorba Linda.

The goal of the Yorba Linda Public Library is to select, organize, preserve, and make freely and easily available to all individuals in the community printed and other materials, which will aid them in the pursuit of information, education, research, recreation, culture, and in the creative use of leisure time. The primary goal of collection development is to provide the best possible collection with the financial resources available. The decision to select and deselect any item for the collection is based on demand, anticipated need, and the effort to maintain a wide and balanced collection within the space limitations of the library.

The library patron is an important part of the selection process and may make a request for the purchase of a title. Each requested item will be considered in terms of its value to the collection and the audience for whom it is intended. To acquire materials outside the scope of our collection for the patron, items from more specialized collections may be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan.

Library materials may be re-evaluated at the request of residents. The requestor will be provided with the Collection Development Policy, as well as a Request for Re-Evaluation of Library Materials form. Staff will review the form and materials in their entirety. A determination and response will be made to the requestor. The determination made by staff may be appealed in writing to the Library Director within ten (10) calendar days from the date of the determination. The Library Commission shall hold a hearing on such matters and render a decision, which shall be final.

The Yorba Linda Public Library acknowledges the following statements as written in the California Freedom to Read Act:

  1. The collection meets the broad and diverse interests of the community and respects both the library’s autonomy and the specific community needs.
  2. The public library serves as a center for voluntary inquiry and the dissemination of information and ideas.
  3. Library materials should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people, and should present diverse points of view in the collection as a whole.
  4. It is the right of the public to receive access to a range of social, political, aesthetic, moral, and other ideas and experiences.

The library and its staff are responsible for providing equal access to library materials and services for all library users. It is the parents’ responsibility to supervise their children’s reading. The library will not monitor the public’s choice of materials. Parents, who prefer that their children should not have access to certain types of materials, should advise their children accordingly.

Approved by Library Commission March 2, 2006
Revised and approved by Library Commission September 4, 2025