Policy

Patrons of the Multnomah County Library are free to request re-evaluation of library materials. Library staff will respond to such requests respectfully and with a clear understanding of the library's policies on intellectual freedom. If the patron fills out a formal statement of concern about library materials form, the material will be reviewed and the patron will receive a response in writing.

For more information about the library's intellectual freedom policy, see the Intellectual Freedom Committee Library Commons page.

Rationale

Patrons who use and support the library have a right to express their concerns and opinions about the collection.

Application

A staff member should listen to the concerns of the patron and attempt to satisfy them by listening and acknowledging the patron's right to state an opinion, and by offering to help the patron find other materials that might meet their needs and interests. If the patron still requests a formal re-evaluation of the material after a conversation with a staff member, the patron should be given a statement of concern form to fill out. The item will then be reviewed and evaluated by the appropriate materials selector/s and the library director according to established criteria, and a decision will be made to retain, purge or move the item. The decision will be shared with the patron in writing.

If the patron chooses not to fill out a statement of concern form but leaves a written complaint, please attach it to a statement of concern form and treat it the same way.

Statement of concern forms (PDF):

• In Chinese
• In English
• In Russian
• In Spanish
• In Vietnamese

Procedure

Staff members need to have a firm grounding in the library's intellectual freedom policies and the legal basis for those policies. Know where the complaint forms are located. Attempt to understand why people complain about library materials.

Guidelines for responding to patron concerns:

1. Acknowledge the patron's right to state his/her concerns
2. Demonstrate a sincere desire to help the patron
3. Stay within library policy
4. Listen carefully and politely
5. Make explanations brief and to the point
6. Avoid library jargon
7. Offer to assist the patron in finding materials more suited to their tastes
8. Refer to the materials selection policy and the library bill of rights as the foundation of our policy

Things to avoid:

1. Expressing personal opinions about materials and policies
2. Defensiveness in either words or body language
3. Quoting policy as the only response
4. Compromising the principles of intellectual freedom
5. Attack, intimidation and escalation

Responding to statement of concern form:

1. Send the completed form to 635/OPS/Director's Office or email to maddelynh@multcolib.org.
2. The status of the material remains unchanged while it is being reviewed
3. The material will be reviewed and a decision reached as quickly as possible
4. The patron will receive a response in writing within six weeks, unless the material is not available for review, then it could take one or two weeks longer. Every effort is made to stay within the six week timeline.