The essential function of the school library media center is to provide books, periodicals, audio-visual and other resource materials that are necessary to implement the educational programs of the school. The materials are selected from all forms of media available for interest, vocabulary, maturity and ability levels of all students within the school served.
The selection of books and materials shall be guided by the principles expressed in the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights. Library media personnel are concerned with generating understanding citizens.
The responsibility of the school library media center is:
1. to provide a comprehensive collection of instructional materials selected in compliance with basic written selection principles and to provide maximum accessibility to these materials.
2. to provide materials that will support the curriculum, taking into consideration other individual's needs, the varied interests, abilities, socioeconomic backgrounds and maturity levels of the students served.
3. 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.
4. to provide materials that 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.
5. to provide a written statement, approved by the local board of education, of the procedures for meeting the challenge of censorship of materials in school library media center.
6. to provide qualified professional personnel to serve teachers and students.
The legal responsibility for all instructional materials lies with the school district's governing board of education. The responsibility for selection shall be delegated to the professionally trained library media personnel who know the curriculum, the students, and the philosophy of the school system. The library media specialist selects materials for the library media center with cooperation from the faculty, administration, students, and parents.
Criteria for the selection of materials are determined by the needs of the school based on knowledge of the curriculum and the individual needs of the students.
Materials are examined and selection is determined from recommendations in selection aids upon the basis of presentation scope of subject matter and interest. No one source will determine final selection.
Print and non-print materials, including periodicals, are considered on the basis of:
1. Authority - determined by the author's qualifications and sources of information used in preparation of the materials.
2. Scope - determined by adequacy of coverage in relation to the subject presented, accomplishment of author's purpose and appropriateness for school.
3. Reliability - determined by accuracy.
4.
Treatment - determined by noting the author's purpose
(reference, recreation, etc.).
5. Readability - determined by noting suitability for grade and interest levels, appropriate print and vocabulary and illustration.
6. Subject interest - determined by the skill of presentation in relation to grade and interest level.
7. Format - determined by examination of cover, print, page make-up, size, binding, illustration and other visual presentations.
8. Special features - determined by examination for appropriate indexes, bibliographies, outlines, etc.
9. Potential uses - consideration of the following:
a. meet curricular needs
b. provide curriculum enrichment
c. meet general reference needs
d. provide additional factual information
e. promote social and emotional development
f. provide inspirational value
g. serve reluctant readers
h. serve mature readers
i. provide for recreational reading
j. develop aesthetic taste