Running head: LIB505 COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY PROJECT

LIB505 Collection Development Policy Project

Seana C Holland
Azusa Pacific University

LIB505 COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY PROJECT

PIONEER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Library Collection Development Policy
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Introductionp.3
Mission Statement.p.3
II. School Library Bill of Rights....p.3
III. Collection Development Policy...p.4
Philosophy and Objectives.....p.5
Criteria for Collection Development.p.5
Criteria for Curricular Resources...........p.6
Additional Criteria for Online Resources..p.7
Procedures for Selectionp.7
Reconsideration of Materials.p.9
Review Committeep.9
Removing Challenged Materials..p.10
Deselection/Weedingp.10
Appendix A: Faculty Recommendations for Library Materials...p.12
Appendix B: Student/Parent Recommendations for Library Materialsp.13
Appendix C: Request for Formal Reconsideration..........p.14
Resources..p.15

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I. Introduction
Pioneer Elementary is a K-6 public school of 550 students in the Davis Joint Unified School
District in Davis, CA. The Pioneer Elementary School Library employs one half-time Teacher
Librarian and one full-time Library Technician.
Mission Statement
The mission of the DJUSD school library program is to foster a lifelong love and habit of
reading, while promoting skills and literacy in the ethical and effective use of information and
technology among all students. This is accomplished by the instruction of teacher librarians
supported by technicians, who work collaboratively with faculty and staff and oversee the
provision of a wide variety of print and electronic resources.
This mission will be accomplished by
providing intellectual and physical access to materials in all formats
providing instruction to foster competence and stimulate interest in reading,
viewing, and using information and ideas
working with other educators to design learning strategies to meet the needs of
individual students.
II. School Library Bill of Rights
In order to provide proper learning resources, the Pioneer Elementary Schools Library
Collection Development Policy promotes the American Association of School Librarians School
Library Bill of Rights:
To provide a comprehensive collection of instructional materials selected in
compliance with basic written selection principles, and to provide maximum
accessibility to these materials.

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To provide materials that will support the curriculum, taking into consideration
the individual's needs, and the varied interests, abilities, socioeconomic
backgrounds, and maturity levels of the students served.
To provide materials for teachers and students that will encourage growth in
knowledge, and that will develop literary, cultural and aesthetic appreciation, and
ethical standards.
To provide materials which reflect the ideas and beliefs of religious, social,
political, historical, and ethnic groups and their contribution to the American and
world heritage and culture, thereby enabling students to develop an intellectual
integrity in forming judgments.
To provide a written statement, approved by the local Boards of Education, of the
procedures for meeting the challenge of censorship of materials in school library
media centers.
To provide qualified professional personnel to serve teachers and students.
III. Collection Development Policy
The Library Collection Development Policy will be reviewed by the District Teacher Librarians
and Associate Superintendent to ensure that the policy:
Reflects user needs while developing and maintain a balanced, accessible
collection of current print, multimedia, and electronic resources
Serves as an adaptive tool and guide for the Teacher Librarian, Library
Technician, administrators, parents, teachers, and students in reinforcing best
practices for the development and maintenance of the library collection

Philosophy and Objectives

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The school library provides a wide range of instructional materials in appropriate formats on all
levels of difficulty, with diversity of appeal, and different points of view represented for all
students. The collection development and management process encompasses evaluation and
consideration for purchase, acquisition, collection maintenance, and reconsideration of
challenged materials. Selection of materials must be made by reading, examining, previewing,
and reviewing accepted evaluation aids. Collection development is based on collection analysis
and upon requests from staff and students. Requests and gifts will be honored on the basis of the
selection criteria.
Criteria for Collection Development
The legal responsibility for instructional materials rests with the principal who delegates this
responsibility to the credentialed teacher librarian. The library supports the American Library
Association Bill of Rights and the American Association of School Librarians' Bill of Rights. In
selecting materials for the school library, the teacher librarian will:
Provide materials that are consistent with the educational goals of DJUSD and the
goals and objectives of specific courses.
Provide materials that will support and enrich the curriculum, taking into
consideration the varied interests, abilities, maturity levels, and learning styles of
the students.
Provide materials that will stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literary
appreciation, aesthetic values, and ethical standards.
Provide materials on opposing sides of controversial issues so that users may
develop under guidance the practice of critical analysis. These materials provide
information which will motivate students and staff to examine their own attitudes
and behavior, to comprehend their duties, responsibilities, rights and privileges as

