6163.1 - Selection of School Library Material

6163.1

Instruction

Selection of School Library Material

The Windsor Locks Public Schools Library Media Centers play a vital role in carrying out the mission of the district by providing a comprehensive and diverse collection of quality materials to support, implement, and enrich the school curriculum and to meet the information needs of each student, teacher, and staff member. The Library Media Centers seek to provide a safe and innovative learning environment in which students can learn how to retrieve, interpret, synthesize, and present information from a variety of resources in order to develop the skills needed to succeed in an ever-changing world.

Being able to successfully navigate the ever-changing world of information is essential for students' success as they become proactive members in their communities. Students are taught how to properly use dynamic electronic resources to search and retrieve empowering information. The Windsor Locks Public Schools Library Media Centers strive to encourage life-long learning. The Library Media Centers promote the love of reading as endorsed by the American Library Association.

Library Media Center Objectives:

In order to service the Windsor Locks Public Schools learning community and achieve the District mission, the following objectives are established for the Library Media Center Program:

1. The Library Media Center will provide materials that support the individual curricula of the school through a comprehensive selection process that involves library media specialists, administrators, teachers, and students.

2. The Library Media Center will provide materials that support the educational enrichment needs of students. Materials will amplify and expand upon the curriculum.

3. The Library Media Center will provide differentiated materials to students. It will provide for a variety of reading abilities and include high interest materials in addition to research-oriented materials.

4. The Library Media Center will provide for recreational reading interests of students through the provision of materials in fiction and nonfiction and shall include works that fall into many genres, including classics, as well as popular fiction and periodicals.

5. The Library Media Center will provide intellectual access to information through systematic learning activities which develop cognitive strategies for selecting, retrieving, analyzing, evaluating, synthesizing, and creating information at all age levels and in all curriculum content areas.

6. The Library Media Center will provide physical access to information through a carefully selected and systematically organized collection of diverse learning resources, representing a wide range of subjects, levels of difficulty, communication formats, and technological delivery systems. Access to information and materials outside the Library Media Center and the school building is made possible through Library Media Center websites and subscription online databases. The Library Media Center provides instruction in the operation of equipment necessary to use the information in many formats.

7. The Library Media Center will provide leadership, instruction, and consulting assistance in the use of instructional and information technology.

8. The Library Media Center will provide resources and activities that contribute to lifelong learning, while accommodating a wide range of differences in teaching and learning styles and in instructional methods, interests, and capacities.

9. The Library Media Center will provide a facility which functions as the information center for integrated, interdisciplinary, inter-grade, and school-wide learning activities.

10. The Library Media Center will provide resources and learning activities that represent a diversity of experiences, opinions, and social and cultural perspectives, supporting the concept that intellectual freedom and access to information are prerequisites to effective and responsible citizenship in a democracy.

General Selection Criteria:

Library Media Center staff will collect items that support the curriculum and reflect the interests of the student body. The Library Media Center will purchase items that facilitate learning and support State and National benchmarks for excellence. The Library Media Center will also purchase materials that instill a love of reading and nurture life-long learning. Information presented through various media, including print, non-print, and electronic resources, will inspire students to understand complex ideas and become empowered citizens.

The Library Media Center contains fiction and nonfiction books that have been chosen to teach and excite learning in all students. Materials selected for inclusion in the Library Media Center collections shall be chosen for their relevance to the curriculum and State and National Standards. In doing so, each item will be examined to determine its individual merit and to see how it complements the existing collection.

The following general selection criteria will apply to all materials, including electronic, print, and non-print resources:

1. 1. 1. 1. Library materials shall support and be consistent with the general educational goals of the state of the CT and the Windsor Locks Public Schools District, as well as address the aims and objectives of the students and staff.

         2. Materials must present high standards of quality in physical format, treatment of subject matter, accuracy and currency of information, presentation and organization, readability, and artistic or literary style.

