Responsibility and Procedure
Selection is made by the librarian who evaluates and maintains the collection. The librarian identifies curricular and other needs for acquisition. The librarian consults with faculty, staff, students and other librarians, incorporating requests and suggestions into the purchase of instructional and other resources. Professionally recognized reviewing periodicals, standard catalogs, and other selection aids are used as part of the selection process.
Donations are judged by the selection and maintenance criteria and shall be accepted or rejected as appropriate.
Library principles support the freedom of access to information; oppose censorship, and offer diverse points of view on controversial issues.. In the case of a challenge to resources, the procedure for challenged resources will be followed.
Selection Criteria
Resources are selected using the following criteria:
● validity, currency and appropriateness of material in supporting the school's curriculum and programs
● suitability for the subject area, age, emotional development, ability level, learning styles, and social development of the students for whom the materials are selected
● creation of a balanced, diverse collection, including a breadth of fields of knowledge and recreational activities, and opposing views of controversial issues and events
● quality and variety of format
● appeal to a broad range of student interests and needs
● support of student language of instruction
● reflection of FIS community cultural interests
● reputation and significance of the author, producer, and publisher
● favorable reviews found in professional selection sources
● recommendations based on preview and examination of materials by professional personnel
Classification and Cataloguing
All libraries use the latest editions of Dewey Decimal classification system, the Sears List of Subject Headings/Library of Congress Subject Headings, and follow the cataloguing guidelines provided in AACR2/RDA. Alliance Plus is used to create records when available, and Z30 sources are used when Alliance Plus does not provide a record. Any changes to these records are decided upon by the librarian and made based on individual library needs. The library collections are not systematically leveled according to any specific reading scheme.
Collection Maintenance
The librarian conducts regular evaluation of the collection, including collection mapping to determine alignment with curricular needs and to create a balanced collection. Collection maintenance is an ongoing process that involves the removal (weeding) or replacement of aged, worn or lost materials, including those no longer needed, making place for newer, more appropriate items. This creates a more user-friendly library and supports the goals of selection.
● The entire collection should be weeded on an ongoing basis.
● Both objective (copyright date, low circulation) and subjective (physical condition, content) criteria will be used.
● Out-of-print and valuable historical materials may be kept.
● Requests by a department to keep a potential discard in the collection are considered in light of obtaining replacements.
● The ALA guidelines for weeding are used by all FIS/ISW libraries and are as follows:
Books that are “MUSTIE” will be removed:
Misleading and/or factually inaccurate
Ugly (worn beyond mending or rebinding)
Superseded by a new edition or a better source
Trivial (of no discernible literary or scientific merit)
Irrelevant to the needs and interests of the school
Elsewhere (the material may be easily obtained by another source)
● All discards have barcodes removed and are stamped “WITHDRAWN” or “DISCARDED.”
● Discarded materials are offered to faculty and staff for school and personal use, and then given to support school or community service projects. Those deemed not appropriate for reuse are disposed of.
● The age and circulation guidelines used for all the library collections come from recognized professional resources.
Challenged Resources
The complainant is welcomed to discuss their concern with the librarian. If the complaint is unresolved, the complainant is provided with the FIS Library Policy and a Request for Reconsideration of FIS/FISW Library Resource Form. The divisional principal is advised of the concern. If the form is not returned within two weeks, the matter will be considered closed. No duly selected resource, whose appropriateness is challenged, will be removed from the library prior to the final decision.
If the complainant completes and returns the form within two weeks, the librarian will:
● Read, view, and/or otherwise examine the challenged resource.
● Survey the challenged resource in professional reviewing sources.
● Determine to what extent the material supports the curriculum, school and library goals.
● Weigh the merits against the alleged faults to form an opinion on the resource as a whole, not just passages isolated from context.
● Prepare a written summary of the recommendations to be given to the principal for a decision.
Circulation and Access
Access
All library resources are catalogued and managed with Destiny circulation system. The library catalog is available online (OPAC). Online resources are can be accessed from each library’s page on the Haiku or FIS website.
Patrons
● All FIS/FISW students, faculty, staff, parents, and community members have an account and privileges at all libraries.
● Divisional library check-out limits and policies are addressed FIS system-wide.
Staffing and Funding
Staffing
The qualified librarian in each of the divisional libraries carries out their instructional duties including those identified in the Beliefs section as well as the managerial tasks to maintain the library’s resources – both physical and online – and its facilities. The librarians report to their respective principal and work in collaboration with the faculty and staff.
Operational and technical tasks such as circulation, cataloguing and processing of materials are handled with care and accuracy by trained paraprofessionals, who are an integral part of the library program. Their contributions ensure that the librarians have the time to fulfill their professional duties. Volunteers, with necessary training, may be sought to assist the paraprofessional staff with tasks such as shelving.
Funding
Each divisional library is allocated its own budget sufficient to function as a successful and exemplary school library. The budget supports both the physical and digital learning environments to meet the unique needs of each divisional library. The librarian manages the budget.