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participating citizens in our society, and to make informed judgments in their

daily lives.
Provide materials representative of the many religious, ethnic, and cultural groups
and their contributions to our American heritage.
Provide materials having the positive values of respect for human dignity, and of
insight into many cultural patterns.
The criteria for developing the library's collection are based on state standards, the educational
goals of the school, learning styles of the students, teaching styles, curricular needs, faculty and
student needs, existing materials, and networking arrangements. Resources are judged as a whole
and must meet standards of technical quality and physical condition appropriate to the format
and their intended use. Materials are judged according to the scope, arrangement and
organization, relevance of information, special features, and overall value to the collection.
Criteria for Curricular Resources
Selection criteria for curricular materials in any format (book, e-book, video, etc.) include the
following:

Accuracy and completeness

Relevance to today's world
Reflection of the problems, aspirations, attitudes, and ideals of a society
Contribution to the objectives of the instructional program
Appropriateness of subject matter and style for user
Representation of differing viewpoints on controversial subjects
Stimulus for creativity

Additional Criteria for Online Resources

In accordance with the Childrens Internet Protection Act, the Pioneer Elementary Library will
adhere to the following criteria when choosing online resources such as online databases and
websites, and/or when providing online Internet searching.

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1. All K-12 Internet searching will be directed and part of a lesson plan designed by
a teacher or Teacher Librarian.
2. All online databases and web sites for use in the classroom or library will be
chosen using the following specific criteria in addition to items listed in the
criteria for selection listed above. Online databases and websites will:
Be age appropriate
Support the curriculum
Originate from reputable sources
Be chosen for their authenticity, factual authority, tastefulness, and
reliability
Procedures for Selection
The librarian uses evaluation tools and processes in selecting materials, including professional
journals, first-hand evaluations, standard bibliographic tools, both general and specialized, and
recommendations from faculty and students.
1. In selecting learning resources, professional personnel will evaluate available
resources and curriculum needs and will consult reputable, professionally prepared
selection aids and other appropriate sources. The primary resource will be examined
whenever possible. Among sources to be consulted are:
a. Bibliographies (Latest edition available, including supplements):
i. Children's Catalog, Wilson
ii. The Elementary School Library Collection (ESLC)
iii. Reference Books for School Libraries
b. Previewing shows
c. Current reviewing media such as:
i. School Library Journal
ii. Booklist
iii. Booklinks
iv. Media and Methods
v. Book Talk
vi. Multicultural Review

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vii. VOYA
viii. Library Journal
ix. Outstanding Books for the College Bound
x. MCTE: Books for You
2. Recommendations for purchase will involve administrators, teachers, students, and
members of the community as appropriate.
3. Gift materials will be judged by the criteria outlined and will be accepted or rejected
by those criteria.
4. Selection is an ongoing process that includes the removal of materials no longer
suitable and the replacement of lost and worn materials still of educational value.
5. The librarian will be responsible for coordinating the activities involved in the
selection of library materials.
Reconsideration of Materials
Any person having a complaint about textbooks, library or other instructional materials shall
meet with the principal. If the matter cannot be resolved, the principal shall notify the
superintendent and ask the complainant to use a Request for Formal Reconsideration form which
is available through school principals or at the district office. After receiving the completed
form, the superintendent shall meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint.
If the complaint is not resolved at the meeting with the superintendent, the complainant may
request that the board consider the complaint. If the board chooses to consider the complaint, it
shall forward all appropriate written materials to a review committee.
Review Committee
When a review committee is established by the board to handle complaints
concerning textbooks, library or instructional materials, the review committee shall be composed
of:
the school principal,
teacher librarian,
two subject area specialists, and

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two community members.

The committee's charge shall be:
to review the material and prepare a written report containing conclusions and
recommendations within 30 days;
to direct a written report to the board; and
to send the complainant a copy of the report.
The Review Committee shall:
Examine and evaluate the material as a whole; consider the district's policy,
procedure and philosophy for selection of textbook, instructional materials, and
library materials; and
Weigh strengths and weaknesses and form opinions based upon the selection
criteria.
If the complainant is dissatisfied with the committee's recommendation, an appeal of the decision
may be made to the board for a hearing and final decision. If an appeal is requested by the
complainant, the superintendent shall request that the board schedule an appeal and shall prepare
in advance of the appeal all appropriate documentation for the board's study.
Removing Challenged Materials
Challenged materials shall not be removed from use during the review period.
Deselection/Weeding
When weeding books, the library will use the MUSTY & CREW criteria and methods as
guidelines. Library materials will be evaluated and updated on a regular basis. If the materials
are outdated, contain inaccurate information, have not circulated in several years, or are worn
out, they may be weeded from the collection. This should be an ongoing process, not something
that is done solely at the end of the school year. Teachers may get first choice on all fiction
material that has been weeded. Students may then choose any weeded fiction materials that are

