This selection guide was compiled as an introduction to the subject of acquiring library materials for the mentally handicapped. It is intended for a wide variety of users: librarians who work in public, hospital, and school libraries; people who consult with publishers; and people who have responsibility for selecting materials for use with or by the mentally handicapped. In preparing the guide, teachers and educational advisers in the field of mental handicaps and librarians in public and hospital libraries were asked for their views and these have been incorporated in the text. Criteria presented are guidelines that can be applied to each book under consideration. A section on library service provides guidance on enabling the mentally handicapped person to benefit from the books and libraries in his community. The publication serves as a guide that can be adopted or adapted to fit local conditions and needs, and it provides advice on the appropriate structure and content which librarians may identify in material locally available to them. Selection guidelines for both books and audiovisual media are included. The document concludes with a ten-page select bibliography of books and articles useful to librarians and others concerned with finding and utilizing reading materials for the mentally handicapped; languages represented are English, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Norwegian, and Swedish. (THC)