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Southwest Region School District Media Services
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Materials Selection Policy and Goals
It is the policy of the Board of Directors of Southwest Region School District to provide an array of diverse learning resources, which support, supplement and enrich the existing district curriculum to meet the individual needs of the teachers and the students they teach K-12. In selecting materials principles outweigh personal opinion. Materials are considered for their quality and appropriateness.The center will strive to create a collection that meets the following library goals:
- To fosters respect for human dignity and diversity,
- To validate the history and culture of all ethnic groups,
- To ensure that all students and staff in the district have access to and are effective, independent users of ideas and information that support the curriculum and personal, lifelong learning interests.
- To endeavor to be a haven for intellectual and academic freedom,
- To maintain and defend that freedom, and provide access to all forms of information to all persons regardless of race, background, age or affiliation.
- To make available such books, periodicals, pamphlets, and other services as will address their needs to a) become well informed, b) locate answers to important questions, c) cultivate the imagination and creative expression, d) develop skills for career and vocational advancement.
- To acquire the means to provide the most frequently requested material locally and upon demand.
- To maintain a program of service which locates information, guides reading, organizes and interprets material for people of various backgrounds, and stimulates thinking and intellectual development in individuals of any age.
- To strive consistently to discover new methods and improvements for better service to the library's customers.
- To review regularly these goals and, if necessary, revise them in the light of new developments.
Materials Selection (criteria for evaluating materials before acquiring them)In selecting materials and information for purchase for the district media center, the media specialist will evaluate the existing collection and the curriculum needs, consider the weeding and replacement plans and consult reputable, professionally prepared selection aids and other appropriate sources.
Selection is an ongoing process.
It shall include the removal of materials no longer appropriate and the replacement of lost and worn materials still of educational value. This process shall be guided by the policies and procedures for replacement and weeding.Recommendations for purchases shall be solicited from faculty and staff. Opportunities to make suggestions for purchases will be provide to parents and community members. Such recommendations will be seriously considered but are not binding on the library media specialist.
Materials must in some way support or supplement the existing District curriculum. Materials can be targeted for use by teachers only, or for use with students in the classroom. Materials and information shall support and be consistent with the general educational goals and philosophy of the district. Materials should be selected representing opposing points of view on controversial issues, encouraging individual analysis Materials shall be included that enrich and support both the curriculum and the professional needs of the faculty Materials will be purchased in a variety of formats with efforts made to incorporate emerging technology when they meet the criteria outlined above. Resource sharing will be considered in purchasing decisions. Materials may be purchased or not purchased based on networking and collaborative relationships with other area collections and depending upon extent of need. Care will be taken to select materials meeting standards of high quality in -- o Presentation
o Physical format
o Educational significance
o Readability
o Authenticity/accuracy
o Artistic quality or literary style
o Factual content
o Usefulness in relation to other materials in the collection
o Inclusion of an item in standard bibliographics and review sources
o Price
o Qualifications or significance of author or producer
o Local interest in or significance of subject matter
o Treatment that is clear, comprehensible, skillful, convincing, well-organized, and unbiased
o Special features, such as useful illustrations, photographs, maps, charts, graphs, etc.
o Technical production/construction that is well-crafted, durable, manageable, and attractive
Material formats:Media Services funds will be used to purchase print, non-print and electronically formatted information resources
- The following materials will not be purchased with Media Center funds:
- Materials that will be used by only one teacher or in one site for only one trimester or year. (For example, theme items specific to one school, which are not in some way related to the existing, District curriculum.)
- Materials for secondary level, course specific items that have no other application other than for the instruction of a specific course. (For example, industrial arts.)
- Materials, which are primary instructional materials rather than support or supplementary materials.
- In addition to materials purchased with Media Services funds, the following
materials will also be added to the Media Center collection:
- Materials purchased with District curriculum adoption funds for use by all sites.
- Curriculum related materials purchased and donated by individuals or sites for use by the entire district.
- Procedures
for Acquisitions / Selection:
- Arrange if possible, for firsthand examination of items to be purchased.
- Use reputable, unbiased, professionally prepared selection aids when firsthand examination of materials is not possible. Among the sources to be consulted are
- Consider recommendations from faculty, students, and parents.
- Purchase replacements for worn, damaged, or missing materials basic to the collection.
