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EASTON AREA
SCHOOL DISTRICT
No. 109
SECTION:
PROGRAMS
TITLE:
RESOURCE MATERIALS
ADOPTED:
May 17, 2007
REVISED:
109. RESOURCE MATERIALS
1.
Purpose
Title 22
Sec. 4.13
SC 801, 803
The Board shall provide instructional and evaluative materials to implement and
support the district's and the schools' educational goals and academic standards.
2.
Definition
Resource materials shall include reference books, supplementary titles, multimedia
materials, maps, library books, software and instructional material.
3.
Delegation of
Responsibility
SC 803
The Superintendent, after consultation with the administration and teaching staff,
shall be responsible for the selection, recommendation, and maintenance of all
resource materials. No adoption or change of materials shall be made without the
Superintendent's recommendation, except by a two-thirds vote of the Board.
The Superintendent or designee shall develop and implement selection procedures
for resource materials.
4.
Guidelines
Selection procedures for resource materials shall be developed which:
1.
Appoint appropriate administrative and instructional staff to select resource
materials, subject to the approval of the Superintendent.
2.
Ensure that the Board's budgetary allotment for resource materials is spent
efficiently and distributed equitably throughout the instructional program.
3.
Ensure an inventory of resource materials that is well-balanced and well-rounded
in coverage of subject, types of materials, and variety of content.
4.
Evaluate the effectiveness of resource materials presently in use.
5.
Direct staff to consult a variety of media sources before selections are made.
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Pol. 105.1
A listing of all resource materials shall be made available for the information of the
professional staff, Board members, students, and parents/guardians, and community.
Library Media Center Collection Development
The library media center shall strive to develop comprehensive systems that will
meet the diverse needs of all students, and enable them to adjust to and influence the
changing society in which they live. The library media center shall provide services
to assist learners to find, generate, evaluate and apply information that helps them
function effectively as individuals and to participate fully in the global society.
Objectives Of Selection –
Pol. 107
As an integral part of planned instruction, the library media program's main
objective is to implement, enrich and support the educational processes within the
district. It is the goal of the library media center to provide a wide range of materials
on all levels of difficulty, with diversity of appeal and the representation of different
points of view. Collection development is the ongoing process of identifying
strengths and weaknesses of library media collections in terms of student needs.
Collection development demonstrates that funds are being spent wisely and that
library media collections meet the informational needs of the curriculum as well as
independent reading and viewing needs of students.
The Board asserts that the responsibilities of the library media center shall be to:
Pol. 107
1.
Provide materials that will relate to, enrich and support the planned instruction
adopted by the Board, taking into consideration the varied interest, ability, and
maturity levels of the students. This includes both print and computer resources,
and all grade levels should be provided equal access to resources.
2.
Provide material that will stimulate growth, factual knowledge, literary
appreciation, aesthetic values, and ethical standards. In addition to books,
students need to be provided with training in the latest technologies to fully
prepare them upon graduation.
3.
Provide material on opposing sides of controversial issues so that students may
develop, under guidance, the practice of critical analysis of different and
opposing views.
4.
Provide a background of information which will enable students to make
intelligent judgment in their daily life.
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5.
Provide material representative of the many religious, ethnic, and cultural groups
and their contribution to our American heritage.
6.
Place principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice in the
selection of materials of the highest quality to assure an appropriate
comprehensive collection.
Types Of Materials Covered –
The library media center shall include materials of various formats, all of which are
governed by this policy. They include:
1.
Books.
2.
Periodicals (magazines and newspapers).
3.
Vertical file materials.
4.
Audio-visual materials (videos, filmstrips, slides, computer discs, microfilm).
5.
Computer resources (computer software, databases and Internet).
Responsibility For Selection Of Materials –
The Board shall be legally responsible for all matters relating to the operation of the
schools of the district. The responsibility for the selection of library media materials
shall be delegated to the professionally-trained personnel employed by the district.
Selection of material involves many people: principals, teachers, librarians,
directors, and coordinators. Needs of the individual school, based on knowledge of
the curriculum, existing collection, and budget shall be given first consideration.
Selection Criteria –
Materials for purchase shall be considered on the basis of overall purpose, timeliness
or permanence, importance of subject matter, quality of production, popular appeal,
authoritativeness, and reviews by professional sources. No one source of review will
be relied upon exclusively.
