About the Library Learning Commons

Pingree School Library Learning Commons 

Collection Development Policy

LIBRARY LEARNING COMMONS MISSION

• To empower the Pingree School community to pursue knowledge with courage and imagination by providing resources that promote deep learning, ethical research practices, interdisciplinary inquiry, and creative, meaningful engagement with ideas.

• To sustain a welcoming and inclusive learning commons that encourages curiosity, collaboration, independent scholarship, and intellectual courage.

• To curate print and digital collections that reflect the diversity of the world, ensure meaningful representation, and support the development of informed, empathetic citizens prepared to engage thoughtfully with a complex global society.

1. GENERAL PRINCIPLES

The Pingree School Library Learning Commons is guided by Pingree School’s mission and is informed  by the principles set forth in the Library Bill of Rights and its interpretative statements, including “Access to Resources and Services in the School Library Program” and The Students’ Right to Read statement of the National Council of Teachers of English. See Appendix (in this policy) for the Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read statement. The goals of the Library Learning Commons are: 

• To provide faculty and students with materials that enrich and support the curriculum and meet the needs of the students and faculty served.

• To provide students with a wide range of educational materials at 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 sides of controversial issues, giving students the opportunity to develop analytical skills that lead to informed decision-making.

• To select materials in all formats, including up-to-date, high-quality, and varied literature, to develop and strengthen a love of reading.

2. RESPONSIBILITY FOR SELECTION

The Director of the Library Learning Commons contributes to the selection and acquisition of materials, which are based on a variety of professional journal articles and review sources (see Appendix).  Recommendations and requests from students, faculty, and staff are considered for purchase provided corroboration is provided via a positive review from a professional or authoritative source, inclusion in a standard subject bibliography, or otherwise satisfying the stated acquisition criteria.

When selecting materials, students are placed at the center, considering the community values by which we are all guided. The Director of the Library Learning Commons embraces the responsibility of developing student-oriented collections by:

• Interacting with students with understanding, respect, and responsiveness

• Understanding and responding to societal and technological changes

• Recognizing that materials of varying complexities and formats are necessary to satisfy the diverse needs of library users

• Balancing individual needs and broader community needs in determining the best allocation of collection budget for acquiring or providing access to materials and information

• Seeking continuous improvement through ongoing measurement

• Reviewing the collection on a regular basis to identify areas of community interest that may need to be strengthened

Only by fostering a strong connection with our community and with our curriculum can the Director of the Library Learning Commons at Pingree create a philosophical approach to collection development that meets the needs of our students.

3. SELECTION CRITERIA

In support of Pingree School’s mission to empower its community to pursue knowledge with courage and imagination and to foster informed, empathetic citizens, the Library Learning Commons develops a student-centered and diverse collection guided by established selection criteria. The Director maintains professional knowledge of educational pedagogy, relevant content areas, literature across age levels, global issues, and matters of equity and inclusion to ensure thoughtful, responsible, and mission-aligned resource selection.  Materials selected should:

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

• 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.

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

• Exhibit a high degree of potential user appeal and interest.

• Represent differing viewpoints on controversial issues.

• Provide a global perspective and promote anti-racism and diversity by including materials by historically marginalized and underrepresented identities.

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

Final decisions regarding selection, retention, or removal of materials rest with the Director of the Library Learning Commons, in consultation with the Curriculum Committee, Academic Leadership Team, and the Head of School as appropriate.

4. ACQUISITION PROCEDURES

In selecting resources, the Director of the Library Learning Commons will evaluate available resources and curriculum needs and will consult reputable, professionally prepared aids to selection, and other appropriate sources (see Appendix). The actual resource will be examined whenever possible. Recommendations for purchase involve administrators, teachers, students, and community members, as appropriate, and will be judged according to our selection criteria. 

5. GIFTS AND GIFT MATERIALS

Monetary donations are always accepted gratefully and should be routed through the Pingree School Advancement Office for processing. 

Gift materials are judged by the selection criteria outlined in these guidelines and will be accepted or rejected by those criteria. Gifts and donated materials are accepted with the understanding that the decision for use and disposition of the materials and/or funds will be determined using the same selection criteria as purchased materials. All materials should support the curriculum and needs of students. Gifts and donations, like purchased resources, will be removed from the collection at the end of their useful life.

When an item is not  suitable  for the library collection, a variety of other venues are grateful for donations. More Than Words in Waltham, MA is a mission-aligned  organization to which we donate.

6. COLLECTION MAINTENANCE AND WEEDING

Selection is an ongoing process that should include removing materials that are no longer used or needed, adding materials, and replacing lost and worn materials that still have educational value. Fiction books lost by community members can be replaced by providing the library with a copy in excellent condition, or by the school charging the cost of replacement through the Business Office. 

The Director of the Library Learning Commons will conduct an annual inventory of the collection and equipment. The inventory can be used to determine losses and remove damaged or worn materials which can then be considered for replacement. The inventory can also be used to deselect and remove materials that are no longer relevant to the curriculum or of interest to students. 

7. RECONSIDERATION OF MATERIALS

Libraries have diverse materials reflecting different points of view, and a library’s mission is to provide access to information to all users. All library users have a First Amendment right to read, view, and listen to library resources. The Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read Statement of the American Library Association are used as guiding documents to understanding the philosophical foundations of libraries.

Despite the careful selection of library resources and the qualification of those involved in the selection process, objections to library resources that are deemed offensive or inappropriate may occur.  Any community member of Pingree School may express a request for  reconsideration of a library resource. In all reconsideration decisions, the School will balance the principles of intellectual freedom with its responsibility to provide age-appropriate, educationally relevant resources that support Pingree School’s mission and the wellbeing of its students.

Any member of the community has the right to express concerns about library resources and expect to have the objection taken seriously.  If the complaint is not resolved informally, the Director of the Library Learning Commons or Administrative Team member will explain the formal reconsideration process and provide the individual with a copy of the Pingree School library selection policy and a request for reconsideration of library resources form.

8. COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES REVIEW

This  set of guidelines will be reviewed every five years, or as needed, and shared with key administrators as well as made available on all internal and external library websites.

APPENDIX

Library Bill of Rights

The Freedom to Read Statement, ALA

Professional journals and review sources include but are not restricted to the following:

Book Links

Booklist

Horn Book

ISTE

Kirkus Reviews

Library Journal

New York Times Book Review

NPR Books

School Library Journal

Tech and Learning

We Need Diverse Books

Prizes that acknowledge the literary and artistic value of works include, but are not restricted to the following:

For Young Adults:

Alex Award For Best Adult Books for Young Adults

American Indian Book Award

Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award

Coretta Scott King/Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement

Margaret A. Edwards Award

Michael L. Printz Award

Schneider Family Book Award

Stonewall Book Award

Sydney Taylor Book Award

William C. Morris Award

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults

For Adults:

Agatha Award

American Library Association Black Caucus Selections

Anthony Award

Booker Prize

Bram Stoker Award

Edgar Award

Hugo Award

National Book Award

Nebula Award

Nobel Prize for Literature

PEN/Faulkner Award

Pulitzer Prize

Stonewall Award

Updated January 2026