Work Group Three:

Walter Boone
Elizabeth Futch
Rebecca Gurley
Kellie Ouzts
Debra Wingate

Collection and Development

Statement of Policy

The objective of collection development is to make available to library media center patrons a
collection of materials that will enrich and support the curriculum and meet the needs of the
students, staff, and parents being served. The library media center will provide a wide range of
materials on all levels of difficulty and in a variety of formats, with diversity of appeal, allowing
for the presentation of many different points of view.

Selection of Materials
Introduction
For the purposes of this statement of policy, the term “materials” will refer to any resource
with instructional content or function that is used for formal or informal teaching/learning
purposes. Materials may include books, periodicals, sound recordings, videocassettes, DVDs,
CD-ROMs, databases, software, maps, and supplementary reading and informational resources.
Responsibility for Selection of Library Media Center Materials
Primary responsibility for coordinating and recommending the selection and purchase of
library media materials will rest with the library media specialist. In addition, selection
procedures may involve representatives of the professional staff directly affected by the
selections, and persons qualified by preparation to aid in wise selection. Suggestions for
materials selection from faculty, parents, and students of our system will be given due regard.
To this end, it is the responsibility of the library media specialist:
• To provide materials that will enrich and support the curriculum, taking into
consideration the varied interests, abilities, learning styles, and maturity levels of the
students served;
• To provide materials that will stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literary
appreciation, aesthetic values, and societal standards;
• To provide materials on various sides of controversial issues so that young citizens may
have an opportunity to develop under guidance the practice of critical analysis and to
make informed judgments in their daily lives;
• To provide materials representative of the many religious, ethnic, and cultural groups that
contribute to our national heritage and the world community;
• To place principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice in the selection of
materials of the highest quality in order to assure a comprehensive collection appropriate
to the school community.
Criteria for Selection of Library Media Center Materials
The following criteria will be used to guide selection:
• educational significance
 • contribution the subject matter makes to the curriculum and to the interests of the
students
• favorable reviews found in standard selection sources
• favorable recommendations based on preview and examination of materials by
professional personnel
• reputation and significance of the author, producer, and publisher
• validity, currency, and appropriateness of material
• contribution the material makes to breadth of representative viewpoints on controversial
issues
• high degree of potential user appeal
• high artistic quality and/or literary style
• quality and variety of format
• value commensurate with cost and/or need
• timeliness or permanence
• integrity

Link: http://www.neighborhoodcharter.com/Media%20Center%20Policies.pdf

Criteria for 21st Century Resources

Includes Internet sites, online subscription sites, teacher or school-developed electronic

materials, Blogs, Nings, and other Web 2.0 resources.
Purpose:
• using the technology is an appropriate way to access this information
• adds value to the overall resource collection
Educational Soundness:
• is relevant in terms of the Curriculum Framework
• supports the process of learning
Authority:
• authority information easy to locate and verify
• experience of intellectual content providers, qualifications and expertise (of design and
content)
• other titles published
Appropriateness:
• supports the content and enhances the understanding of the user
• appropriate to the level of the intended user/s
• long term value of information
• encourages students to use more than once to gain new experiences
Accuracy and recency of information:
• Site updated regularly
• bibliographies of further reading included, plus affiliated titles and support services
• accuracy of information
• be aware of short/long term value of Internet sites
Scope:
• depth of coverage (as appropriate)
 • uses a variety of forms so students of different levels have access to appropriate
information
• offers students an overview plus a more detailed analysis of subject material
• provides information not readily available through other media
Accessibility and Useability:
• easy to load or to access
• navigation offers flexibility of access to information
• easy cross referencing with hyperlinks to more specific information
• menus clear, of a suitable number, and easy to use
• interpretation of icons appropriate to the intended users
• variable search options eg. keyword, topic, picture, alphabetical listing, freetext search,
multimedia items
Presentation:
• level of interaction: multimedia includes text, graphics, animated graphics, sound, video
clips, facility to enable student participation. ie. offers alternative media to those found in
other resources.
• high quality of production.
o text is clear and easy to read
o graphics clear, relevant and attractive
o background color design does not interfere with texts
o hyperlinks easy to identify
o depth/pace/clarity of sound recording
• provides ancillary applications eg. records student participation, print facility, notes/word
processing facility.
Accompanying material:
• Printed course material/teacher’s notes/synopsis
o easy to interpret
o contain enough detail to facilitate easy access to content
o enable easy loading of software
o appropriate to intended users
o clearly set out
o relevant to the curriculum
Cost: Is not prohibitive

