Request for reconsideration of library materials
Request for reconsideration of library materials form
If you are a current member of Dunedin Public Libraries, you can use the form below to request that we reconsider our decision to include or exclude an item from our collections.
A separate form must be completed for each title if you wish us to review more than one item. If the title has previously been reviewed, we will inform you of the outcome of that review.
Our Collection Development Policies guide all selection and deselection decisions and any request for reconsideration of an item must demonstrate that we have breached the principles of these documents.
Please take particular note of Dunedin Public Libraries’ policy on censorship (contained in the Collection Development Policy) which states that:
- Library materials are provided without regard for the identity or background of their creators. Materials should not be excluded on political, social, moral, or religious grounds, and should not be removed because of the disapproval or pressure of individuals or community groups. Materials banned by the New Zealand censor are not collected.
The Library endorses the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa’s Statement on Freedom of Information 2020.
Formal requests for reconsideration of a library resource must be made in writing using this form .
Request for reconsideration of library materials form Request for reconsideration of library materials form (Printable PDF)Formal requests can also be made in writing by downloading this form and submit the form either by mail or email:
Manager – Content & Access
Dunedin Public Libraries
P.O. Box 5542
Dunedin 9054
library@dcc.govt.nz
Statement on the selection and/or retention of potentially contentious, controversial, or sensitive library materials.
Dunedin Public Libraries (“the Library”) is guided in all selection, deselection, and retention decisions by its Collection Development Policies. The Library also endorses the 1999 IFLA Statement on Libraries and Intellectual Freedom, the 2022 IFLA-UNESCO Public Library Manifesto, and the LIANZA Statement on Freedom of Information 2020.
Materials that cover topics that some members of the community may consider contentious, controversial, or sensitive may be included in the Library’s collections when they meet the selection criteria set out in its Collection Development Policies. It is the responsibility of a public library to serve every member of its designated community and represent the diversity of that community through its services and collections. A balanced, inclusive collection is built by professional librarians and attempts to represent differing viewpoints on a range of topics as far as the availability of good-quality materials, space, and budget allow. The inclusion of materials in the collection does not indicate that the views expressed therein are endorsed by the Library or its staff.
It is the right of the individual to make their own decision on what to read, listen, or view from the Library’s collections, except where access restrictions are made by Mana Whakaatu Classification Office. Parents and caregivers are responsible for their own child’s selection and viewing of library materials. Library members must accept that while other people’s views on what is appropriate may differ from their own, everyone has the right to decide for their own family.
All public libraries will contain materials that some members of the community may find objectionable, and may omit from the collection materials that some feel are important. In these cases, formal requests for reconsideration of specific library materials can be made. The Library will not include or exclude items based on the race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, or political views of an author or creator. An item’s perceived contentious, controversial, or sensitive content, use of offensive language, depictions of violence or sexually explicit activity, or endorsement or disapproval by an individual or group in the community will not lead to automatic inclusion in, or exclusion from, the Library’s collections. Only a demonstrated failure to meet some or all of the Library’s Collection Development principles and criteria, or direction from Te Mana Whakaatu Classification Office would exclude an item from selection or cause its removal from a collection.