Millis Public Schools Selection
Policy
3.5.13
I. Responsibility for Selecting Library Materials
The School Committee is legally responsible for the policy of the schools. The
responsibility for the selection of instructional materials is delegated to the
professionally trained employees of the school system. Selection of materials
involves many people: administrators, teachers, supervisors, school library teachers.
The responsibility for coordinating the selection of the instructional materials and
making recommendations for purchase rests with professionally trained school library
personnel.
II. Objectives for Selecting Media
The primary objective of each school's library program is to enrich and support
the instructional program of the school. The school library program makes available,
through the school library collection, a wide range of materials on varying levels of
difficulty with a diversity of appeal compatible with the different needs, interests,
and viewpoints of students and teachers.
To this end, the School Committee, in keeping with the ideas expressed in the
American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights, asserts that the
responsibility of the school library program is as follows:
- To provide school library materials that will enrich and support the
curriculum, taking into consideration individual needs and the varied interests,
abilities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and maturity levels of the students
served.
- To provide school library materials that stimulate the growth in factual
knowledge, literary appreciation, aesthetic values, and ethical standards.
- To provide a background of information enabling students to make intelligent
judgments in their daily lives.
- To provide materials on opposing sides of controversial issues so that
students may develop, under guidance, the practice of critical thinking and
critical analysis of all media.
- To provide materials representative of the many religious, ethnic, and
cultural groups in our nation and the contribution of these groups to our American
heritage.
- To place principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice in
selecting school library media of the highest quality in order to assure a
comprehensive collection appropriate for the users of the school library media
center.
III. Criteria for Selecting School Library Materials
Individual learning styles, the curriculum, and the existing collection are given
consideration in determining the needs for library media in individual schools.
Materials considered for purchase are judged on the basis of the following
criteria:
- Purpose - Overall purpose and its direct relationship to instructional
objectives and/or the curriculum
- Reliability - Accurate, authentic
- Quality - Writing and/or production of merit
- Treatment - Clear, comprehensible, skillful, convincing, well-organized,
unbiased
- Technical production - Audio and/or visual clear and well-crafted
- Construction - Durable, manageable, attractive
- Special features - Useful illustrations, photographs, maps, charts, graphs,
etc.
- Possible uses - Individual, small group, large group instruction, in-depth
study
IV. Procedures for Selecting and Maintaining the School Library Collection
The school library teacher, in conjunction with subject teachers, administrators,
and the School Library Advisory Committee, will be responsible for the selection of
materials. In coordinating this process, the school library teacher will:
- Arrange for firsthand examination of items to be purchased.
- Use reputable, unbiased, professionally prepared selection aids when firsthand
examination of materials is not possible.
- Judge gift items by standard selection criteria and, upon acceptance of such
items, reserve the right to incorporate into the collection only those meeting
these specified criteria.
- Purchase duplicates of extensively used materials.
- Weed continuously from the collection worn, obsolete, and inoperable
items.
- Purchase replacements for worn, damaged, or missing materials basic to the
collection.
- Evaluate carefully and purchase only to fill a specified need expensive sets
of materials and items procured by subscription.
- Determine a procedure for preventive maintenance and repair of equipment.
V. Procedures for Reconsideration of Materials
Occasional objections to some materials may be voiced by the public despite the
care taken in the selection process and despite the qualifications of persons
selecting materials.
If a complaint is made, the following procedures should be observed:
1. Inform the complainant of the selection procedures and make no commitments.
2. Invite the complainant to file his or her objections in writing and send him or
her a copy of the form, Request for Reconsideration of School Library
Material, for submitting a formal complaint to the School Library Advisory
Committee.
3. The School Library Advisory Committee will:
- Re-examine the challenged material.
- Survey appraisals of the material in professional reviewing sources.
- Weigh merits against alleged faults to form opinions based on the materials as
a whole and not on passages isolated from context.
- Discuss the material and prepare a written recommendation to the
superintendent and school committee.
4. The final decision of the school committee shall be delivered to the
complainant and staff members in writing.
REQUEST FOR RECONSIDERATION OF SCHOOL LIBRARY MATERIALS
Name of person making request:
Telephone:
Address:
Complainant represents:
himself/herself
__
organization __
(if yes, please name:)
other group __
(if yes, please identify:)
Name of school owning challenged material:
Do you have a child in this school?
__ Grade:
Title of item:
Type of media: book, film, DVD, CD, audiobook, computer, etc.:
Author/artist/composer/etc.:
Publisher/producer, if known:
How did you acquire this item?
Is this item part of a series or set?
If yes, did you examine other items in the series or set?
What do you believe are the theme and purpose of this item?
To what in the item do you object?
Please be specific, cite pages, frames, etc.
Does this item have any redeeming feature or value? If yes, please list them:
For what age or grade level would you recommend this item?
What do you think might be the result of a student's reading, viewing, or
listening to this item?
Are you aware of any evaluations of this item by authoritative sources?
If yes, did those sources agree with your opinion? (Please list the sources)
What would you like your school to do about this item?
__ Not assign it to your child.
__ Not assign it to any child.
__ Make it available only to those who wish to use it.
__ Refer it to the School Library Advisory Committee for re-evaluation.
__ Withdraw it from the school library collection.
__ Other; please specify:
What would you suggest that the school purchase in lieu of this item?
Why is your recommendation a better choice?
Other comments:
Signature of Complainant:
Date:
First Reading: 12/20/05
Second Reading: 1/17/06
Approved School Committee: 1/17/06