         3. Materials shall contribute to a collection that reflects diverse interests, abilities, socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicities, maturity levels, and students’ extracurricular interests. Materials should be free of bias and stereotype.

         4. Materials shall be appropriate for the subject area and for the age, emotional development, ability levels, learning styles, culture, and social development of students. The Library Media Center will also provide materials appropriate for students with special needs.

         5. Materials shall meet the needs and interests of students and faculty, as well as facilitate parent involvement with their students' studies.

         6. Physical format and appearance of library materials shall be suitable for their intended use.

         7. Materials shall be current.

         8. Materials shall be selected to help students gain an awareness of our diverse society.

         9. Materials shall be selected for their strengths rather than rejected for their weaknesses.

         10. Materials shall be selected to represent differing viewpoints on controversial issues in order to encourage critical analysis of such issues, exploration of personal beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors, and the development of intelligent judgments.

         11. The Library Media Center will follow copyright and fair use policies as established by the American Library Association (ALA).

Selection Criteria by Format:

The general selection criteria discussed above pertain to all Library Media Center materials. The following formats have additional concerns.

Print Materials

Books will be evaluated based on:

● Overall design quality

● Quality and relevance of illustrations

● Type style

● Density of text

● Durability of bindings

● Reading level

● Budget

Newspapers and periodicals that support the curriculum, promote instructional goals, and/or entertain and encourage outside student interests are purchased.

Reference sources will be purchased based on:

● Support of curriculum

● Cost effectiveness

● Accuracy

● Authority

● Ease of use and navigability

● Budget

Non-Print Materials

Electronic Resources such as Websites, online databases, and apps that:

● Support the curriculum

● Allow a diversity of media formats

● Represent appropriate technical and artistic quality

● Allow flexible pacing

● Provide multiple levels of difficulty

● Contain search and navigation tools that promote information retrieval

● Are accurate and current

● Budget

Digital Media that:

● Support curriculum

● Are appropriate for the intended user

● Provide diverse presentation

● Are appropriate in length and pace

● Present clear images and sound

● Budget

Audio/Electronic books that:

● Augment the print collection

● Support the curriculum

● Are appropriate for the intended user

● Provide diverse content

● Budget

Selection Procedures

The library media specialist is responsible for the overall quality and balance of the collection and will select resources through ongoing evaluation procedures. The library media specialist will rely on professional selection aids in order to develop and maintain a comprehensive collection. Library media specialists may also consider the consultation of crowd-sourced reviews.

School Staff: Since the Library Media Center collection is an integral part of the instructional and learning process, faculty are encouraged to provide individual and departmental input.

Students: To ensure that a variety of recreational reading needs are met, students are encouraged to suggest authors and titles to the library media specialist, who will determine if the suggestions are appropriate for the collection.

Selection Resources

The library media specialist will consult reputable selection resources and may consult individual discipline curriculum standards.

Professional review literature may include:

● Book Links

● Booklist

● Follett TITLEWAVE

● Kirkus Review

● School Library Journal

● Horn Book

● Junior Library Guild

● Other Professional Journals

Collection Maintenance: Assessment, Weeding, and Preservation

In order to ensure that the library collection is current, comprehensive, and appealing, ongoing evaluation and weeding procedures are implemented. Ongoing weeding procedures help maintain the integrity of the collection and encourage the use of materials. Statistics gathered through the process provide an accurate description of the adequacy of the collection. The library media specialist relies on knowledge of the collection, the curriculum, and the potential for use in the evaluation process, and as a result is the ultimate authority for removal of materials.

Assessment of materials occurs informally through daily use and systematically through inventory and weeding procedures. The process is initiated annually using the automated inventory system to compute the average age of the collection, determine the weight of each Dewey system category, update circulation figures, and identify duplicate and lost copies of materials. The weeding process is ongoing and does not disrupt normal Library Media Center usage.

Criteria for weeding include several factors:

1. Publication Date: Copyright date affects materials differently depending on type. For example, reference materials are considered current when they are no more than 5 years old, whereas nonfiction history and literature books have a longer shelf life. The library media specialist is aware of the copyright average age of every Dewey number and purchases and purges materials accordingly.

