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Mountain View board approves updated collection-development policy to meet state requirement
Summary
The Mountain View Public Library Board voted to adopt a revised collection development policy that incorporates objectives from Assembly Bill 1825, which the presenters said requires public libraries that receive state funding to maintain a written, publicly accessible policy by Jan. 1, 2026.
The Mountain View Public Library Board of Trustees voted to approve an updated Collection Development Policy after staff said changes were needed to comply with a recently passed state bill.
Library senior librarian Cort Fields told the board that “in September 2024, California governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill number 1825, also known as the California Freedom to Read Act,” and that the bill requires public-library jurisdictions that receive state funding to “establish, adopt, and maintain a written and publicly accessible collection development policy for its libraries by 01/01/2026.” Fields said the policy revision incorporated objectives taken from the bill and condensed the library’s prior policy from 2019.
The revised policy, presented by Fields and Alex Pantezas of the youth bookmobile and collections division, describes the library’s selection and deselection (withdrawal) guidelines, procedures for gifts and donations, and a process for patrons to request reconsideration of materials. “The library is for everyone,” Fields said, summarizing the policy’s purpose: it is “a free resource to help the community connect, create, and learn.” Alex Pantezas told trustees that the policy explicitly states the library does not act in place of parents regarding what minors read.
Staff said the revision reduces internal jargon, clarifies criteria used in selecting materials (relevance to community, accuracy, format suitability, availability from vendors and consortium resources), and retains a separate treatment for the History Center’s holdings, which include archival documents, maps and manuscripts that may follow different preservation rules. Fields described a team that reviewed collection policies statewide and nationally and also noted that “we even ran things through ChatGPT” as part of research on modern policy language.
The policy adds a formal reconsideration path: a request-for-reconsideration form is available to patrons and is reviewed by the appropriate selector or manager rather than the board. Staff representatives clarified that reconsideration requests for materials already in the collection follow that process, while denials of purchase requests are treated differently and generally are referred back to the collection policy and to consortium resources such as Link+ when appropriate.
Trustees discussed the History Center holdings and the longstanding relationship with the Mountain View Historical Association. Staff said some items in the History Center are city-owned and others are held on behalf of the historical association under an agreement dating to the 1960s; a current inventory effort aims to clarify ownership as items are cataloged and digitized. Staff noted that the policy calls out the History Center because its archival materials do not always fit the general selection/withdrawal rules applied to circulating materials.
After discussion, a trustee moved to approve the policy as presented and a second was recorded; the board then approved the policy. The board also approved minutes from the June 16, 2025 meeting during the same session. The meeting record shows four trustees voting in favor and one trustee absent for roll call.
Staff announcements following the vote included personnel news (a promotion within the youth bookmobile and collections division and a new senior library assistant starting in September), capital-project scheduling (the library’s requested automated sorting/check-in equipment is funded in the city capital improvement program for fiscal year 2026–27), continued funding for the Career Online High School stipend program (noted as $100,000 approved by the City Council), and an update that a delivered lactation pod still requires permitting and seismic securing before public use.
The board directed staff to publish the updated policy and make the reconsideration form available to patrons. The trustees scheduled the next meeting for Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, at 7 p.m.
