Shropshire Council

Library stock management policy

Shropshire Libraries enables and encourages access for everyone to unbiased information, knowledge and works of imagination:

  • Providing opportunities and support for formal and informal learning
  • Providing and promoting timely, accurate and useful information
    promoting the enjoyment of reading
  • Contributing to enjoyment and quality of life
  • Encouraging participation in cultural, democratic and economic activities
  • Contributing to the development of healthy, caring and socially inclusive communities

Through a published Library Stock Management Policy, Shropshire Libraries aims to:

  • Select and provide such material as will meet the library requirements of the community
  • Maximise the use of limited resources by ensuring every item of stock justifies its place in the library, and that stock is promoted and exploited in such a way that it is used to its full potential
  • Promote a unified approach to the selection and development of stock countywide according to the aims and objectives of the library service.

More specifically, these aims are met by:

  • Providing a wide range of popular material to meet the leisure needs of the community, reflecting tastes, interests, age groups, language and reading ability
  • Providing material in alternative formats such as large print and talking books
  • Acquiring material to support the educational requirements of the community in all aspects of popular learning and study
  • Providing up to date accurate reference material to meet the information requirements of the community
  • Recognizing readers’ changing needs for books and other material through customer comments, issues, library use, requests, outreach contacts, media and other communication channels supplying and promoting material to attract a wider and more varied readership to our libraries
  • Providing material that will reflect and support the social, economic and cultural aspirations of all sections of the community
  • Providing material that will promote and support race equality and an understanding of cultural diversity
  • developing a training programme for staff in stock management
    evaluating the performance of stock.

If you wish to read the complete policy please email and we can supply a copy.