Professional Selection TOols

The Red Oak Middle School Library strives to: 

• Create a collection that balances both printed and digital resources

• Create a collection of both fiction and nonfiction text 

• Create a collection of reliable and authoritative sources

• Create an age appropriate (ages 9-14, middle grade) collection 

• Give teachers, staff, and counselors resources to connect with students

The collection will consist of the following formats: printed books, magazines, podcasts, apps, ebooks, audiobooks, databases, and games/kits.    

In addition to staying in compliance with Red Oak ISD School Board Policy, the Red Oak ISD Learning Commons collection criteria should also include American Library Association (ALA) Guidelines:

• 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

• Be appropriate for the subject area and for the age, emotional development, ability level, learning styles, and social, emotional, and intellectual development of the students for whom the materials are selected

• Incorporate accurate and authentic factual content from authoritative sources

• The books/materials that are being considered for the library have been reviewed to make sure they have favorable recommendations based on preview and examination of materials by professional personnel such as a renowned review publication. (See list below)

• Exhibit a high degree of potential user appeal and interest

• Represent differing viewpoints on controversial issues

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

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

• Balance cost with need

• Additional Considerations for Electronic/Digital Resources:  

  • • • Ease: Is the resource easy for 6th-8th grade students to use? Will this resource require additional training for staff and/or students?

      • Support: Does district IT have capability to support this resource? Are additional software, hardware, devices needed?

      • Use: Does the resource allow for simultaneous use? Does it require a campus or district license?

According to the ROISD School Board Policy, materials may not be purchased that include harmful material or are obscene in nature:

• “Harmful material" means material whose dominant theme taken as a whole:

• Appeals to the prurient interest of a minor, in sex, nudity, or excretion;

• Is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable for minors; and

• Is utterly without redeeming social value for minors.