The article focuses on raising awareness regarding ethical issues in collection development rather than providing solutions. Universities increasingly emphasise accountability, prompting renewed focus on ethics and bias, particularly in library collection development. Bibliographers and collection managers must ensure ethical practices when curating and providing access to resources.

Two key documents guide ethical decision-making in collection development: the American Library Association’s Code of Ethics and the library’s own collection development manual. These resources help address challenges like censorship and intellectual freedom and provide frameworks for responding to patron concerns about controversial materials.

Libraries should engage users by allowing input on acquisitions and ensuring feedback mechanisms. Collection managers need to be fair and transparent, avoiding favouritism and ensuring budget discipline. Maintaining privacy and confidentiality is crucial, especially as collection practices evolve.

Intellectual property rights are another concern, requiring carefully navigating copyright and fair use laws. Collection development should be collaborative, with clear communication among bibliographers to avoid conflicts and ensure diverse representation.

Personal biases must be managed, especially when acquiring potentially offensive or controversial materials. Decision-making should be based on scholarly merit and publisher reputation rather than personal views.

Negotiation skills are essential for managing subscriptions and maintaining budget efficiency. Librarians must be cautious about vendor relationships to avoid conflicts of interest. Donor stipulations should align with the library’s collection policies, ensuring consistency and fairness.

Ethical issues also extend to digital resources and licensing agreements. Libraries must protect user privacy and ensure fair access, considering the implications of remote access policies for different user groups.

Ultimately, ethical collection development requires continuous evaluation and open discussion among library staff to address and mitigate bias.

I think, with many concerns happening globally, particularly in the US, the focus on decision-making based on scholarly merit and publisher reputation is key. Personal views should not impact users’ access to resources. One area that we have to address in Singapore is the country’s stance on gay relationships, which are still considered illegal. We have many students who identify as gay or bisexual, and it is crucial that we have resources that support this in the library, although it could be argued that we should not, based on Singapore law. Luckily, we do have the flexibility to choose our own texts as an international school.

What should a collection policy contain?

• Barbara Braxton’s Sample Collection Policy (2014) provides one example: http://500hats.edublogs.org/policies/sample-collection-policy

•  St. Andrew’s Cathedral School Collection Management policy

It’s important to think about what a collection development policy should and shouldn’t include. If a school library lacks a written collection development policy, it probably also doesn’t have written policies for other areas, and sometimes even lacks a comprehensive policy on the library’s role in the school. In these cases, the collection development policy often becomes a ‘catch-all’ policy, diminishing its specific purpose and value. Instead, it’s much better to create distinct policies for each necessary area.

It’s also important to differentiate between policy documents, which outline policy decisions, and procedure documents, which detail procedural aspects relevant mainly to library staff. Policy documents are public and should be readable and engaging, focusing on clarity, brevity, and good presentation. However, it’s common for there to be some overlap or ‘grey’ areas regarding what should be included in policy versus procedure documents.

• definition of area
• statement of purpose(s) and goals (the ‘why’ section)
• broad decisions (the ‘what, how, who in broad terms’ section) designed to fulfil the stated purpose(s) and goals

• ensure consistency in the provision and management of resources
• serve as a reference and training point for new tasks or those undertaken infrequently
• provide continuity when staff change

When writing policy and procedures documents it is important to keep in mind the distinctions between the two. These include:

Policies	Procedures
Policies are normally public documents available to the school community (and preferably aimed at the needs of, readily understandable by and, where appropriate, developed in consultation with the school community).	Procedures are internal library documentation created primarily for the people who carry out those procedures.
Policies include goals and principles.	Procedures document the practices which fulfil those goals and principles;
Policies are broad.	Procedures are specific.
Policies tend to be relatively brief and direct (they are much more likely to be read and followed if they are not verbose,	Procedures are longer because they contain detail.
Policies say what happens (and preferably why).	Procedures describe how it happens.

• A school librarian collaborates with school administrators and teachers to develop a collection management policy.
• This policy must be based on the curriculum, the specific needs and interests of the school community, and reflect societal diversity.

The collection management policy statement should include:

1. The mission of the school library, aligned with the IFLA/UNESCO School Library Manifesto.
2. Statements affirming intellectual freedom and freedom of information.
3. The purpose of the collection management policy, its connection to the curriculum, and its relevance to the national, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and indigenous identities of users.
4. Long and short-term objectives for resource provision.
5. Responsibilities for collection management decisions.

• The policy should clarify that collection building is a collaborative effort involving teachers, who provide valuable insights into their students’ needs.
• The policy should establish a method for reconsidering resources, adhering to the principles of intellectual freedom and children’s right to know.
• It should identify the responsibility of school librarians to resist censorship, regardless of the source of demands to limit resources or access.
• Procedures for developing and managing the school library collection should be detailed in a separate document or appendix.
• The procedures manual should guide the selection and acquisition of resources, and set standards for processing, organizing (cataloguing, classification, shelving), maintaining, repairing, and de-selecting (weeding) resources.
• The manual should include guidelines for obtaining resources that reflect the national, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and indigenous identities of the school community.
• It should also provide clear guidelines for reconsidering controversial materials.

• The rubric addresses the shift from predominantly physical collections to a mix of formats.
• It identifies and describes the elements of a balanced, high-quality collection that meets the school community’s needs.
• The rubric offers a framework for measuring, evaluating, and improving school collections.
• It is designed to be a flexible tool that can be used in various ways based on a school’s needs and priorities.