- Determine a procedure for preventative maintenance and repair of material.
The school library media professional, in conjunction with teachers,
administrators, and curriculum specialists, will be responsible for the
selection of materials. In coordinating this process, the school
library media specialist will do the following.
- o AASA science Books and films
o American Film and Video Association
o Evaluations\
o Basic Book Collection for elementary Grades
o Basic book collection for Junior High Grades
o The Best in children’s Books
o Children’s Software Review
o Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
o Horn Books
o Kirkus Reviews
o Book Report
o Booklist
o Library Journal
o Multimedia Schools\
o Reference Books For School Libraries
o School Library Journal
o Technology Connection
o VOYA
o Wilson Catalog Series: Children’s Catalog, Junior High School Catalog, Senior High School Catalog
o CD-ROMs for Schools and Libraries
o Other sources as appropriate
The collection of the library information center will be continually reevaluated in relation to evolving curriculum, new formats of materials, new instructional methods, and the current needs of its users. Materials no longer appropriate should be removed. Lost and worn materials of lasting value should be replaced. Weeding is essential to maintaining a relevant, attractive collection.
Materials considered for weeding should include items---
- In poor physical condition
- Books with yellowed pages, tiny print, unattractive appearance
- Unneeded duplicates
- Containing obsolete subject matter
- No longer needed to support the curriculum or student/faculty interests
- Superseded editions (older editions of a title published more recently)
- Items which contribute to false and stereotyped social attitudes (example: role of women and of minorities, of people of other nations)
- Titles which haven’t been used in the past 3 to 5 years
- Unimportant subject matter
- Containing inaccurate information
1. To another school library media center in the school system. If deemed of value, items will be offered for examination and transfer by a stated time.
2. To another unit of the school. This should basically be used for equipment and furniture. There should be very little or no transfer of old print, audiovisual or computer related software to classrooms. If deemed of value, items will be offered for examination and transfer by a stated time.
3. To other libraries supported by public funds. If deemed of value, items will be offered for sale at a stated time.
4. To the general public. If deemed of value to the public, items will be offered for sale at a stated time. The district will advertise and take bids before selling any "district property". If no bids are received the district may offer items for sale at a stated time or give them away.
5. If items are determined to be of no value, or if no group or individual under points 1 - 4 above claims them, items shall be discarded in a manner consistent with the District's procedures for discard.
Text Materials committees or other designated teachers or teacher committees may remove text materials no longer of value to the instructional program following general selection, replacement, and weeding guidelines. The materials will be reviewed by the committee or person designated to determine their possible intrinsic worth to other groups or individuals in the following priority order:
1. To another unit of the school.
2. To other school in the district.
3. To the general public. If deemed of sufficient value, the district
will offer items for sale at a stated time.
4. If items are determined to be of no value, or if no group or individual
under points 1 - 3 above claims them, items shall be discarded in a manner
consistent with the District's procedures for discard.
Media Center Regulations and Procedures
1. Items are to be checked out by SWRSD faculty and aides only.
2. Items are to be used for in school purposes only.
3. Items are checked out on a 30 day basis. If you need more time call or email the media specialist. (edrain@dlg.swrsd.org)
Overdues
If materials have not been renewed or returned after the 30 day loan
period (with allowance made for mailing), materials reminder notices (overdues)
are sent out.
If you receive an overdue notice, but have already returned the materials,
please notify the librarian. We do not charge overdue fines for SWRSD
staff at this time, however, excessive overdues and/or lost materials may
jeopardize your ability to borrow materials.
If you have renewed an item or have kept it past the 30-day loan period, you may receive an e-mail requesting that you return the item because another patron has requested it. If you receive such a letter, please return or mail that item within the next 3 days.
4. Items which are lost or destroyed will be billed to the person who checked out the item or to the school.
5. All items must be returned two weeks prior to the end of the school year. Teachers should not be checked out of school until all items are accounted for, returned, or checked into the media center.
6. When returning items be sure to put them back in the box they came in and put the return label on the box. Make sure you sign your name to it. Give the box to the secretary to send back to the media center. The secretary will need to email the media center the day they are returned stating how many boxes were sent back, who they came back with, and who sent them in.
7. The media center will email you on the day your items are sent out to you.
8. Email the media center on the day you send your items back.
9. The person who receives the tub needs to sign