The Walworth Barbour American International School of Israel
Guidelines for Selection of Library Media Materials
Goal
The Library Media Center will provide the resources necessary to implement, enrich and support the Walworth Barbour American International School of Israel curriculum and meet the needs of the faculty and students served.
Materials Selection Policy
It is the policy of the Board of the Walworth Barbour American International School to provide a broad range of education materials to enrich and support the curriculum and to meet the needs of the individual students and teachers. To this end, the Library Media Center selects a wide range of materials with respect to the needs and special interests of a K-12 multi-lingual, international student population and their individual learning styles. Materials should be available a variety of formats and represent varying levels of difficulty and varying points of view. Materials are considered for their quality and appropriateness.
The responsibility for students’ reading, however, ultimately rests with their parents or legal guardians. Selection of secondary resources will not be limited by the possibility that these materials may inadvertently come into the possession of elementary students.
Responsibility for Selection of Materials
The AIS School Board of Directors assumes legal responsibility for the selection of materials in the school library information center.
Responsibility for the coordination, selection, and purchase of all library materials is delegated to the professional library media specialist(s) on staff through the superintendent and campus principals. The selection process involves open opportunity for consultation with administrators, faculty, parents, and students. Selection is based upon evaluation and recommendation by the professional library staff; in professional library tools and other review media; by other responsible professionals
In selecting materials, library staff, administrators, and faculty are guided by the principles incorporated in the School Library Bill of Rights, the Freedom to Read Statement, standards adopted by the American Association of School Librarians, and the School Library Standards of Education.
The collection will be developed systematically ensuring global perspective, recognizing diversity, representing differing viewpoints, and presenting a well-balanced coverage of subjects and opinions. The collection will include a variety of formats (print, electronic, multimedia, etc.) and a wide range of current materials on various levels of difficulty supporting the diverse interest, learning styles, and viewpoints of a diverse K-12 international learning community. Criteria for Selection
Materials should support and be consistent with the WBAIS mission statement, general educational goals, its objectives, and specific courses.
Materials should be selected to enrich and support both the curriculum and the personal needs of our students and faculty, taking into consideration diverse interests, abilities, socioeconomic backgrounds, maturity levels, and students’ extracurricular interests of an international K-12 student body. Materials selected should encourage an appreciation for both informational and recreational reading, viewing, or listening.
Care should be taken to select materials of educational significance meeting standards of high quality in presentation, educational significance, aesthetic character, artistic quality, literary style, factual content, authenticity, readability, accuracy, durability, and technical production.
Materials should be free of stereotype and sexual bias.
Materials should be considered relating to their overall purpose and their direct relationship to instructional objectives and/or curriculum. Selected materials should support needs in the content areas and be appropriate to the variety of ages, developmental stages, ability levels, and learning styles of the students.
Materials should contribute to a breadth and diversity of viewpoints on controversial issues, encouraging individual analysis. Library materials concerning controversial political, social, and religious issues should inform rather than indoctrinate, and should contribute to multicultural and pluralistic awareness.
The literary style of a work should be appropriate and effective for the subject matter and its intended readers or viewers. Materials should have a high degree of user appeal.
The value of any work must be examined as a whole. The impact of an entire work will be considered, transcending individual words, phrases, and incidents
Consideration should be given to the currency and timeliness of materials.
Consideration should be given to quality, durability and variety of formats, as well as the price and availability of materials. Efforts should made to incorporate emerging technology when they meet the criteria outlined above.
Gift materials will be evaluated by the criteria outlined above and be accepted or rejected in accordance with those criteria.
Procedures for Selection
The teacher-librarian/library media specialist, in conjunction with teachers, administrators, and the school, will be responsible for the selection of materials. In coordinating this process, he/she will do the following:
Arrange, when possible, for firsthand examination of items to be purchased.
Use reputable, unbiased, professionally prepared selection aids when firsthand examination of materials is not possible. The following tools may be consulted, but selection is not limited to:
Bibliographies – the latest editions and supplements of ALA Best Books for various age/interests groups Elementary School Library Collection Middle School / Junior High School Library Collection Catalog High School Library Collection Catalog Reference Books for School Libraries Senior High School Catalog Special bibliographies prepared by educational orgranizations for subject areas. Current reviewing media AASA Science Books and Films Booklist Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books Horn Book School Library Journal School Library Media Activities Monthly
3. Strongly consider the recommendations of faculty, students, and parents. 4. Judge gift items by standard selection criteria and, upon acceptance of such items, reserve the right to incorporate into the collection only those meeting the above criteria. 5. Purchase duplicates of extensively used material. 6. Determine a procedure for preventative maintenance and repair of material.
