A PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATION OF SELECTION AND RECONSIDERATION POLICIESYULONDA WALLACEDEVELOPING INFORMATION COLLECTIONSLIBM 6360FALL 2011

Selection Decisions

Statement of Philosophy

Meet both the curricular and personal needs of students.

To provide a wide range of learning resources at varying levels of difficulty, with diversity of appeal and the presentation of different points of view to meet the needs of students and teachers.

Important documents declaring freedom to read such as the Constitution of the United States and the Library Bill of Rights.

Selection Objectives

“The primary objective of school libraries is to implement, enrich, and support the educational program of the school. In the area of material selection, school libraries provide a wide range of materials on various levels of difficulty, with consideration for diversity and different points of view. These materials are also non-book formats and found on the internet.

Responsibility of Selection

Although the Little Rock School District (LRSD) Board of Education is “legally responsible for the instructional materials used in the district, the ongoing process of selecting materials for the library media center is primarily the responsibility of the library media center specialist assigned to each building. Since collections reflect the complexion and needs of each individual building’s population and the specific curriculum that is adopted, the library media specialists involve many people (principal, teachers, students, and parents) in the process of choosing materials.”

Selection Criteria

Learning resources will meet high standards of quality in:

-artistic, historical, and literary style-educational significance-favorable reviews found in standard selection sources-reputation and significance of the author, producer, and

publisher-validity, accuracy, currency, and appropriateness of

material-high degree of potential user appeal-quality and variety of format-value commensurate with cost and/or need-timeliness or permanence-integrity

Gifts

Donated items must relate to the curriculum and be current and relevant to the curriculum. All gifts become the property of the school district. The media center does not accept gifts with restrictions or conditions relating to their final use, disposition, or location.

Selection Procedures

Administrators, teachers, and students may request specific items or types of materials.

The media specialist learns about materials reading reputable, professionally prepared reviews in publications such as Books in Print (R.R. Bowker), Children’s Catalog (H.W. Wilson) Booklist, or School Library Journal among others which evaluate currently published materials

The library media specialist should also keep a consideration file of suggested or requested materials for purchase including the identifying source and the person who requested the item.

The media specialist will base the selection decision on several considerations, including collection policy, budget, content, format, use, and immediacy of need.

Policies on Controversial Materials

The Little Rock School District adheres and supports the principle of intellectual freedom and the freedom to read

Any resident or employee of the district may formally challenge learning resources used in the district’s educational program on the basis of appropriateness. This procedure is for the purpose of considering the options of those persons in the schools and the community who are not directly involved in the selection process

Request for Informal Reconsideration of Materials

The school receiving a complaint regarding a learning resource shall try to resolve the issue informally by listening calmly and with courtesy to the complainant.

The principal or other appropriate staff shall explain to the questioner the school’s selection procedure, criteria, and qualifications of those persons selecting the resource.

The principal or other appropriate staff shall explain the particular place the questioned resource occupies in the education program, its intended educational usefulness, and additional information regarding its use, or refer the party to someone who can identify and explain the use of the resource.

If the questioner wishes to file a formal challenge, a copy of the district Selection of Learning Resources policy and a Request for Reconsideration of Learning Resources form shall be handed or mailed to the party concerned by the principal.

Guiding Principles when dealing with a Request for Reconsideration

Any resident or employee of the school district may raise objection to learning resources used in a school’s educational program despite the fact that the individuals selecting such resources were duly qualified to make the selection, followed the proper procedure and observed the criteria for selecting learning resources.

No parent has the right to determine reading, viewing or listening matter for students other than his/her own children.

Little Rock School District supports the LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS, adopted by the American Library Association. (A copy of the LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS is linked to this policy.) When learning resources are challenged, the principles of the freedom to read/listen/view must be defended as well.

Access to challenged material shall not be restricted during the reconsideration process.

The major criterion for the final decision is the appropriateness of the material for its intended educational use.

A decision to sustain a challenge shall not necessarily be interpreted as a judgment of irresponsibility on the part of the professionals involved in the original selection and/or use of the material.

Weeding

Weeding or de-selection is a key active and continuous program in maintaining the library collection. This procedure ensures that the library collection is relevant, accurate, useful, and that it facilitates efficient use of space.

Factors to consider when weeding

Library collections need to be dynamic and should subject to continual evaluation to remain useful and appealing. Besides the basic need to consider currency of material, changes in curriculum, and wear or deterioration of library materials, key reasons for weeding include:

giving the library media center a reputation for reliability through an up-to-date collection.

providing the best possible service through a collection of quality library materials.

creating a fresh, inviting environment where users can find up-to-date information.

identifying materials which need repairing, rebinding, or replacing.

Rapidly changing fields such as technology, astronomy, transportation, communication, atomic energy, careers, ecology, and foreign governments are some of the main challenges in the process of weeding and maintaining a current collection.

Who does the weeding?

The library media specialist is the person who does the best job of weeding because he/she is the one who has a thorough understanding of the existing collection, of the school’s curriculum, of the various units taught in all classrooms, and of the reading interests and levels of students. In highly specialized areas where the library media specialist is uncertain about some materials, the classroom teachers should be consulted about which materials can be discarded without affecting curriculum needs.

References

American Library Association. (2011). Workbook for Selection Policy Writing. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/essential preparation

Bishop, K. (2007). The collection program in schools: Concepts, practices, and information sources (4th ed.). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Department of Education State of Hawaii. (n.d.). MATERIALS SELECTION POLICY FOR SCHOOL LIBRARIES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STATE OF HAWAII OFFICE OF CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND STUDENT SUPPORT [Manual]. Hawaii: Department of Education State of Hawaii. Resources for School Librarians, Hawaii.

Georgetown TX Independent School District. (n.d.). Library Procedures Manual [Manual]. Georgetown, TX: Author. Resources for School Librarians, (IV. Collection Development), Georgetown, TX.

Indian Prairie Community Unit School District 204. (2006). LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER POLICY AND PROCEDURE MANUAL INDIAN PRAIRIE COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DISTRICT 204 [MANUAL]. Aurora, Naperville & Bolingbrook, IL: Indian Prairie Community Unit School District 204. Resources for School Librarians, Aurora, Naperville & Bolingbrook, IL.

Little Rock School District. (2008-2009). LITTLE ROCK SCHOOL DISTRICT Library Media Center Handbook of Procedures [Manual]. Little Rock, AR: Author.

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