The Library will re-evaluate the selection of a program upon submission of a properly completed Request for Reconsideration of Library Programs form. These forms are available at the Information Desk. Forms will be accepted from registered cardholders who are residents of the Library’s legal service area.

Forms must be completed in their entirety, including the date, and the cardholder’s name, address, phone number or email, library card number, signature, and rationale for reconsideration and requested action.

The Director, in consultation with the appropriate Department Head and library workers, will make a decision regarding the program’s disposition. The Director’s determination may be appealed to the Library Board of Trustees, whose decision is final and binding. The program will remain on the calendar during the reconsideration process.

Future requests for reevaluating the same program will be addressed only if the grounds for reconsideration are substantially different from previous requests.

A good faith effort will be made to follow the procedures below. Those requesting reconsideration should be aware of time constraints between when the form is completed and when the program is scheduled, and submit requests in an accordingly timely manner. The procedure may be modified at the Director’s discretion, and steps may be eliminated or truncated based on the timeliness of the reconsideration request.

Procedures

1. Completed forms should be delivered, as appropriate, to the Head of Adult Services, Head of Youth Services, or Head of Access and Outreach with a copy to the Director and Assistant Director.
2. Within two weeks there will be an initial assessment of the request and a written response using the contact information provided in the form.
3. If the cardholder is not satisfied with the Department Head’s assessment, they may appeal in writing to the Director within two weeks. In such cases, the Director will convene a committee of appropriate Saratoga Springs Public Library professional librarians to review the request.
4. The committee will consider the program’s critical reception, demand by the public, and judge the overall merit of the program based on the breadth of programs that the library provides throughout the year, rather than as a standalone program. The committee will prepare a report for the Director of its recommendation regarding the program.
5. Informed by the committee’s recommendation, the Director will make a decision on the disposition of the program in question, and will inform the cardholder in writing within thirty days.
6. If the cardholder is not satisfied with the Director’s decision, they may appeal in writing to the Library Board of Trustees within two weeks.
7. The Board will respond in writing, generally by the conclusion of the second regularly scheduled meeting follow receipt of the appeal. The Board’s decision is final and binding.

We suggest you read the Saratoga Springs Public Library Program Selection Policy before completing this form. Copies are available at the Information Desk and the Children’s Room desk.