The purpose of the school library collection is to provide a variety of resources, including print materials, online databases and other digital resources that are aligned to the American Library Association (ALA) and American Association of School Libraries (AASL) national standards for school library programs and meet the following objectives:
to provide staff and students with materials that enrich and support the curriculum and meet the needs of the learning community;
to provide students with a wide range of educational materials on all levels of difficulty and in a variety of formats, with diversity of appeal, allowing for the presentation of many different points of view;
to select materials that present various perspectives, giving students an opportunity to develop analytical skills resulting in informed decisions; and
to select materials in all formats, including up-to-date, high quality, varied literature to develop and strengthen a love of reading.
The Teacher Librarian, along with school and district personnel, using the criteria in this section and section 4, have shared authority for selecting and deselecting (weeding) library resources. Library collections strive to:
be balanced to support readers at a variety of reading and language levels;
reflect diverse ideas and perspectives from a diverse range of populations;
provide a global perspective and promote diversity;
exemplify a range of genres and literary styles;
provide materials which implement, support, and enrich the curriculum;
provide materials for students that promote enjoyment of reading and listening;
provide materials for students to study issues that have political, economic, or social significance, and which allow for critical analysis of issues;
be appropriate for the maturity and ability of the student population; and
stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciation, and aesthetic values.
The following tools will be used to select school library materials:
professional journal reviews;
award lists;
recommendations from Teacher Librarians and district personnel;
recommendations from students, staff and community members; and
school library collection analysis.
For more information on the SES Library Selection Policy, please click here.