Southern Ontario Library Service

Southern Ontario DVD Pool

SOLS – DVD Collection Development Policy
(Adapted from the Rideau Video Pool Collection Development Policy)

1. GOALS
   1. The Southern Ontario DVD Pool collections should be well-balanced, serving the needs of the entire community. Materials will be selected for all ages and all levels of comprehension.
   2. Selections will be based on informational, educational, instructional and recreational value with an emphasis on Canadian material.
   3. Materials will be considered in terms of timeliness, demand, quality and authority.
   4. The collection will represent all sides of a wide range of issues.
       
2. SELECTION FOR PURCHASE
   Decisions relating to the selection and purchase of DVD programs will be the responsibility of the Management Team of the Southern Ontario DVD Pool. The Management Team will make selections from catalogues provided by SOLS. These Catalogues will be rotated among the members of the Management Team and returned to SOLS by June 15 each year. Recommendations for specific titles can be sent to SOLS throughout the year.
    
3. COMPOSITION OF COLLECTION
   1. The composition of the Southern Ontario DVD Pool Collection shall reflect the needs and interests of the community as determined by analysis and experience on the part of the Pool members.
   2. The collection strives to be general in nature and does not contain specialized materials for the exclusive use of one particular group.
   3. Every effort is made to balance individual blocks so that each block represents adult, juvenile, family, informational and recreational materials in equal amounts.
   4. Materials selection is guided by a general design to maintain a 50-50 split between non-fiction and feature films representing a wide variety of general subjects and genres.
   5. Where possible DVDs with French versions are preferred.
       
4. PROGRAM CONTENT
   Titles will be selected from the following categories:
   1. INFORMATIONAL - to include the world of nature, the environment, the sciences, biography, history and economic, political and social issues.
   2. INSTRUCTIONAL - to include self-help, sports and recreation, crafts, business, health, cooking, travel how-to, etc.
   3. CULTURAL - to include the world of art, music, drama, dance and literature.
   4. CINEMA - to include films from the international cinema, classics, and films that have been well reviewed in periodicals, newspapers and guidebooks.
       
5. SELECTION CRITERIA
   1. Materials selected will meet high standards in quality, content and expression.
   2. All acquisitions will be considered in terms of the following criteria:
      • content - present and potential relevance to community needs
      • entertainment value
      • demand in the community
      • accuracy and depth of coverage
      • quality of presentation
      • sound and picture quality
      • bias
      • appropriateness for audience
      • Canadian content
      • presentation of all sides of controversial issues where possible
      • strengths and weaknesses of the current collection
      • purchase price
   3. Materials where the appeal of the film is achieved strictly by sensational, erotic or other exploitative means will not be selected. Acceptable level of quality will be determined in the following ways:
      • opinion of qualified reviewers in recognized, authoritative review sources
      • recognition by prizes, awards etc.
      • longevity of appeal for reissued materials
      • appearance on public television networks
         
6. INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM
   The Southern Ontario DVD Pool subscribes to the "Intellectual Freedom Statement" ratified by the Canadian Library Association in June 1984. Therefore DVDs will not be labeled as "adult" or "juvenile" and the decision of whether to restrict the circulation of certain DVDs to juvenile patrons in their library will be left up to the discretion of member libraries.
    
7. CONTROVERSIAL MATERIALS
   1. The Southern Ontario DVD Pool recognizes that some DVDs may be regarded by certain individuals or groups as controversial, whether because of bias, frankness of language, political expression, or moral implication. Selection should not, and will not, be made on the basis of anticipated approval or disapproval by any individual or group in the community, but rather on the evaluation of the DVD’s literary merit, authenticity, honesty of presentation, topical interest and use to the audience for whom it is intended. The primary aim of materials selection is to establish a balanced collection that adequately represents various points of view on many subjects.
   2. The ideas and opinion found in the collection are not advocated by the Southern Ontario DVD Pool or library staff. The presence of materials in the Southern Ontario DVD Pool does not indicate an endorsement of their contents by the Southern Ontario DVD Pool.
   3. Materials representing all points of view concerning the problems and issues of our times will be provided in the Southern Ontario DVD Pool collection. DVDs of sound factual authority shall not be proscribed or removed from library shelves because of doctrinal or partisan disapproval.
       
8. EXCLUDE FROM THE COLLECTION
   1. Materials which obviously foster religious or racial intolerance are outside the scope of this collection.
   2. Materials that are banned under Canadian law will automatically be excluded from the Southern Ontario DVD Pool collection.
       
9. COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE COLLECTION
   1. The Southern Ontario DVD Pool recognizes the right of the member libraries and the right of an individual library patron or group to make a complaint to the Southern Ontario DVD Pool Management Team concerning the collection.
   2. Requests by member libraries, individuals or groups to have an item or items removed from the Southern Ontario DVD Pool collection shall be referred in writing to the Southern Ontario DVD Pool Management Team.
   3. Upon receiving the written complaint, the Southern Ontario DVD Pool Management Team shall review it in the light of the Southern Ontario DVD Pool’s policy concerning the Southern Ontario DVD Pool collection.
   4. If the inclusion of the item in the Southern Ontario DVD Pool Collection is found by the Management Team to be legitimate and justifiable based on the guidelines set out by the Southern Ontario DVD Pool policy, the policy shall be explained in writing to the complainant and no further action need be taken.
   5. If the inclusion of the item in the Southern Ontario DVD Pool collection is found by the Management Team to be questionable based on the guidelines set out by the Southern Ontario DVD Pool policy, the item will be withdrawn from the collection. The Management Team will communicate that decision in writing to the complainant.
       
10. MULTIPLE COPIES
    Multiple copies will be provided based on demonstrated and anticipated user interest and the availability of funds.
     
11. DAMAGED AND LOST ITEMS
    1. At the 2005 AGM, the DVD pool members voted to set aside $300 from the annual pool membership fees to maintain a Damaged DVD Replacement Fund. If a DVD is damaged, send the Pool Administrator a copy of the block list indicating which title has been removed and the reason so SOLS can update the master list of Southern Ontario DVD Pool holdings. If you replace the damaged item with a similar DVD, indicate the new title details. Otherwise SOLS will deduct the replacement value from the Damaged DVD Replacement Fund.
    2. If a DVD is lost while it is held by a member library, it is the responsibility of the holding library to replace the lost title. Send a copy of the block list to the SOLS Pool Administrator, indicating what title has been lost. If you replace it with a similar DVD, provide the new title information. Otherwise, SOLS will send an invoice to the member library for the replacement value.
        
12. WEEDING
    In order to maintain an active, up-to-date and useful collection, it is important for libraries to continuously examine DVD materials in terms of relevance to user needs and selection criteria. Weeding is usually done when new material is added to the block.
     
13. COPYRIGHT
    Only original copies will be purchased by the Southern Ontario DVD Pool.
     
14. PERFORMANCE RIGHTS
    Both Home Use and Public Performance DVDs will be purchased.