Policies
EFB(LEGAL) – INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES: LIBRARY MEDIA PROGRAMS (January 2025)
EFB(LOCAL) – INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES: LIBRARY MEDIA PROGRAMS (August 2025)
Collection Development Policy
The goal of this policy is to make sure that schools have a wide variety of books and other materials in their libraries. These materials should help students learn and come in different levels of difficulty, cover many different topics that students find interesting, and show different points of view. This policy also sets rules for how schools choose and evaluate what books and materials to have in their libraries.
When we talk about "library materials" in this policy, we mean things like books, e-books, online catalogs, and other things kept in the school library.
The rules for building the library collection apply to all materials that students can use or see, whether they're in the school library, classroom libraries or online catalogs.
When choosing materials for the library, the school district will think about the ages of the students, what grades they're in, and how easy it is for all students at a school to get to and use the library materials.
Responsibility
The District shall ensure librarians, professional library staff, and other designate professional staff trained on the proper collection development standards select and acquire library materials in accordance with state law and rules, this collection development policy, and administrative procedures.
The Superintendent shall develop administrative procedures to ensure that library collections comply with applicable law and the District's collection development purpose and goals.
In addition to the requirements in state law and rules, the District's library collections shall:
Present multiple viewpoints related to controversial issues.
Provide a wide range of background information that will enable students to make intelligent decisions in their daily lives.
Include accurate and authentic factual content from authoritative sources.
Have a high degree of potential user appeal and interest.
Offer a global perspective that promotes equity of access, including print and nonprint materials such as electronic and multimedia, to meet the needs of individual learners.
Represent diverse viewpoints and cultures appropriate to each campus to ensure the collection embodies the unique background of its student population.
Library materials shall be selected and acquired in accordance with guidelines adopted by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the District standards and priorities expressed in this policy.
When selecting, acquiring, and evaluating library materials, librarians and other professional staff shall ensure that the materials:
Enrich and support the TEKS and the state and local curriculum, taking into consideration students’ varied interests, maturity levels, abilities, and learning styles.
Foster growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciation, aesthetic values, and societal standards.
Encourage the enjoyment of reading, foster high-level thinking skills, support personal learning, and encourage discussion based on rational analysis.
Represent ethnic, religious, and cultural groups of the state and their contributions to the state, the nation, and the world.
The Superintendent shall ensure that administrative procedures regarding the selection of library materials consider at least two of the following factors:
Recommendations from students, parents or guardians, teachers, and District community members.
Consultation with District teachers and library staff.
Consultation with library staff from other districts.
Extensive review of the library material.
Context of the library material, including overall fit within the existing collection and support of District curriculum.
Reviews of the library material from sources such as professional journals in library science, recognized professional education or content journals with book reviews, national and state award recognition lists, library science field experts, and highly acclaimed author and literacy expert recommendations.
Coverage of topics, authors, series, or genres that fill gaps in the school library collection.