Selection of Instructional Materials (Policy #361)stu.westga.edu/~bwilbor2/mediaportfoliobgw/6465_Selec… · Web viewSelection of Instructional Materials (Policy #361) It is the

Wilborn, West, Lindsey, David 1Selection Policy Project

Beth Wilborn, Rhonda Lindsey, Jennifer West, and Jean David

Dr. Cardell and Dr. Goldberg

MEDT 6465 Project 2.2 Selection Policy

2.2.1 SELECTION POLICY

Original Selections Policy of the New Lisbon School District

Selection of Instructional Materials (Policy #361)

It is the responsibility of the New Lisbon School District Media Specialist, along with administration and teachers:

To provide materials that will enrich and support the curriculum, taking into consideration the varied interests, abilities and maturity levels of the students served.

To provide materials that stimulates growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciation, aesthetic values and ethical standards.

To provide background of information which will enable students to make intelligent judgments in their daily lives

To provide materials representative of many religious, ethnic and cultural groups and their contributions to our American heritage.

To provide materials of the highest quality in order to assure a comprehensive collection appropriate for users of the library.

To 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 for the users of the Instructional Media Center.

To promote materials that will provide the students with constructive use of leisure time.

In selecting materials for purchase, the media specialist evaluates the existing collection and consults reputable, unbiased, professionally prepared selection aids such as Library Journal, School Library Journal, Booklist, and standards catalogs. Also, whenever possible, personal examination and evaluation of materials are made, plus recommendations of the teaching staff and of suggestions from students. All selections are to be made by the librarian within the limitations of this policy as approved by the Board of Education.

The School of New Lisbon shall not discriminate in the selection and evaluation of instructional and library materials on the basis of sex, race, national origin, ancestry, creed, physical, mental,


emotional or learning disability. Discrimination complaints shall be processed in accordance with established procedures.

The primary purpose of the Instruction Media Center is to implement, enrich and support the educational programs in all teaching areas, to develop the appreciation of good literature, and to provide for the personal interest and recreational reading of the pupils.

Ultimate responsibility for the selection of instructional materials rests with the New Lisbon School Board of Education

The district media specialist is responsible for maintaining qualitative standards for the selection of materials. Their professional training and experience enable them to evaluate materials critically. They consult standard tools and reliable guides for the selection of materials and go beyond the limits of these sources whenever they have the opportunity to examine and evaluate materials carefully.

The teacher's knowledge of materials in his field and of the types of materials appropriate for the needs and abilities of his pupils enables him to make recommendations to the district media specialist to be added to the IMC collection.

Pupils are encouraged to make suggestions for materials to be purchased for the Instructional Media Center.

Changes in curriculum content, instructional methods and needs of teachers and students make necessary the continuous re-evaluation of collections. This process leads to the replacement of outmoded materials with those that are up-to-date, the discarding of materials no longer useful, and the replacement of materials in poor condition.

Gift materials will be accepted by the School District of New Lisbon with the provision that they meet the standards for the selection of materials

Administrators, classroom and special teachers, and the library staff endorse and apply the principles incorporated in the Library Bill of Rights of the American Library Association

Each library collection is considered a segment of the total district library collection. All materials are shared; all materials are made available upon request.

Selection of materials involves many people: district administrator, principals, teachers, and the district media specialist. The responsibility for coordinating the selection of library materials and making the recommendation for purchase rests with the professionally trained library-media personnel.

Needs of the individual school based on knowledge of the curriculum and of the existing collection are given first consideration.

LEGAL REF: Sections 118.03 (2) Wisconsin Statues; 118.13 – 120.13 (15) – 121.02 (1) (h); CROSS REF. 361 – Rule, updating Media Center Collection. APPROVED: October 8, 1990.


Criteria for Selection

The criteria for selecting library materials shall be considered on the basis of : overall purpose, timeliness or permanence, importance of the subject matter, quality of the writing/production, readability and popular appeal, authoritiveness, reputation of the publisher/producer, reputation and significance of the author/artist/composer/producer, etc., format and price. No book shall be excluded solely because of the race, nationality, or political or religious views of the author.

At all levels the following specific criteria are al guides for the selection of any book:

Aid to the curriculum Does it offer information suited to the curriculum?

Individual inquiry Does it further the interest of the pupil? (i.e. intellectual, emotional or recreational satisfaction of the reader?

Daily living Does it characterize daily life truthfully, or are stereotypes and false situations presented?

Information Is the presentation honest, not enforced just to convey that particular bit of information?

Illustrations Are they in good taste and/or appropriate?Literary Quality Is it relevant, is the materials of permanent value, does it show

insight into human characteristics, does it portray a positive outlook on life, does it provide the potential for behavioral change?

