USD#102 CIMARRON/ENSIGN
LIBRARY SELECTION POLICY
Mission Statement
The mission of the USD#102 Library Media Center is to provide professional service and resources in all applicable formats in order to meet the educational and informational needs and the education-related interests of the students and the staff by utilizing professional expertise, trained personnel, technology and activities.
Philosophy and Objectives
The Board of Education of USD#102 recognizes that the student is the center of education and all instruction should be tailored to fit each child’s developmental pattern. All children do not learn things equally, but must have an equal opportunity in the pursuit of education.
Therefore, the Board of Education of USD#102 hereby declares it is the policy of the district to provide a wide range of materials on all levels of difficulty, with diversity of appeal, and the presentation of different points of view and to allow review of allegedly inappropriate materials.
The primary objective of the school’s educational media center is to implement, enrich, and support the educational program of the school. It should provide up-to-date resource materials, both print and non-print, basic to the instructional program. These should supplement and enrich the instructional program. Further objectives are to provide a selected collection of books for general reading that will not only stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciation, aesthetic values, and ethical standards, but will also create a desire in students to continue reading with discrimination.
It is this philosophy that guides the library media specialists in the selection of all materials, print and non-print, that are placed in both library media centers. The library media specialist is further guided by the philosophy of materials selection set forth in the School Library Bill of Rights for School Library Media Center Programs (which is endorsed by the American Association of School Librarians).
Responsibility for Selection of Materials
A. The purchase of all media materials is legally vested in the Board of Education. The Board delegates to the school library media specialist the responsibility for actual selection of materials.
B. The library media specialist will choose materials for their own media centers that are keyed to the curricular and recreational interests and needs of the students and faculty. Initial purchase suggestions from administrators, faculty, students and parents will be considered. The widest participation at this level is encouraged. The library media specialist is responsible for the final evaluation and selection of materials.
Criteria for Selection of Materials
Materials are defined as all print and non-print resources, excluding textbooks, used by students and faculty in meeting the needs of pupils who attend the school in which the media center is located. The selection of materials is a continuous process which is dependent upon the following criteria:
A. The school library media specialist evaluates the existing collection and consults with administrators, teachers, community representatives, and students for recommendations for selection materials to purchase.
B. The school library media specialist is aided in selection by reputable, unbiased, professionally-prepared selection tools. These tools would consist of professional book selection aids, special bibliographies for reference materials and for subject fields, and current reviewing periodicals.
C. Additional purchase suggestions come from inter-library loan, visits to book exhibits, examination of bookstore stock, publishers’ samples seen at conferences, and texts and courses of students approved for use within the school district.
D. Coordinating purchasing to ensure the development of a valanced collection within a fixed budget, the library media specialists determine priorities among materials to be purchased. Evaluative criteria used to determine priorities include the following:
1. Materials will support and be consistent with the general educational goals of the district and the objectives of specific courses.
2. Materials must be appropriate for the subject area and for the age, ability level and social and emotional level of the students for whom the
materials are selected.
3. Materials will reflect the needs and interests of the students and faculty served by the media center.
4. Materials chosen will be by competent authors or producers.
5. Materials will present information with both accuracy and clarity.
6. Materials will be selected that show respect for miniority groups, women, and ethnic groups. They will be realistic and represent accurately and fairly these groups in today’s society.
7. Materials will be selected that are suitable for their intended use based on appearance and format.
8. Materials will be selected that have high user aappeal.
9. Materials will be selected for their strengths rather than rejected for their weaknesses. In some cases, materials may be selected using these procedures:
A. Gift materials will be judged by the library media specialists to determine if they meet the criteria previously set forth. They are then added to the collection or rejected. A donated item becomes the property of USD#102.
B. Multiple items of outstanding material may be purchased as needed.
C. Worn or missing items may be replaced.
