7.101R Selection of Educational Resources

Last updated: January 2024

Educational resources can be found in classrooms, libraries and other areas of the school. Educational resources are selected to enrich and support the curriculum, while encouraging student personal interests. The school-wide collection of resources should be well balanced, containing varied levels of difficulty and in a variety of formats, with diversity of appeal, allowing for the presentation of different points of view.

The librarian, curriculum coordinators and curriculum area leaders/team leaders consult with colleagues and students, 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. 

Resources are selected using the following criteria as described below.

Resources support students/learners and the community through ensuring they:

• Appeal to a broad range of student interests and needs.

• Enrich and support the curriculum.

• Include popular material.

• Offer diversity, balance and representation.

• Address a breadth of fields of knowledge and recreational activities.

• Include opposing views of controversial issues and events.

This is achieved through the following tools:

• Favorable reviews found in professional selection sources.

• Reputation.

• Significance.

• Recommendation based on preview and examination of materials by professional personnel.

The above tools allow the librarian, curriculum coordinator or curriculum area leaders/team leaders to determine the:

• Validity.

• Suitability (for the subject area, age, emotional development, ability level, learning styles, and social development of the students for whom the materials are selected).

• Appropriateness.

• Currency.

Where resources are displayed around the school (such as on bulletin boards, on shelving or in display cases), the resources are appropriately titled and their purpose is explained.