2. Content: Materials will be assessed by their relevance to the collection and current or future curricular needs. Some materials may be removed due to outdated social or cultural content. They will not be removed solely on the basis of challenge. Materials will be culled which are inappropriate for the grade level or provide inaccurate information.

3. Physical Condition: Books which are worn, frayed, or cannot be fixed will be removed or replaced. Library Media Center materials that are damaged, inoperable, or missing component parts will similarly be removed.

4. Circulation: Materials that have poor circulation (for example, titles that have not been checked out for five years) become candidates for culling.

5. Obsolescence: Obsolete material will be culled. Duplicate copies which are no longer in demand will also be removed. Periodicals and newspapers will be recycled according to currency and use.

RECONSIDERATION OF RESOURCES/ CHALLENGES TOTHE COLLECTION

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 resident, employee, or student of the school district may express an informal concern or formal request for reconsideration of a library resource.

In the event that a parent of a currently enrolled student, teacher, currently enrolled student, or other town resident expresses a concern over the inclusion of an item in the Library Media Center collection, that person shall be referred to the library media specialist. The library media specialist will attempt to resolve the issue informally through discussion to clarify the specific concern. The library media specialist will describe the purpose of the item within the curriculum and educational framework. The library media specialist will also explain the Windsor Locks Public Schools Library Media Center selection procedures and criteria and the qualifications of persons selecting resources.

If the concerned party is still not satisfied, the library media specialist will ask him or her to complete a Request for Reconsideration of School Library Media Materials form, inform the principal, and initiate a formal request for reconsideration protocol.

Formal Request for Reconsideration Protocol:

1. Make every effort to resolve the complaint informally, making the complainant aware of the selection procedures.

2. Inform the complainant of the procedures to file a formal Request for Reconsideration request within 10 working days and supply information and forms needed to file the written complaint. During the process and until a final resolution, the challenged material shall be returned and remain in circulation.

3. If a completed Request for Reconsideration form is not submitted within ten business days, the matter is considered closed.

4. Within 10 working days of receipt of the Request for Reconsideration form, the library media specialist will meet with the building principal to discuss the challenge.

5. Results will be conveyed to the complainant.

6. If the issue is not resolved to everyone’s satisfaction, the following steps will be taken:

● Convene a review committee within 15 working days of receipt of the Request for Reconsideration.

● The committee will be composed of the principal, the library media specialist, and/or the director of curriculum, a reading/language arts consultant, and a teacher.

The committee will be charged with the following tasks:

1. Review the complaint

2. Reexamine the challenged material

3. Survey appraisals of the material and professional reviews

4. Judge the merits of the material on its entirety rather than on isolated parts

5. Discuss the material and prepare a written decision within 15 working days

7. If the complainant is not satisfied with the committee’s decision, he or she may appeal this decision within 7 days.

Superintendent’s Level: The superintendent shall, within 15 working days of receipt of the appeal, review the complaint and the decision of the committee and render a decision with respect to the challenge.

1. The District-Level Reconsideration Committee will consider any appeals from the school level. The committee will be appointed by the Superintendent or his/her designee as follows:

1. Director of school library services

2. Director of elementary, middle, or secondary education, as appropriate

3. Curriculum coordinator specializing in reading from the appropriate level

4. District-level library services staff

5. School librarian from the appropriate level

6. Other district-level instructional directors

7. A student from the level in which the challenged material resides (middle or high school level only)

Board of Education Level: Within 15 working days after receipt of the superintendent’s decision, the complainant may appeal to the Board of Education. The Board of Education shall review the decision of the superintendent within 30 working days of receipt of the appeal and render a decision regarding the merits of the challenge. The Board of Education will notify the complainant of its final decision.

1. The procedures for an appeal to the Board of Education will be as follows:

1. An appeal of the decision made by the District-Level Reconsideration Committee must be made in writing to the superintendent within 10 days of the system-level committee decision.

