6077.20 | Selection Policy

The following principles guide the selection of books and other materials for the collection of the school libraries:

  1. The legal responsibility for the purchase of all instructional material is vested in the Board of Trustees. Responsibility for selection of library materials has been delegated to the library media teacher with the approval of the school principal.
  2. Selection of library materials will adhere to the principles of the Library Bill of Rights.
  3. The teacher librarian is charged with the responsibility of identifying, ordering, and organizing materials which will implement, enrich, and support the educational program and meets the needs, interests, goals, concerns and abilities of students.
  4. In the final selection of materials, the teacher librarian shall use the wealth of reputable, unbiased, professionally prepared, selection aids available as well as suggestions from teachers, administrators, parents, patrons, and students. Materials will have positive reviews in professional journals (e.g. Library Journal, School Library Journal, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Horn Book and/or other relevant sources) or be reviewed internally (such as un-reviewed self-published materials) by the teacher librarian
  5. Selection criteria include:
    1. Educational significance (supports core content standards, curriculum and subject areas) 
    2.  Value to the collection (including works that contain unique local or regional content)
    3. Reputation and significance of author or producer (including works that contain unique local or regional content)
    4. Clarity, adequacy, and scope 
    5. Validity, accuracy, objectivity, and appropriateness
    6. Organization and presentation of contents (suitable for circulation, bound in standard format, no loose leaf, oversized or moveable parts, stapled manuscripts, or spiral)
    7. Readability (has had the benefit of a professional editor/proofreader)
    8. Artistic quality and literary style
    9. Appropriateness for grade levels served
    10. Student/Parent interest
    11. Cost effectiveness.
      1. Full bibliographic records are available (MARC-Machine-Readable Cataloging)
      2. Has an International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
      3. Available through major distributors (e.g. Follett)
  6. The library media teacher continually evaluates and updates the collection to insure the needs of students and teachers are met. Deselection criteria includes:
    1. Poor physical condition or unattractive presentation
    2.  Not circulated within the past five years
    3.  Outdated content, not useful, or inaccurate
    4.  Mediocre or inferior quality
    5.  Inappropriate for grade level
    6.  Duplicated
    7.  Superseded
    8.  Inaccessible content due to lack of text features
    9.  Does not meet selection criteria
  7. Materials are purchased throughout the year, to provide the best service to teachers and students.
  8. To familiarize students with issues they will meet later in life, the libraries provide credible and factual materials from a variety of opposing viewpoints. These materials are often controversial. Materials that are obscene or advocate overthrowing the Government of the United States shall not be included. 
  9. Donated and self-published materials will be considered for the collection based on the above criteria. Donations become the property of the library and will be used at the discretion of the library.