Adapted from Links: http://www.neighborhoodcharter.com/Media%20Center%20Policies.pdf

and

http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/library/selection/sel23.htm#electronic

Intellectual Freedom
What is Intellectual Freedom?
"Intellectual freedom is the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from
all points of view without restriction. It provides for free access to all expressions of ideas
through which any and all sides of a question, cause or movement may be explored."
~American Library Association
Position on Intellectual Freedom
The Board of Education subscribes in principle to the statements of policy on library
philosophy as expressed in the Library Bill of Rights of the American Library Association
(Appendix A ) and the School Library Bill of Rights of the American Association of School
Librarians (Appendix B). The principles of intellectual freedom expressed in the Library Bill of
Rights are inherent in the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. In the event
library materials are questioned, the principles of intellectual freedom shall be defended. The
Library also supports the ideas expressed in The Freedom to Read Statement of the American
Library Association (ALA's Freedom to Read Statement).

Statement on Internet Filtering

The use of Internet filters to prevent Internet access poses many problems for libraries. Filters
can block valuable information, thus preventing the library from fulfilling one of its prime
missions. In addition, filters may prove unconstitutional in public institutions, since some of the
information they block is constitutionally protected speech. The Board of Education supports the
American Library Association's Resolution on the Use of Internet Filters (Appendix C) and does
not recommend the use of Internet filters in libraries and emphatically opposes attempts by
federal and state governments to mandate their use. We believe that decisions regarding use of
Internet filters must remain with local boards.

Adapted Version of the following policy: http://skyways.lib.ks.us/kasl/ifmanual.htm#material

Role of the Media Committee

The School Library Media Committee plays an important role in integrating the use of the
library into the instructional process and in implementing sound educational use of learning
resources in instruction. The committee members consists of the principal, the curriculum
director, the media specialist, the technology director, a middle school teacher, a high school
teacher, an elementary school teacher, the student council president, and one parent. The
committee members help to maintain a system that is efficient for easy access to learning and
provides encouragement for the school library program. The School Library Media Committee
also helps to communicate the mission and the vision of the media center to the students and the
community. Link: https://www.roundrockisd.org/home/index.asp?page=383#Director and

http://www.sldirectory.com/libsf/resf/manage.html

Media Specialist's Role in Teaching Students

• Schools should be provided with the resources to provide up-to-date print and nonprint
materials in all school library/media centers.
• Schools should be staffed with highly qualified library media specialists.
 • School libraries can play an important role in student achievement and school
improvement.
• Library media specialists can have a positive impact on student learning when they
collaborate with classroom teachers to teach and integrate literature and information
skills into the curriculum.
• Library media specialists enrich the teaching and learning process when they teach skills
and strategies students need to learn and achieve, are partners in educating children, teach
students how to become effective users of ideas and information, and instruct students on
how to seek, select, evaluate, and utilize electronic resources and tools.
• Certified school library media specialists should collaborate with teachers regularly to
provide resources and activities for course, unit, and lesson integration and to meet the
intellectual needs of students.