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10

left. After one week, the remaining material will be either donated to Friends of the Library or to
another organization of choice. The majority of non-fiction materials that have been weeded will
be discarded, especially if the materials are out of date and have inaccurate information in them.
If they are not appropriate for the library, they are not appropriate for teacher classroom
collections or for students.
All weeded items should be withdrawn from the library catalog, have the barcodes removed or
blacked out, and have any other numbering on the book blacked out (such as the barcode number
on the tops of the pages for textbooks). If a book is being withdrawn due to mold, it MUST go in
the dumpster as soon as possible to minimize the risk of someone with a mold allergy coming
into contact with the book. Take pictures of the damage before discarding the item to document,
in case of challenge from the student or parents.

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Appendix A: Faculty Recommendations for Library Materials

Teacher's Name ________________________________________ Date________

Subject Area: ___________________________Grade Level:__ Reading Level:__
Curriculum Unit ____________________________________________________
Special Needs (Visually impaired, ESL, etc.):

Recommendation 1:
Author ________________________________________________________
Title __________________________________________________________
Type of Media (i.e. book, video, computer software, CD-ROM) __________________
Publisher/Producer _______________________________________________________
Copyright Date ____________
Review Source (if known) _______________________________________

Recommendation 2:
Author ________________________________________________________
Title __________________________________________________________
Type of Media (i.e. book, video, computer software, CD-ROM) __________________

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Publisher/Producer _______________________________________________________
Copyright Date ____________
Review Source (if known) ______________________________________
Appendix B: Student/Parent Recommendations for Library Materials

Name_____________________________________________ Date_______________
Address___________________________________________
Telephone_______________________ E-mail: _______________________________
I would like materials on these subjects in the library media center:

I would like the following books in our library:

The library needs more information on the following subjects:

I would like to have the following non-print or electronic resources in the library media center:

12

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Appendix C: Request for Formal Reconsideration

Request initiated by: ___________________________________
Telephone:_______________________E-mail: _______________________________________
Street Address:_________________________________________________________________
City:____________________ Zip Code: __________Type of Learning Resource:____________
Title:_________________________________________________________________________
Author:_________________________Publisher (if known):_____________________________
Curriculum Area: ___________________ Grade: _____
Complainant represents (circle one): Self or Organization: ______________________
1. To what in the item do you object? (Please be specific)

2. What do you feel might be the result of using this item?

3. For what age group would you recommend this item?

4. Do you feel there is any value in this item?

5. Did you examine the entire item? Y or N. What parts specifically?

6. Have you had an opportunity to discuss the proposed use of this item with a staff member?

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________________________________________________Date__________________
Signature of Complainant

(Please return this request to the school principal)

RESOURCES:

American Library Association (n.d.). Workbook for selection policy writing. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?
Section=dealing&Template/ContenManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=11173.
Accessed on November 1, 2014.
Bishop, K. (2013). The collection program in schools: Concepts and practices (5th ed.). Santa
Barbara: ABC-CLIO, LLC.
Chicago Public Schools Policy Manual (2006) New collection development policy for school
libraries. Retrieved from http://policy.cps.k12.il.us/documents/604.7.pdf. Accessed on
November 1, 2014.
MacDonell, C. (2004). Essential documents for school libraries: Do you have them?. Library
Media Connection, 22(7), 18-19.
Minkel, W. (2001). Policy Discussion: Add web sites to your materials selection policy. School
Library Journal, 47(3), 41.
Repman, J., & Downs, E. (1999). Policy issues for the 21st century library media center. Book
Report, 17(5), 8.
Resources for School Librarians (n.d.). Collection development policies and procedures in
school libraries. Retrieved from http://www.sldirectory.com/libsf/resf/coldev2.html.
Accessed on November 1, 2014.

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Weston Elementary Library Media Center Collection Development Policy (2009). Janines Web
2.0 School Library Field Work. Retrieved from
http://web2fieldwork.wordpress.com/2009/02/15/library-media-center-collectiondevelopment-policy/. Accessed on November 1, 2014.
Wimberly, L., Loertscher, D., & Crompton, M. (2014). Collection development using the
collection mapping technique: A guide for librarians (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City, UT:
Learning Commons Press.