As a private college governed by its own Board of Trustees, Kalamazoo College does not acknowledge censorship attempts on the part of persons or groups outside the corporate structure of the institution.

To evaluate the criticism of persons or groups legitimately related to the college and to establish guidelines for the acquisition of materials of potentially controversial nature, the Library follows this policy:

A. To support the College’s mission, the Kalamazoo College Library makes available materials offering the widest possible variety of viewpoints, regardless of the popularity of the viewpoints or the popularity or unpopularity of their authors.

B. Selection of materials for the Kalamazoo College Library is based on the criteria expressed in this document regardless of the frankness of language or controversial manner authors may use in dealing with subjects of religion, politics, sex, or other issues.

The Library adheres to the principles of intellectual freedom as outlined in the Library Bill of Rights of the American Library Association in the acquisition and retention of library materials. Possession should be not interpreted as an endorsement by the Library or the College but rather as the fulfillment of the responsibility to present all sides of issues by the best spokespersons available. The Library assumes the maturity of the readers for whom these materials are available.

Procedure for Challenges

To request reconsideration of an item currently in the collection, please complete the Reconsideration of Library Materials Form.  Formal challenges to materials in our collections are handled on a case-by-case basis and may only be made by currently enrolled students and employees of Kalamazoo College. The Library Director makes the final decision regarding challenged materials and will provide a written response to the requestor within 15 business days. The item will be reviewed against the collection development guidelines, including but not limited to such factors as currency, relevance, curricular value, and accuracy. The Library and College’s mission, vision, values, guiding principles, and strategic goals will also inform the decision. The library will not exclude materials because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation. Kalamazoo College Library reserves the right to make the final decision on the deselection or retention of all items within our collections.