Blog Resource: http://www.allthingsplc.info/wordpress/?p=64

Media Specialist’s Role in Teaching Reading

• Library media centers provide students, staff, and families with open, non-restricted
access to a varied high quality collection of reading materials in multiple formats that
reflect academic needs and personal interests.
• Library media specialists practice responsive collection development and support print-
rich environments that reflect the curriculum and the diverse learning needs of the school
community.
• Library media specialists take a leadership role in organizing and promoting literacy
projects and events that engage learners and motivate them to become lifelong readers.
• Classroom teachers, reading specialists, and library media specialists select materials,
promote the curricular and independent use of resources, including traditional and
alternative materials, and plan learning experiences that offer whole classes, small
groups, and individual learners an interdisciplinary approach to literacy learning.
• Classroom and library collaborative instruction is evidence-based, using research in
librarianship, reading, English-language arts, and educational technology in order to
maximize student learning. Library media specialists partner with classroom teachers,
specialists and other literacy colleagues to make decisions about reading initiatives and
reading comprehension instruction, and to develop all learners’ curiosity in, and
intellectual access to, appropriate resources in all formats and media.
• When learners follow an inquiry process they assess and use reading comprehension
strategies. The skills identified in the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner align with
the reading process.
• Opportunities for planned and spontaneous library use best serve learners as they
identify, analyze, and synthesize ideas and information by using a wide range of
materials in a variety of formats and media. Availability of library resources and
professional staff at point of need develops intellectual behaviors that transfer to future
academic pursuits and lifelong academic and public library use.
• Along with classroom and reading specialist colleagues, library media specialists provide
and participate in continual professional development in reading that reflects current
research in the area of reading instruction and promotion.
Blog Resource:
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslissues/positionstatements/roleinreading.cfm

Evaluation Methodology and Policy

Evaluation is a vital step in school library collection maintenance and is necessary to begin the
weeding process. In order to assess our media center’s value to the community we must
continuously review the way in which we service our patrons and the ways in which we are
adhering to the tenets of intellectual freedom.
A collection evaluation is to be performed by the Media Center staff and supervised by the
Media Specialist and corroborated and reviewed by the Media Committee. The evaluation is to
be performed objectively and with common sense using both statistical analysis and firsthand
knowledge of the Media Center. The primary tools that will be used in collection evaluation are
software and services purchased from Follett Library Resources.
At the beginning and end of each school year an inventory is to be performed by Media Center
staff. All items with a barcode are to be scanned electronically and accounted for. Items lacking a
barcode are to receive a barcode and are to be cataloged with full MAchine Readable
Cataloging records when possible or brief records when no existing MARC record is available.
The most accepted source for accurate MARC records is the Library of Congress, followed by
the vendors supplied cataloging files.
The purpose of the inventory is to produce an inventory file that can be inputted into collection
analysis software. The inventory files must also be backed up electronically on the network, hard
disk and on a CD-R copy for the principal.
Our district’s library resource vendor, Follett, provides analysis software through their website
http://www.titlewave.com. The complete inventory file is to be uploaded onto the website for
analysis. As a district, parameters have been decided upon by which the online analysis is to be
restricted. These restrictions are designed to prevent the analysis from inflating the resources
available and making a collection seem larger or stronger than it actually is. Items in the
collection are assigned call numbers in concordance with school and district policy. For example,
textbooks are assigned TB, while test preparation materials not purchased by the Media Center
are assigned PREP. Prior to analysis the following items are to be precluded from the
collection: textbooks, high stakes test preparation materials, class novel sets, temporary items,
teacher instructional guides, and equipment. These materials are to be evaluated separately and
in corroboration with district curriculum specialists.
Following a completed analysis electronic or print copies will be distributed to the members of
the media committee for review. From this point the media committee, including the Media
Specialist and the district Media Liaison will be responsible for a formal review of the resources
offered by the school’s Media Center. The final products of this evaluation will be both a short
term improvement plan and a long term plan. Upon administrative approval these documents will
be housed in the library and following through with these plans will be part of merit based tenure
standards for media staff.
Print resources are only part of what a media center has to offer to its students. Technology
equipment and online resources play a vital role in the 21st century Media Center. These
resources must be continually reviewed and evaluated just like all other resources in the
collection. Since these technology resources are not always purchased at the building level it is
up to the media committee to establish guidelines for evaluation.
 The district level media/instructional technology liaison will be responsible for
collaborating with the district media specialists to evaluate these resources. New purchases and
the updating of aging technology will also fall under the responsibility of the district level
technology department. However, it will remain the responsibility of the Media Specialist to
monitor the technology housed in their Media Center for maintenance and access purposes.
Acquisition or New Materials
Procedures for Selection of Library Media Center Materials
In selecting library media center materials, the library media specialist will evaluate available
resources and curriculum needs and will consult reputable, professionally prepared aids to
selection and other appropriate sources. Sources to be consulted may include the following
items.
Bibliographies and indices such as:
• A to Zoo: Subject Access to Children’s Picture Books
• Best Books for Children: Preschool through Grade 6
• Elementary School Library Collection
• Reference Books for School Libraries
Current reviewing media including:
• Booklist
• School Library Journal
• Horn Book
• Kirkus Reviews
• Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
• others
Other sources will be consulted as appropriate. Whenever possible, the actual resource will be
examined.

