Collection Development Policy

Purpose

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/guardians being served. The library media centers 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.

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.

Duration

This policy is permanent.

Policy

Section 1. 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 specialists. 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 ANCS will be given due regard.

To this end, it is the responsibility of the library media specialists:

  1. 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;
  2. To provide materials that will stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciation, aesthetic values, and societal standards;
  3. 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;
  4. To provide materials representative of the many religious, ethnic, and cultural groups that contribute to our national heritage and the world community;
  5. To place principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice in the selection of materials of the highest quality in order to ensure a comprehensive collection appropriate to the school community.

Section 2. Criteria for Selection of Library Media Center Materials

The following criteria will be used to guide selection:

  1. Educational significance
  2. Contribution the subject matter makes to the curriculum and the interests of the students
  3. Favorable reviews found in standard selection sources
  4. Favorable recommendations based on preview and examination of materials by professional personnel
  5. Reputation and significance of the author, producer, and publisher
  6. Validity, currency, and appropriateness of material
  7. Contribution the material makes to breadth of representative viewpoints on controversial issues
  8. High degree of potential user appeal
  9. High artistic quality and/or literary style
  10. Quality and variety of format
  11. Value commensurate with cost and/or need
  12. Timeliness or permanence
  13. Integrity

Section 3. Procedures for Selection of Library Media Center Materials

  1. In selecting library media center materials, the library media specialists will evaluate available resources and curriculum needs and will consult reputable, professionally prepared aids for selection and other appropriate sources. Sources to be consulted may include:
    1. 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.
    2. Current reviewing media including Booklist, School Library Journal, Horn Book, Kirkus Reviews, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, and others.
  2. Other sources will be consulted as appropriate. Whenever possible, the actual resource will be examined.

Section 4. Gifts and Donations

The library media centers welcome 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.

Section 5. Weeding

The ANCS library media centers recognize the importance of maintaining a collection of current, appropriate, and useful materials. Therefore, a periodic evaluation of the collection will be performed in order to remove or replace materials that are no longer useful. Discarded materials may be offered to other members of the school community or disposed of if unusable. The following guidelines have been developed to aid in the weeding process; however, the final decision concerning the removal or replacement of materials rests with the library media specialists.

  1. Weeding by Appearance
    1. Worn-out volumes: dirty, brittle, yellow pages; missing pages; tattered covers; etc.
    2. Badly bound volumes: soft, pulpy paper and/or shoddy binding
    3. Badly printed works
    4. Books of antiquated appearance that might discourage use
    5. Audiovisual materials with missing or broken pieces
  2. Weeding of Superfluous or Duplicate Volumes
    1. Unneeded duplicate titles
    2. Older editions
    3. Highly specialized books (when library media center holds more general or up-to-date volumes on the same subject)
    4. Books on subjects of little interest to the school community
    5. Books that no longer relate to the curriculum (if specialized)
  3. Weeding Based on Poor Content
    1. Information is dated
    2. Information is inaccurate
    3. Stereotypes are present
    4. Book is poorly written
  4. Weeding According to Use
    1. Nonfiction: Book has not been checked out within last 10 years
    2. Fiction: Book has not been checked out within last 5 years (classics excluded)
    3. Dewey Decimal categories that may be quickly outdated.
    4. In addition, mistakes in selection/acquisition may be quickly outdated.
  5. Categories of Books That Are Not Quickly Outdated
    1. Dictionaries
    2. Biographical sources
    3. Literary criticism
    4. Classics of literature
    5. Roreign language literature
    6. Art books
    7. Local history/geography
    8. Books providing general principles of a subject or discipline

Approval and Review

Approved

Effective

 Last Review

Next Review
06/16/15 07/01/15 06/2023 06/2026