Introductory Statements to the First Edition

Presented at the Wisconsin Library Association Annual Conference, Oshkosh Convention Center, October 1989

We would like to thank all of the library directors who responded to our request to send to us copies of your present library policies. We received responses from over 75 libraries serving populations of 10,000 or less. It was not only the great numbers of policies which overwhelmed us, but also the many good comments and words of encouragement for the project we had taken on -- "to formulate sample policies to serve as a foundation for those libraries currently operating without formal written policies or with policies that are obsolete."

It is our hope that through the presentation at this conference and statewide distribution of this document we, as a committee of librarians representing small libraries throughout Wisconsin, can help in a small way to make your job as a library director just a little bit easier.

This document is organized in such a manner that it provides:

  1. a logical format for a complete set of library policies suggestions of individual policies to include points to be addressed within each policy
  2. possible wording for specific policies

The document has been prepared for you to copy, or adapt to your own libraries, from policies used by other libraries in the state. If you look carefully, you might read something very familiar! Also used as a resource was the Public Library Policy Resource Manual published by the Michigan Library Association.

Of special note are the appendices listed at the end of the document. The "Statement of Concern About Library Resources" is adapted from a sample included in the new Wisconsin Trustee Manual. We reviewed many formats of this type of statement, but selected this example because it was simple, concise, and presented in very positive language. This document does not include the "Library Bill of Rights", the "Freedom to Read Statement", or other statements such as "Freedom to View" since they are readily available through system headquarter libraries.

We encourage you to use this document with your library board in writing or updating policies for your own library. Feel free to reproduce any or all of this document.

Good luck!

The Small Library Committee - Sylvia Frye Accardi, 1989 Chair