Policy 3A.1 Library
Guiding Principles
The mission of the libraries at Anoka-Ramsey Community College is to enhance the educational experience of students, faculty, and staff by offering comprehensive curriculum resources and facilitating access to a diverse range of instructional and literary materials. As such, we provide many services and integral to the education process, including information literacy instruction, research assistance, database access, course reserves and interlibrary loan access. Because libraries play a crucial role in the education process, each library’s collection is aligned with the college curriculum to ensure that students, faculty, and staff have access to resources pertinent to their research and studies.
In developing and managing its collections, Anoka-Ramsey Community College Libraries fully subscribe to the American Library Association Bill of Rights, which in part affirms that:
- “Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.”
- “Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues.”
- “Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.”
- “Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.”
Intellectual Freedom, Censorship, and Equity Work
The libraries select and deselect materials in a variety of formats to support the curriculum, adhering to the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights and Freedom to Read Statement, as well as the Association of College & Research Libraries’ Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries. In addition, the libraries are committed to supporting the changing needs of the communities we serve, adhering to the Association of College & Research Libraries’ Diversity Standards and the Anoka-Ramsey Community College BRIDGES plan.
Policy Review and Evaluation
The libraries at Anoka-Ramsey Community College are committed to meeting the evolving needs of our students, faculty, and staff. To do so best, our policies and procedures will be reviewed periodically to ensure that we continue our high-quality services. Feedback from users, changes in academic programs, and developments in the publishing industry will help inform these reviews.
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History:
01.2025 Updated policy formatting and added additional language under “Guiding Principles”. Created new heading for “Intellectual Freedom, Censorship, and Equity Work,” updated and added language to section. Created new section detailing policy reviews and evaluation.
09.2018 Reviewed policy
05.2005 Updated policy
09.2025 Updated to add additional language under “Guiding Principles,” create a new heading, “Intellectual Freedom, Censorship, and Equity Work,” update references, and add a new section on policy review and evaluation.