To further its mission to enrich our community by inspiring lifelong learning and providing access to information and ideas, the Pitkin County Library (Library) offers a full range of resources for the interest and enlightenment of all people the Library serves.
A public library serves as a center for voluntary inquiry and the dissemination of information and ideas. The public has the right to access a range of social, political, aesthetic, moral, and other ideas and experiences through a public library. The Library shall prohibit discrimination based on age, background, political or religious views, origin, disability, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, or ancestry in the selection, circulation, retention, display, use, or reconsideration of Library resources.
Removing library resources prevents others from examining, enjoying, and learning from the removed library resources. Other than for the routine collection maintenance outlined in the Library’s Collection Development Policy, the Library may only remove a Library resource from its permanent collection if the resource has been reviewed in accordance with this policy as required by Colorado Senate Bill 24-216.
Requests for Reconsideration by Patrons
The Library’s Collection Development Policy guides the collection and continuous evaluation of the collection to reflect the Library’s mission. The Pitkin County Library Board of Trustees recognizes that a collection of diverse materials may result in some requests for reconsideration; a Request for Reconsideration Form is available for this purpose. A submitted Request for Reconsideration form is not considered a protected library user record as described by current law but an open record under the “Colorado Open Records Act”.
To make a request for reconsideration of a Library resource, the individual making the request must reside in the legal service area for the Library. Anonymous or incomplete requests will not be accepted. A separate Request for Reconsideration Form must be submitted for each Library material, Library resource, program, exhibition, or display. Request forms may be delivered to a Library staff person or sent via U.S. Mail to:
Pitkin County Library
Attention: Library Director
120 N. Mill St
Aspen, CO 81611
Upon receipt of such a request, the following steps will be used to address concerns about a Library resource:
1. If a concerned patron is dissatisfied with informal discussion questioning the inclusion of an item in the collection, that person will be offered a packet of materials that includes this policy, the Library’s mission statement, the Library’s Collection Development Policy or Meeting Room Policy, a Request for Reconsideration Form, the American Library Association’s Freedom to Read statement, and the Library Bill of Rights.
2. The Library patron must complete the Request for Reconsideration of Library Resources Form for each resource they wish to challenge and submit it to the County Librarian. The Library will take appropriate action to ensure that the item will continue to be available in the collection during the duration of this process.
3. The County Librarian will appoint a review committee consisting of three professional Library staff members, which may include a Deputy Director, Library Supervisor, Collection Development staff, or a subject specialist. Copies of the material in question will be made available to each committee member.
4. Each committee member will review the item in question, review relevant library policy, and the submitted Request for Reconsideration form. As part of the consideration process, the committee shall also research reviews from recognized sources and evaluate the item’s Library circulation history.
5. Within 30 days, the committee will submit a written recommendation to the County Librarian. The County Librarian will inform the Library Board of Trustees of the committee’s recommendation and the County Librarian’s decision and will respond in writing to the library patron regarding the outcome. Committee members’ names will not be attributed. A brief explanation will be provided.
6. If the patron is not satisfied with the decision, a written appeal may be submitted to the Board of Trustees within 10 days. Such an appeal shall not exceed 500 words.
7. If the Board plans to address the appeal, the individual will be notified of when and where the meeting will be held. The County Librarian will provide copies of the original Request for Reconsideration of Library Resources Form and the committee’s written recommendation. If the patron appealing a staff decision wishes to address the Board in person, in the name of transparency, the patron’s name will be made publicly available as the submission is discussed as an agenda item at a meeting subject to the Colorado Open Records Act. In accordance with the Library’s Public Comment Policy, the Board of Trustees reserves the right to limit an individual’s public comment period to three minutes and the entirety of the public comment period to fifteen minutes. The Library Board will reconsider the decision based on whether or not the particular item conforms to the general criteria outlined in the Board-approved Collection Development Policy.
8. The Board of Trustees shall then make the final determination of the matter, notifying the library patron in writing of this action in a timely manner.
9. The board's decision is final. The completed decision to reconsider a specific title shall remain in effect for three years.
This policy was last reviewed on July 10, 2024 by the Pitkin County Library Board of Trustees.