Gifts and Donations

The library media center welcomes gift and donated materials. These materials will be subject
to the same criteria as those obtained through the regular selection process. Materials not chosen
for inclusion in the collection may be discarded or sold for funds to purchase additional library
media center materials.

Link: http://www.neighborhoodcharter.com/sites/default/files/u4/Media%20Center
%20Policies.pdf

Weeding
Weeding is the systematic and deliberate process of reevaluating library and media center
resources to insure their accuracy, currency, and relevancy. It is also an ongoing part of
collection development, a planned and thoughtful action that will ensure library materials are
current and enticing for the teachers and students. It is important to remember that weeding is
intended only to remove items from the media center that are no longer of use to the media
center and its users. Informal weeding is the ongoing process where torn, tattered and defaced
materials are deselected as they are returned to the library by a student or teacher. Formal
weeding is a planned process when the media specialist rotates and targets a section of the library
to weed. Books should be weeded out for one of the following reasons: poor physical condition,
useless duplication, lack of circulation, and lack of support for the state curriculum. When
determining if a source qualifies for de-selection, be sure to consider the following indicators:
1. Is the material in such worn, damaged or marred condition that it is
beyond repair?
2. Is the material deteriorating, discolored, scratched, or incomplete?
3. Is the material so soiled that it is beyond cleaning?
4. Are more current titles, editions, or updates of the materials available?
5. Are there superfluous duplications of the materials taking up shelf space?
6. Is the material so out of touch or oblivious to major changes in
the school’s demographics that it becomes irrelevant?
7. Does the material not conform to the reading levels of the school’s
student body?
8. Is the format of the material too obsolete for current usage or technology?
9. Has the content become so out of date that it is no longer accurate?
10. Has the material been out of circulation in the last five years?
11. Does the material include inaccurate content or stereotypical fallacies
and attitudes?
12. Does the material support the current curriculum of the school?
The weeding process should include the following steps:
• Develop a timeline with a definite goal for evaluating the entire collection
• Inform staff and administration of your plan and criteria used.
• Invite staff members to discuss your weeding plan; invite their input relative to their
content area expertise
• Schedule weeding during an uninterrupted time.
• The library may be closed with Principal’s approval during the initial weeding process (1
to 2 days)
• Have carts, recycling bins, boxes, dusters, hand wipes and post-it notes available
• Each book should be evaluated individually
• Delete barcodes from the system
Link: https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/ePolicy/policy.aspx?
PC=IFBD&Sch=4094&S=4094&RevNo=1.11&C=I&Z=P
Definitions: http://courseweb.lis.uiuc.edu/lis/2007fa/lis590sml/kerbyweeding.pdf and
http://www.pld.fcps.net/lms/weed.htm

Appendix A

The Library Bill of Rights of the American Library Association

Link: http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/statementspolicies.cfm

Adopted June 18, 1948, by the American Library Association Council. Amended February 2,
1961; June 27, 1967; and January 23, 1980. The history of this statement with interpretative
documents appears in Intellectual Freedom Manual (4th edition, American Library Association,
1992). Reprinted with permission of the American Library Association and the Office for
Intellectual Freedom (50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611) from Intellectual Freedom Manual,
4th edition, c1992.

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

1. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and
enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Material should not be
excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their
creation.
2. 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.
3. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibilities to
provide information and enlightenment.
4. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting
abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.
5. A person's right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin,
age, background, or views.
6. 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.