2. A decision on the complaint will be made at the next regular meeting or special meeting within 30 days of the written request to the superintendent.

3. The board reserves the right to use outside expertise if necessary to help in its decision making.

4. The chairperson for the District-Level Reconsideration Committee will present the committee's decision to the board.

5. The complainant or designee will present the petitioner’s position.

6. The board decision will be final, and the superintendent will implement the decision.

7. Decisions on reconsidered materials will stand for five years before new requests for reconsideration of those items will be entertained.

Library Bill of Rights

The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services.

I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.

II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.

IV. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.

V. A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.

VI. Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.

VII. All people, regardless of origin, age, background, or views, possess a right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use. Libraries should advocate for, educate about, and protect people’s privacy, safeguarding all library use data, including personally identifiable information.

Adopted June 19, 1939, by the ALA Council; amended October 14, 1944; June 18, 1948; February 2, 1961; June 27, 1967; January 23, 1980; January 29, 2019. Inclusion of “age” reaffirmed January 23, 1996.

Although the Articles of the Library Bill of Rights are unambiguous statements of basic principles that should govern the service of all libraries, questions do arise concerning application of these principles to specific library practices. See the documents designated by the Intellectual Freedom Committee as Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights (http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations).

Windsor Locks Public Schools

Request for Reconsideration of School Library Media Materials

The Board of Education has delegated the responsibility for selection and evaluation of library / educational resources to the school library media specialist and has established reconsideration procedures to address concerns about those resources.

Completion of this form is the first step in those procedures. If you wish to request reconsideration of school or library resources, please return the completed form to the library media specialist at your child’s school.

Name of person making request (complainant): Telephone:

Address:

Complainant represents: Himself / herself

Organization (if yes, please name) _________________________________________________

Name of school owning the challenged material:

Do you have a child in this school? Grade:__________ Title of challenged item:______________

Publisher / producer:

Year of publication / production:

Type of media (book, ebook, audiobook etc.) Author / artist / director, etc.

How did you acquire this item?

Did you read, view, or listen to the entire item?

If not, what parts? (Please be specific - page numbers, exact scenes)

Is this item part of a series or set?

If yes, did you examine other items in the series or set?

What do you believe to be the theme and purpose of this item?

Please identify the parts to which you object. Please be specific and cite pages, chapters, frames, etc. Explain why you feel this is objectionable and why.

Does this item have any instructional value? Please explain.

For what age or grade level would you recommend this item?

What do you think might be the result of a student's reading, viewing, or listening to this item?

Are you aware of any evaluations of this item by authoritative sources? If yes, did those sources agree with your opinion?

Please list those sources:

What would you like your school to do about this item?

__________ Do not assign or recommend it to my child only

__________ Withdraw it from the school library media collection

__________ Other (please specify)

What specific item would you suggest that the Library Media Center purchase in lieu of this item?

Why is your recommendation a better choice?

Other Comments:

Signature of Complainant: __________________________________ Date:_____________________

Reconsideration Report Letter

Dear ,

The Request for Reconsideration committee has reviewed your request for reconsideration of an item in the [Windsor Locks High School/Middle School/South Elementary/North Street School] Media Center. The district regards all concerns seriously. After careful consideration of the material, its relevance to the school curriculum and goals, and its context within the overall Media Center collection, the Committee has reached a decision. A copy of the report is enclosed.

We recognize your right as a parent/guardian to restrict or question any material your child reads, listens to, or views. It is never the intention of the school district to provide students with learning experiences or activities that are in conflict with the values of their parents/guardians. For this reason, we encourage parents to communicate with their children their values and beliefs in selecting reading and other learning materials.

Thank you for your involvement in your child's learning experience. It is through a cooperative effort between the school and parents or guardians that the most effective learning conditions can be obtained.

Should you have any questions about the report, feel free to contact me at any time.

Sincerely,

School Principal