The Amarillo College Lynn Library strives to provide the educational resources necessary to support the goals of Amarillo College (AC). All materials acquired by the Amarillo College Library should reflect resource needs and enrichment opportunities for AC students, student families, and staff.

Selection Philosophy

The Lynn Library subscribes to the American Library Association's Bill of Rights, Freedom to Read Statement, and Freedom to View Statement. Therefore, it is our policy to buy materials that will:

• Encourage development of the individual student and the college community

• Assist students in educational endeavors

• Make them aware of scientific advances, ethical standards, and current and historical events

• Inspire critical thinking and an appreciation of the arts 

• Stimulate factual growth and literacy appreciation

• Make their leisure time more enriching

Acquisition

Acquisition of materials does not imply approval or endorsement of the contents; materials are acquired to support curriculum, represent the diverse backgrounds of students and staff, and provide exposure to different perspectives.

All physical and electronic materials acquired reflect the needs of Amarillo College. Any resource in the collection reflects at least one of the following:

• Curriculum Support

• Specific Research Requirements

• General Information

• Professional Growth

• Cultural Enrichment

• Extracurricular Interests

Note: Textbooks used in classes taught at the College are not normally purchased for the collection unless they cover an area of interest for which there is no general information available. The Library has partnered with the Amarillo College Advocacy and Resource Center to provide a selection of free textbooks for student checkout.

Selection is based upon principle rather than personal opinion, reason rather than prejudice, and judgment rather than censorship. Electronic resources added must be sustainable by the Library's subscription budget.

Gifts

The same criteria that apply to selection of new materials are applied to gifts and other donated materials. The Amarillo College Library has the right to reject any material on the basis of our stated policy.

Material Evaluation

To aid in the identification, evaluation, and selection of materials purchased, librarians use a variety of professional selection aids. Standard review sources are routinely consulted, such as Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, New York Times Book Review, publisher previews and other scholarly journals. Selection sources may also include bibliographies published by academic associations (e.g., American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year).

Responsibility of Selection

The responsibility of collection management ultimately rests with the Library Director and with the professional library staff. Material selection, however, is a shared process between librarians and contributions from faculty, staff, and students. Recommendations and advice from faculty and students aid in fulfilling the missions of the Library and Amarillo College. Any person(s) questioning the appropriateness of material in the collection should contact the Library Director.

Deselection

Deselection, commonly referred to as weeding, is essential for appropriate maintenance of the library collection. Yearly assessments are conducted to evaluate library materials.

Withdrawals are conducted based on:

• Obsolescence
• Lack of Use
• Physical Condition
• Changing curricular needs

Labels and security devices will be removed upon deselection. Withdrawn materials are offered to the community at large, for further personal enrichment. In compliance with AC policy, they are not used for revenue purposes.