Patron's Request for Reconsideration of Materials

The Foley Community Library supports the principles of intellectual freedom inherent in the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. Materials available in the library present a diversity of viewpoints and opinions that satisfy the broad interests of our community. The library upholds the right of the individual to access these resources, even though the content may be controversial, unorthodox, or unacceptable to some. The library believes that individuals have the freedom to accept or reject an item from the library’s collection for their personal use. Responsibility for the materials that a child uses in the library rests with the parents and/or legal guardians, not the library.

While a patron may personally object to certain materials in the library collection, they may not exercise censorship to restrict access to those materials by other library users.

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• Citizen Input & Eligibility: The library invites citizen input on its collections. Any material is subject to reconsideration provided that the requestor meets the following criteria:

  • Residency & Account Status: The requestor must be a resident in the library’s service area and an active registered borrower of the Foley Community Library. The library account must be active for at least six (6) months, and the patron must have activity on their account within the last three (3) months.

  • Form Completion: The requestor must fully complete the Patron’s Request for Reconsideration of Materials Form (available on the Library’s website at foleylibrary.org/material-reconsideration). The requestor must supply their full name and address; anonymous forms will not be considered.

  • Agreement to Terms: The requestor agrees to abide by the decision of the library board regarding their request.

  • Frequency Limits: The requestor/household has submitted no more than three (3) requests in the last 12 months. Each request is limited to a single title, with a maximum limit of 3 reconsideration requests allowed per household per 12 months.

• Reconsideration Procedures: If a valid request for reconsideration is made, the following procedures shall be followed:

  • Circulation: The challenged materials will remain in circulation during the reconsideration process.

  • Review Committee: The Library Director will request a review of the challenged material by a Review Committee within seven (7) business days. The Review Committee, which will remain anonymous to the public, will meet once all members have been able to review the material in its entirety.

  • Notification: The Library Director will inform the patron of the decision made by the Review Committee within five (5) business days of the decision.

  • Finality: Once a title has been challenged and processed by the Reconsideration Review Committee, it cannot be challenged again for five (5) years.

• Successful Challenge: Any material found in violation of any portion of these policies will be relocated to the appropriate library section or weeded from the library collection.