IJL - Library-Media Materials Selection

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Policy IJL

Adopted: November 5, 2009
Amended: N/A

LIBRARY/MEDIA MATERIALS SELECTION AND RECONSIDERATION OF MATERIALS

1. The Hopkinton School Committee recognizes that each school’s library plays a vital role in the educational process. Print and online materials in the library should be selected to support the curriculum, encourage informational and recreational reading, and be based on consideration of students’ diverse interests, developmental interests, abilities and backgrounds, as well as costs. The value of any work considered for the collection should be examined as a whole and should take into consideration the overall purpose of the selection.

2. Materials selection by professional library staff should include consultation with teachers, administrators, and students as appropriate and be guided by the School Library Bill of Rights, as adopted in August, 2000 by the American Library Association, which says that the responsibility of the school library is to:

• Provide materials that will enrich and support the curriculum, taking into consideration the varied interests, abilities and maturity levels of the pupils served.
• Provide materials that will stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literacy appreciation, aesthetic values and ethical standards.
• Provide a background of information that will enable pupils to make intelligent judgments in their daily life.
• Provide materials on opposing sides of controversial issues so that young citizens may develop under guidance the practice of critical reading and thinking.
• Provide materials representative of the many religious, ethnic and cultural groups and their contributions to our heritage [and to global understanding].
• Place principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice in the selection of materials of the highest quality in order to assure a comprehensive collection appropriate to the users of the library.

3. Gifts of library books will be accepted in keeping with the above policy on selection and district policy “Gifts to the School or the School District (KCD).

4. The librarians will regularly weed the collection also in accordance with the above policy on selection.

5. If a citizen of Hopkinton challenges the appropriateness of an item in a school library collection, school administration will follow procedures developed jointly by school administration and professional library staff. If necessary, the School Committee will be the final arbitrator if a challenge cannot be resolved at a school or district office level. The school library will not restrict access to the challenged materials during the reconsideration process and will adhere to whatever decision is reached through the reconsideration process.

Legal References:

603 CMR 26.05: Access to Equal Educational Opportunity, Curricula

Cross Reference:

KCD - Gifts to the School or School District