The policy was written by the Ebooks Minnesota Collection Development Committee and reviewed by the Minitex Policy Advisory Council. Ebooks Minnesota is managed by Minitex and supported by the Minnesota Department of Education’s State Library Services.
The Ebooks Minnesota Collection Development Policy exists to:
- Provide selection and acquisition guidelines for collection development and management.
- Provide the structure for collection development actions.
- Provide planning guidance to inform the work of the Ebooks Minnesota Collection Development Committee.
- Capture the mission and scope, nature of the collection, and selection criteria.
- Articulate our commitment to intellectual freedom.
Mission
Ebooks Minnesota is intended to provide the residents of Minnesota with access to a wide range of recreational, informational, and educational ebooks suitable to all ages and interests of potential readers.
Scope
Ebooks Minnesota includes titles:
- Reflecting diverse cultures and languages
- Intended to support Minnesota students
- That promote early literacy and are accessible to early readers
- To encourage leisure reading and support life-long learning
- Of high value and topical interest to Minnesota readers
- About Minnesota and created by Minnesota authors when relevant
Our service goal is to provide a wide range of high-quality content that is relevant, accurate, and timely. Ebooks Minnesota supports the library community by providing ebooks relevant to libraries in Minnesota. Ebooks Minnesota seeks to avoid all AI-generated content in the collection and is committed to maintaining a collection that reflects human creativity, knowledge, and expertise. This policy ensures that the collection upholds quality, authenticity, and intellectual integrity for Minnesotans. Therefore, Ebooks Minnesota will not knowingly purchase titles created by generative AI. If AI material is discovered, please report it at https://minitex.umn.edu/contact/ebooks_minnesota_feedback.
Selection Criteria
Materials are selected by Minitex in consultation with the Ebooks Minnesota Collection Development Committee using the following criteria. Selections are not required to meet all criteria listed below.
- Priority is given to titles available for simultaneous use
- Support of Ebooks Minnesota's mission and scope
- Fill identified, expressed, or anticipated needs in the community
- Reputation and qualifications of the publisher
- Contribution to diversity or breadth of the collection
- Relationship to existing collection
- Artistic merit or excellence
- Cost or budget
- Availability for acquisition under Ebooks Minnesota's platform and access model
Deselection Criteria
Ebooks Minnesota's collection will be reviewed periodically by the Ebooks Minnesota Collection Development Committee to determine if materials need to be removed from the collection because they are outdated, superseded, incorrect, or obsolete. Access the Ebooks Minnesota Deselection Policy.
Intellectual Freedom Statement
Ebooks Minnesota adheres to ALA's Library Bill of Rights and Freedom to Read Statement and considers all materials in the collection protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Ebooks Minnesota also recognizes the right of Minnesota residents to request that a title be reconsidered. If a resident wishes to recommend a title for reconsideration, please submit a completed Request for Reconsideration Form. Upon receipt of the request, the title in question will be reviewed by the Ebooks Minnesota Collections Committee to determine if the title aligns with collection guidelines. Once a decision has been made, the petitioner will receive a written response. Titles will remain in the collection during this process. The Ebooks Minnesota Collections Committee is comprised of librarians and educators representing public, school, and academic libraries, as well as library-related government entities and publicly supported library networks.
Compliance with Minnesota Law
Ebooks Minnesota's intellectual freedom practices and reconsideration procedures are administered in accordance with Minnesota Statutes §134.51, which protects access to library materials and prohibits the removal or restriction of content based solely on viewpoint or ideas expressed. Collection decisions and reconsideration requests are evaluated by qualified library professionals and are based on established collection development criteria, legitimate pedagogical considerations, and applicable state and federal law. Titles remain accessible during the reconsideration process.
Policy Review Timeframe
Upon consensus of the Committee, the policy will be revised every three years as needed and reviewed and approved the Minitex Policy Advisory Committee.