Materials shall be considered on the basis of content as a whole. Evaluations shall be
based on the total effect of the material, not on the presence of words, phrases or
situations which might appear objectionable or be taken out of context.
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Efforts shall be made to evaluate thoroughly any material which is manifestly
unimportant, cheap and trivial, deliberately distorted, or sensationalistic, particularly
in the areas of religion, sex/hygiene, race relations, political ideologies and fiction.
Public suggestions regarding materials to be added to the library media center will
be considered based on this policy. It should be understood that acceptance of a
public suggestion is not a commitment to purchase the material.
The following general selection criteria shall apply to the purchase of all library
materials:
1.
Authority – determined by the author's qualifications and sources of information
used in preparation or production.
2.
Scope – determined by adequacy of coverage in relation to the subject presented.
3.
Reliability – determined by accuracy and recency.
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, vocabulary and illustrations.
6.
Subject interest – determined by skill of presentation in relation to grade and
interest level.
7.
Format – determined by examination of product, for example:
a.
Books – cover, print, size, binding, illustrations, indices.
b.
Computer databases – home page, user-friendly, print options, licensing.
Selection Tools –
The following tools shall be used in the selection of library materials:
1.
School Library Journal.
2.
Library Journal.
3.
Booklist and Reference Books Bulletin.
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4.
Children's Catalog.
5.
Junior High School Library Catalog.
6.
Senior High School Library Catalog.
7.
Horn Book.
8.
Other professional magazines that review library materials.
9.
Bibliographies and lists from professional organizations.
10. Faculty, student, administrative and public suggestions.
Citizen's Request For Reconsideration Of A Work –
Written request for re-evaluation of specific materials in a library media center shall
be accepted. Completed forms shall be filled out and submitted to the building
principal.
The building principal will inform the Superintendent or designee of all requests
submitted. The Superintendent or designee will appoint a committee to re-evaluate
the specific material; the committee shall decide whether the material should be
removed from the shelf until re-evaluation is completed. The committee will read,
view or listen to the material in question, check professional reviews, and base a
judgment of the material on the whole and not on passages taken out of context. The
committee will then submit a written report to the office of the Superintendent and
the parties concerned. Final decisions regarding re-evaluation will be made by the
Board.
Collection Maintenance –
Overall assessment of library media resources is essential in meeting the needs of the
curriculum and the student population. This assessment includes taking a regular
inventory of existing materials, assessing materials in relation to the needs of
instructional units, and weeding outdated and inappropriate materials.
Weeding –
All weeding decisions shall be authorized by the professional staff of the library
media center, with the optional consultation of pertinent subject area teachers.
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In general, materials shall be considered for discard for any or all of the following
reasons:
1.
Out-of-date materials; content – obsolete, inaccurate, misleading.
2.
Superseded by new or revised editions.
3.
Duplications of titles no longer in heavy demand.
4.
Unattractive in appearance because of yellowed paper, fine print, damaged, torn,
dirty or in poor physical condition.
5.
Contributing to false concepts regarding minority or ethnic groups.
Discarding Procedures –
Materials no longer useful in the collection shall be withdrawn by implementing the
following steps:
1.
Withdraw item number from database.
(For nonautomated collections, withdraw shelf-list and catalog cards.)
2.
Remove pocket, card and all labels.
3.
Stamp discarded or withdrawn on the title page, inside covers and over the
ownership name on any media.
4.
Inform staff of withdrawals of encyclopedia sets or other specialized materials.
5.
Recycle all discarded materials when possible.
Gifts –
Pol. 702
Frequently, community organizations and individual citizens wish to contribute
funds, gifts or memorials to the library media center. The Board welcomes such
gifts; however, the gifts and memorials must meet the same criteria as those applied
to the selection of other materials, and shall be in accordance with Board policy.
Materials contributed shall be integrated into the library media center's collection, at
the discretion of the librarian. Donated materials shall also be discarded at the
librarian's discretion. Gifts of money will be used for the purchase of educational
materials; the librarian will select the specific items.
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The Board shall accept monetary gifts and memorials with proper resolutions
recognizing the donors for their generosity. Every effort shall be made to place
labels of recognition in these materials.
The library media center may accept commercially sponsored materials, provided
they meet the same criteria as those applied to the selection of other materials.
School Code
801, 803
PA Code
Title 22
Sec. 4.13
Board Policy
105.1, 107