| The Upper Moreland Township School Board hereby declares
it is the policy of the Upper Moreland District to provide a wide range
of library media materials on all levels of difficulty, with diversity
of appeal, and varied points of view. This policy will allow the acquisition
of items consistent with the policy and the review of allegedly inappropriate
materials through established procedures.
Objectives of Selection
In order to assure that the school library media program
is an integral part of the educational program of the school, the following
selection objectives are:
- To provide materials that will enrich and support the curriculum
and personal needs of the users, taking into consideration their varied
interests, abilities, and learning styles.
- To provide materials that will stimulate growth in factual knowledge,
literary appreciation, aesthetic values, and ethical standards.
- To provide a background of information which will enable pupils
to make appropriate choices in their daily lives.
- To provide materials on opposing sides of controversial issues so
that users may develop, under guidance, the practice of critical analysis.
- To provide materials that represent our pluralistic society and
reflect the contributions made by groups and individuals to our American
heritage.
- To place principle above personal opinion and reasons above prejudice
in the selection of materials of the highest quality in order to assure
a comprehensive library media collection appropriate for the user.
Responsibility for Selection
The Upper Moreland Township School District Board of Education
is legally responsible for all matters relating to the operation of
the Upper Moreland Township School District Schools. The authority for
the selection of library media materials is delegated to the certified
library media personnel employed by the school system. While the process
of selection of materials involves many people, including library media
specialists, teachers, students, and administrators, the duty for coordinating
the selection process and the acquisition of materials remains with
the certified library media personnel.
Criteria for Evaluation and Selection
In developing the library media collection, the school
district strategic plan, individual student learning modes, teaching
styles, curricula needs, faculty and student needs, community and parent
input, existing materials and networking arrangements should be considered.
Materials should:
- Contribute to the objectives of the instructional program.
- Be appropriate to the level of the user.
- Reflect problems, aspirations, attitudes and ideals of society.
- Be relevant to today's world.
- Represent artistic, historic, and literary qualities.
- Represent differing viewpoints on controversial subjects.
- Provide a stimulus to creativity.
- Be of acceptable technical quality.
- Be readable; typographically well balanced.
- Be from reputable publishers or producers.
- Possess appropriate grammatical content, form, and production.
Procedures for Selecting and Maintaining the Library’s
Collection
In selecting materials for school library media programs, the library
media specialist will evaluate the existing collection, assess curricula
needs, examine materials and consult reputable, professionally prepared
selection aids. In addition, recommendations for acquisition may be
solicited from faculty, students, parents, and community members.
Materials received as gifts will be judged by the criteria listed in
the preceding section and will be accepted or rejected on the basis
of those criteria.
It should be understood that selection is an ongoing process which
includes the removal of materials no longer appropriate and the replacement
of lost and worn materials which are still of educational value.
Any lost or worn out library materials will be replaced if they still
reflect the Criteria for “Evaluation and Selection.” Materials
may be shifted from one district library to another due to curriculum
changes. In addition, materials may be removed from the library’s
collection for the following reasons:
- Poor physical condition
- Obsolete/inaccurate information
- Subject matter or materials which have not been utilized by students/staff
for a period of ten (10) years.
Library materials which fall into the above categories should be treated
in the following manner:
- Placed in sealed boxes marked “discard”
- Sent to the District Warehouse for disposal
Selection and maintenance of the library’s collection will be
coordinated by the building librarian under the direction of the building
principal.
Procedures for Handling Questioned Materials
Objections to a selection might be made by the public, despite
the care taken by qualified professionals to select valuable materials
for student and teacher use.
If an objection is made, the following procedure should be followed
by all school personnel:
- Invite the complainant to file objection in writing, using the form
provided by the district.
- When a written complaint is received, the Superintendent, or a designee,
will appoint a committee composed of the Assistant Superintendent,
the building principal, the certified building librarian, and two
teachers from the same school in which the objection arose.
- The committee will:
| a. |
Read and examine referred materials. |
| b. |
Check professional reviews. |
| c. |
Weigh concerns and formulate an opinion based on the material
as a whole and not on passages pulled out of context. |
| d. |
Meet to discuss the material and to prepare a recommendation. |
| e. |
The recommendation will include a summary of the committee's
findings and a recommendation concerning the disposition of
the material. The committee's final decision will be one of
the following:
1. to remove
the challenged material from the total school
environment.
2. to take no
removal action.
3. to agree
on a limitation of the educational use of the material. |
| f. |
File a copy of the report with the Superintendent. |
- The Superintendent or designee will consider the committee's recommendation
and seek school board approval for either (1) or (3) above.
- When a final decision is made by the school board, the Superintendent
will forward a letter to the complainant summarizing the action taken.
Copies of the decision will be placed on file with the building principal,
building librarian, and Assistant Superintendent.
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