Weeding
The collection of the library information center will be continually reevaluated in relation to evolving curriculum, new material formats, new instructional methods, and the current needs of AIS community. Materials no longer appropriate should be removed. Lost and worn materials of lasting value should be replaced. Weeding is essential to maintaining a relevant, attractive collection. Materials considered for weeding should include items
In poor physical condition
Containing obsolete subject matter
No longer needed to support the curriculum or student/faculty/faculty interests
Superseded by more current information
Containing inaccurate information
(See Guidelines for Weeding, Appendix)
Procedure for Challenged Materials
Should an objection to library materials arise, a procedure is set in place to handle reconsideration of challenged materials. This procedure provides for a hearing with appropriate action, while defending the principles of freedom of information, the students’ right to access materials, and the professional responsibility and integrity of the school faculty. The following procedures will be followed when a faculty or staff member, parent, or student challenges the appropriateness of an item in the collection:
All complaints to staff members, whether received by telephone, letter, or in personal conversation, shall be reported to the library media specialist(s) and the principal involved.
The library media specialist or principal shall contact the complainant to discuss the complaint and attempt to resolve it informally by explaining the philosophy and goals of the American International School in Israel and the Library Media Center, as well as the materials selection criteria and process.
If the complaint is not resolved informally, the complainant will be supplied with a letter (see example part 1 in Appendix) and the Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel Guidelines for Selection of Library Media Center Materials. The complainant shall also receive the Request for Reconsideration of Materials (see example part 2 in Appendix) to be completed and returned to the principal before consideration will be given to the complaint.
If the Request for Reconsideration of Materials has not been received by the principal within two weeks of the date indicated in the letter to the complainant, it shall be considered closed. If the request is returned, the reasons for selection of the specific work shall be reestablished by the Library Media Specialist.
Upon receipt of a completed objection form, the report will be forwarded to the superintendent. The superintendent will appoint an evaluation committee to consider the complaint. The committee shall consist of the principal involved, the library media specialist, a representative from the AIS Parent Teacher Association, two teachers, and a student, and an administrator from the office.
A meeting of the evaluation committee will be scheduled within one week of receipt of the Request for Reconsideration of Materials. The committee shall meet to discuss the material following the guidelines in the Instructions to the Evaluating Committee (part 3 in appendix).
The committee shall prepare a report on the material with its recommendations on disposition in the matter. The written decision will be forwarded to the superintendent.
The director shall notify the complainant of the committee’s recommendations and send the written report with the committee’s decision and justification to the School Board. If the committee decides to keep the work that caused the complaint, the complainant shall be given an explanation. If the committee decides the complaint is valid, the director will acknowledge it and make recommended changes.
The School Board shall review and adopt the finding of the Evaluation Committee in the absence of clear and convincing proof that the Committee’s findings were capricious or arbitrary. The Board’s adoption of the Committee’s findings shall be administratively final, binding and conclusive.
Challenged materials will remain in Library Media Center circulation until the process is completed. Access to the questioned materials can be denied to the child (or children) of the parent(s) or guardians(s) making the complaint, if they so desire. APPENDICES (3 parts) (1) SAMPLE LETTER TO COMPLAINANT Date:
Dear:
I appreciate your concern over the use of ____________________________ at the Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel. While WBAIS has developed procedures for selecting materials, the school realizes not everyone will agree with every selection made.
To help you understand the selection process, I am sending copies of our:
1. Instructional goals and objectives 2. Materials Selection Policy 3. Procedure for handling objections to materials
If you are still concerned after you review this material, please complete the Request for Reconsideration of Materials form enclosed, and return it to me. You may be assured of prompt attention to your request.
If I have not heard from you within two weeks from the date of this letter, I will assume you no longer wish to file a formal complaint.
Signature ___________________________________ Date ________________________
(3) INSTRUCTIONS TO THE EVALUATING COMMITTEE Bear in mind the principles of the freedom to learn and to read and base your decision on these broad principles rather than on defense of individual materials. Freedom of inquiry is one of the beliefs on which the Colegio Maya educational philosophy is based.
Study thoroughly all materials referred to you, including professional reviews, and the full text of the challenged material. The general acceptance of the material should be checked by consulting standard evaluation sources and holdings in other schools. Passages and parts should not be pulled out of context. The value and faults should be weighed against each other, and your recommendations should be based on the material as a whole.
Your report, presenting both majority and minority opinions, will be presented by the Director to the complainant at the conclusion of your discussion, and a written report will be presented to the School Board at their regularly scheduled meeting for final review.