IJL – Library Collection Development

The ConVal Regional School District, in partnership with its member communities, will inspire all learners to achieve academically, contribute to the global community, and thrive as independent and productive citizens. To this end, the mission of the ConVal School District is to provide a diverse collection of educational and library materials and services to meet the educational, curricular, informational, recreational, and cultural needs of the school community.

The responsibilities of the Library include providing materials to support, supplement, and enrich curriculum, by providing a wide range of viewpoints that reflect our school community’s informational needs and interests. The ConVal School District Libraries follow the guidelines set forth in the Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read Statement. These documents affirm the rights of ConVal students and staff to free and convenient access of ideas, information, and creative expression.

Responsibility for Selection

Responsibility for the selection of library materials rests with the professional staff of the district. Selection and acquisition of materials reflect the thought and consideration of trained professionals, as well as school and community needs.

Selection Objectives

The ConVal School District shall provide materials that:

  1. Enrich and support the curriculum, taking into consideration the varied interests, abilities, and maturity levels of the students served;
  2. Will stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciation, aesthetic values, and ethical standards;
  3. Provide materials that will enable students to make informed decisions;
  4. Provide materials so that students may develop the practice of critical analysis;
  5. Provide materials representative of diverse cultures, experiences, and identities;
  6. Place principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice in the selections of materials of the highest quality in order to ensure a comprehensive collection, appropriate for the users.

Criteria for Selection

Materials will be evaluated by the following criteria as they apply. Materials shall:

  1. Encourage a love of reading, self-education, and lifelong learning;
  2. Support the educational goals, objectives, and teaching strategies of the ConVal School District;
  3. Support curriculum as well as national, state, and district standards;
  4. Be relevant to today’s world, current and up to date;
  5. Be appropriate for the age, reading level, diverse learning needs, and development of those for whom the materials are selected;
  6. Include fiction materials that have literary merit and nonfiction that is current and accurate;
  7. Represent differing viewpoints with the goal of providing a balance in the collection;
  8. Have a format and appearance suitable for their intended use;
  9. Encourage higher-level thinking skills;
  10. Represent a variety of formats in an effort to incorporate emerging technologies.

 

Selection Process

  1. During the selection process, the existing collection shall be evaluated and assessed for literary, curricular, and recreational needs. Professionally prepared selection tools and other appropriate sources will be used in the process of adding to the collection. These selection tools may include, but not be limited to, the following:
  2. Reviews from reputable sources, including but not limited to professional journals and national awards lists;
  3. Recommendations for purchases from library media specialists, teachers, administrators, parents, and students.

Special Selection Considerations

Gifts to the school or the library may be accepted if they meet the criteria established for the selection of all library instructional materials. If the gift is a monetary one, items will be acquired based on the same criteria as set forth in this selection policy.

Challenged Materials

Residents of the ConVal School District, who are not in agreement with an item library collection and wish to review that item, must follow the reconsideration of library materials process as outlined below. No material under reconsideration shall be removed pending a final decision. In the interim, however, access to the materials may be restricted for the child(ren) of a parent making the request.

  1. All matters of concern regarding an item in the library’s collection shall be reported to the school principal. The Assistant Superintendent and school library media specialist shall be made aware of the concern within five (5) business days.
  2. The school principal will contact the resident to discuss the matter and explain the District policy.
  3. Administration may schedule a meeting with the resident and staff member(s) involved with the selection of the item in question in order to review the selection criteria and process as well as its intended use.
  4. If the concern remains unresolved, the resident shall be supplied with a packet of materials consisting of: The District’s library goals and objectives, library materials selection policy statement, and support documents. They will also be advised of the procedure for handling formal reconsideration. This packet shall also include a Request for Reconsideration Form which shall be completed and returned before formal reconsideration will be given.
  5. If the formal request for reconsideration has not been received by the Assistant Superintendent within ten (10) business days, the item review shall be considered closed.
  6. Upon receipt of a completed Request for Reconsideration Form, the Assistant Superintendent shall inform the Superintendent and establish a Reconsideration Committee.
  7. At a minimum, the Reconsideration Committee shall consist of the Assistant Superintendent, a Principal or Assistant Principal, a teacher, a library media specialist, two parents (other than the requesting resident), and a school board representative from the Education Committee. The Assistant Superintendent, at their discretion, may choose to appoint additional members.
  8. The committee shall be provided with the request for reconsideration and will:
    1. Read and/or examine the materials referred to it;
    2. Check the general acceptance of the materials by reading reviews;
    3. Weigh values and faults against each other and form opinions based on the materials as a whole and not on passages, statements, or images pulled out of context;
    4. Meet to discuss the material and prepare a report containing their decision on the disposition of the matter;
    5. File a copy of the report in the specific school and administrative offices.
  1. The Assistant Superintendent shall notify the resident of the decision and provide a copy of the committee’s report.
  2. The resident may appeal the decision in writing to the Superintendent within five (5) business days. The Superintendent shall review the report, relevant materials, and the item under reconsideration.
  3. Should the Superintendent uphold the decision, the resident may file a final appeal to the School Board. They will:
  1. Present a written notice of appeal within five (5) business days;
  2. Attach a copy of the original written request and a copy of the committee’s report;
  3. Request a hearing date with the School Board.
  4. The School Board shall review the report, relevant materials, and the item under reconsideration.

Collection Maintenance

The library media specialists will evaluate the collection on a continuing basis to identify materials in need of repair, replacement, or withdrawal. A variety of criteria are considered when withdrawing materials, including:

  1. Physical condition – materials are worn, torn, or spoiled, or if pages or parts are missing or have significant defects that significantly reduce the overall value;
  2. Timeliness of information – materials contain information that is out of date, factually inaccurate, or contain representations that are outmoded or perpetuate sexual, racial, or cultural stereotypes;
  3. Technical quality – if non-print, the materials whose visual and/or audio quality has deteriorated;
  4. Duplication – multiple copies of the same title that are no longer circulating;
  5. Circulation History – materials are no longer circulating or of interest.

Disposal of Withdrawn Materials

Any materials withdrawn may be donated to a nonprofit institution, or sold or donated to staff, students, or community members. Materials deemed unusable will be disposed of.

Resource Sharing

Resource sharing currently occurs with all libraries in the district. The school libraries and the public libraries within the district also work together to support each other through a variety of resource- sharing methods. The participating libraries will establish procedures and protocols for resource sharing.

Legal Reference:

NH School Minimum Standards Ed 306.08 Instructional Resources

Category: R

1st Read: February 4, 2013
2nd Read: March 4, 2013
Adopted: March 4, 2013

1st Read: January 17, 2023
2nd Read: March 7, 2023
Adopted: March 7, 2023