Appendix B

Access to Resources and Services in the School Library Media Program

An Interpretation of the LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS
Link: http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/statementsif/
interpretations/accessresources.cfm

Adopted July 2, 1986; amended January 10, 1990, by the ALA Council.
 The school library program plays a unique role in promoting intellectual freedom. It serves as
a point of voluntary access to information and ideas and as a learning laboratory for students as
they acquire critical thinking and problem solving skills needed in a pluralistic society. Although
the educational level and program of the school necessarily shape the resources and services of a
school library program, the principles of the “Library Bill of Rights” apply equally to all
libraries, including school library programs.
School library professionals assume a leadership role in promoting the principles of
intellectual freedom within the school by providing resources and services that create and sustain
an atmosphere of free inquiry. School library professionals work closely with teachers to
integrate instructional activities in classroom units designed to equip students to locate, evaluate,
and use a broad range of ideas effectively. Through resources, programming and educational
processes, students and teachers experience the free and robust debate characteristic of a
democratic society.
School library professionals cooperate with other individuals in building collections of
resources appropriate to the developmental and maturity levels of students. These collections
provide resources which support curriculum and are consistent with the philosophy, goals, and
objectives of the school. Resources in school library collections represent diverse points of view
on current as well as historical issues.
While English is, by history and tradition, the customary language of the United Sates, the
languages in use in any given community may vary. Schools serving communities in which other
languages are used make efforts to accommodate the needs of students for whom English is a
second language. To support these efforts, and to ensure equal access to resources and services,
the school library program provides resources which reflect the linguistic pluralism of the
community.
Members of the school community involved in the collection development process employ
educational criteria to select resources unfettered by their personal, political, social, or religious
views. Students and educators served by the school library program have access to resources and
services free of constraints resulting from personal, partisan or doctrinal disapproval. School
library professionals resist efforts by individuals to define what is appropriate for all students or
teachers to read, view, or hear.
Major barriers between students and resources include: imposing age or grade level
restrictions on the use of resources, limiting the use of interlibrary loan and access to electronic
information, charging fees for information in specific formats, requiring permission from parents
or teachers, establishing restricted shelves or closed collections, and labeling. Policies,
procedures, and rules related to the use of resources and services support free and open access to
information. The school board adopts policies that guarantee students access to a broad range of
ideas. These include policies on collection development and procedures for the review of
resources about which concerns have been raised. Such policies, developed by the persons in the
school community, provide for a timely and fair hearing and assure that procedures are applied
equitably to all expressions of concern. School library professionals implement policies and
procedures in the school.

Appendix C
American Library Association Resolution
 on the Use of Internet Filters
Link: http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/ifresolutions/
resolutionopposition.cfm

Adopted by the ALA Council, July 2, 1997.

WHEREAS, On June 26, 1997, the United States Supreme Court issued a sweeping re-
affirmation of core First Amendment principles and held that communications over the Internet
deserve the highest level of Constitutional protection; andWHEREAS, The Court's most
fundamental holding is that communications on the Internet deserve the same level of
Constitutional protection as books, magazines, newspapers, and speakers on a street corner
soapbox. The Court found that the Internet "constitutes a vast platform from which to address
and hear from a world-wide audience of millions of readers, viewers, researchers, and buyers,"
and that "any person with a phone line can become a town crier with a voice that resonates
farther than it could from any soapbox"; and
WHEREAS, For libraries, the most critical holding of the Supreme Court is that libraries that
make content available on the Internet can continue to do so with the same Constitutional
protections that apply to the books on libraries' shelves; and
• WHEREAS, The Court's conclusion that "the vast democratic fora of the Internet" merit
full Constitutional protection will also serve to protect libraries that provide their patrons
with access to the Internet; and
• WHEREAS, The Court recognized the importance of enabling individuals to receive
speech from the entire world and to speak to the entire world. Libraries provide those
opportunities to many who would not otherwise have them; and
• WHEREAS, The Supreme Court's decision will protect that access; and
• WHEREAS, The use in libraries of software filters which block Constitutionally
protected speech is inconsistent with the United States Constitution and federal law and
may lead to legal exposure for the library and its governing authorities; now, therefore, be
it
• RESOLVED, That the American Library Association affirms that the use of filtering
software by libraries to block access to constitutionally protected speech violates the
Library Bill of Rights.