Collection Development

The Carthage Central School District Library Department is fully invested in supporting the Carthage Central School District Mission and Vision by providing professional and purposeful library services, by creating and nurturing community connections, and by maintaining spaces and collections that are safe and vibrant resources that support all members of our community.

Our department mission to develop library spaces and services that serve as welcoming centers in our schools, where all members of our learning community can engage their curiosity and achieve their goals through reading, research, and ethical use of up-to-date resources and materials directly supports the following Carthage Central School District statements:

Carthage Central School District Mission

Carthage Central School District strives to educate and empower all learners, thus creating a community of caring and collaborative citizens who achieve excellence toward their future.

Carthage Central School District Vision

Examine and Learn from the Past

Educate the Present

Impact the Future

The Carthage Central School District Library Department supports the principles of intellectual freedom inherent in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution as expressed in official statements by the American Library Association, including the Library Bill of Rights and its interpretative statements and the Freedom to Read statement.

The Carthage Central School District Library Department internal collection development procedures are aligned with Carthage Central School District Board of Education policy 4513, adopted on October 16, 2023, and takes into account the following guidelines from that policy:

• Provide information that will enrich and support the curriculum, taking into consideration the varied interests, abilities, and maturity levels of the students served;

• Provide information that will stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciation, aesthetic values, and ethical standards;

• Provide information that will enable students to make intelligent judgements in their daily lives;

• Provide information on opposing sides of controversial issues so that young citizens may develop under guidance the practice of critical reading and thinking;

• Provide information representative of the many religious, ethnic, and cultural groups and their contributions to our American heritage;

• Include, in the body of works as a whole, characters and settings which reflect the racial, ethnic, cultural and religious makeup of the student body and the country as a whole;

• Promote the understanding and appreciation of culture, class, language, race, ethnicity and other differences that contribute to the diversity of American culture;

• Place principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice in the selection of materials of the highest quality in order to assure a comprehensive collection appropriate for the users of the library.

Our professional library team approaches the above guidelines with the following internal department goals in mind:

• Support the learning and instructional needs of the school community.

• Support reading and research for personal enjoyment and curiosity.

• Position the library as a partner in lifelong learning in our community.

Selection and Deselection: Library Department Dispositions

• Responsibility for the selection of library materials rests with professionally trained library personnel under the leadership of the Superintendent of Schools and the guidance of the Board of Education. 

• Professional library personnel may consider recommendations from the school community, as appropriate, and in keeping with the selection criteria considered for any other materials acquired by the library.

• Gifts and donated materials shall be judged by the selection criteria and shall be accepted or rejected according to those criteria.

• Selection is an ongoing process that includes removing materials that are no longer used or needed (also referred to as deselection), adding materials, and replacing lost and worn materials that still have educational value.

Selection: Library Department Considerations

         In addition to the guidance given in BOE Policy 4513, materials should:

• Support and enrich the curriculum and/or students’ personal interests and learning;

• Meet high standards in literary, artistic, and aesthetic quality; technical aspects; and physical format;

• Balance cost with need, considering current availability through resources available through the district and district partners, longevity of use, and relation to the existing Carthage Central School District library collections;

• Be appropriate for the age, emotional development, ability level, learning styles, and social, emotional, and intellectual development of the intended audience for whom the materials are selected;

• Incorporate accurate and authentic factual content from authoritative sources;

• Earn favorable reviews in standard reviewing sources and/or favorable recommendations based on preview and examination of materials by professional personnel;

• Represent differing viewpoints on controversial issues without promoting intolerance, prejudice, or discrimination against protected persons or groups; 

• Provide a global perspective and promote inclusion and diversity by including materials by authors and illustrators of all cultures;

• Demonstrate physical format, appearance, and durability suitable to their intended use.

Deselection: Library Department Considerations

Decisions for deselection will include ongoing considerations of established selection criteria as well as the following best library management practices: 

• Maintain a current, useful, dynamic collection

• Adapt to changing needs and interests of students and teachers

• Accommodate changes in the school’s curriculum

• Make the best use of floor and shelf space

• Improve the physical appearance of the collection

• Assess the collection’s strengths and weaknesses

• Increase circulation

Deselection: Library Department Procedural Guidelines

Deselected library materials must be disposed of properly and removed from the library catalog and inventory, following the best practices for disposal of obsolete library books. Items may be sent for recycling, disposed of through responsible means, or may be donated at the discretion of the librarian to members of the school community if the recipient is made fully aware of the reason for discarding. Items that are moldy or present a health hazard must be disposed of appropriately. Items discarded due to misinformation should be disposed of appropriately so that our misinformation does not become someone else's misinformation. All evidence of Carthage Central School District ownership must be removed before disposition takes place, and items must be marked “Discard.” District equipment and assets residing in the library must be disposed of according to the applicable district guidelines for that item.