Controversial issues shall be covered from all points of view as fully as possible. books or other reading matter of sound factual authority shall not be removed for partisan or doctrinal reasons. The areas of thought in which criticism most frequently arises are religion, political ideologies, and sex.

Religion Material on religious subjects should be available, and should be factual, unbiased, and broadly representative.

Political IdeologiesFactual material on an appropriate reading level should be available concerning those ideologies which exert influence on government, education, or any phase of our common life.

Sex and ProfanityInclusion of profanity or frank treatment of sex necessitates a searching evaluation of the merits -- literary quality, true to life, relevance to the curriculum -- that the works in question may possess. Material of this nature will receive approval only if it is determined that it fills a void that cannot be met via other media.


LEGAL REF.: Sections 118.03 (2) Wisconsin Statues; 118.13 - 120.13 (15) - 121.02 (1) (h}; CROSS REF. 361 - Rule, Updating Media Center Collection; 411- Rule, complaint Procedures (Nondescrimination) 871, Public complaints about Instructional Materials; PI 8.02 (1) (h) of the Wisconsin Administrative Code APPROVED: December 8, 1975; REVISED: October 8, 1990

Objectives of Selection

The School District of New Lisbon recognizes that it is the primary objective of the library media center in our school to implement, enrich, and support the educational programs of the school. It is

the duty of the library media center to provide a wide range of materials on all levels of difficulty, with diversity of appeal and the presentation of different points of view.

To this end, the Board of Education reaffirms the Bill of Rights for School Library Media Programs and asserts that the responsibility of the School Library Media Center is:

1 To provide materials that will enrich and support the curriculum, taking into consideration the varied interests, abilities, and maturity levels of the students served.

2 To provide materials that will stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciation, aesthetic values, and ethical standards

3 To provide a background of information which will enable students to make intelligent judgments in their daily life

4 To provide materials on opposing sides of controversial issues so that young citizens may develop under guidance the practice of critical analysis of all media. (Opinions expressed in library materials are not necessarily endorsed by the Board of Education.)

5 To provide materials representative of the many religious, ethnic, and cultural groups and their contribution to our American heritage

6 To place principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice in selection of materials of the highest quality in order to assure a comprehensive collection appropriate for the users of the library media center.

Last Update: July 4, 2005 Created and maintained by Jayne M. TurnerLibrary Media Specialist for School District of New [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Lisbon School District

http://www.newlisbon.k12.wi.us/imc/lib_info/policies/policies.htm

http://www.newlisbon.k12.wi.us/imc/lib_info/about_imc.htm

http://www.newlisbon.k12.wi.us/imc/home.htm





GROUP 7: A+ MEDIA CENTER

2.2.1 REVISED SELECTION POLICY FOR POLICY AND PROCEDURE HANDBOOK

Selection of Materials

MISSION STATEMENT – This center’s primary mission is to implement, enrich, and support educational programs in all teaching areas, to develop the appreciation of good literature, to provide for the personal interest and recreational reading of users, and to provide a wide range of materials on all levels of difficulty, with diversity of

appeal and the presentation of different points of view.

GOALS:

To provide materials that will enrich and support the curriculum and state standards, taking into consideration the varied interests, abilities, and maturity levels of the students served;

To provide materials that stimulates growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciation, aesthetic values and ethical standards;

To provide background of information which will enable students to make intelligent judgments in their daily lives;

To provide materials representative of many religious, ethnic, and cultural groups, and their contributions to our American heritage;

To provide materials of the highest quality in order to assure a comprehensive collection appropriate for users of the library;

To 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 for the users of our center;

To promote materials that will provide the students with constructive use of leisure time;

To promote collaboration between faculty and our center to enhance student learning.

Selection of materials involves many people: district administrator, principals, teachers, and the media specialist. The teacher's knowledge of materials in his field and of the types of materials appropriate for the needs and abilities of his pupils enables him to make recommendations to the media specialist of suggestions that he would like to see added to the media center collection. Pupils are also encouraged to make suggestions for materials to be purchased for the media center. The responsibility for coordinating the selection of library materials and making the recommendation for purchase rests with the professionally trained library-media specialist.



Criteria for Selection

The criteria for selecting library materials shall be considered on the basis of overall purpose, timeliness or permanence, importance of the subject matter, quality of the writing/production, readability and popular appeal, authority, reputation of the publisher/producer, reputation and significance of the author/artist/composer/producer, etc., format, and price. No book shall be excluded solely because of the race, nationality, political or religious views of the author. Needs of the individual school based on knowledge of the curriculum, of state standards, and of the existing collection are given first consideration.

At all levels the following specific criteria are all guides for the selection of any book:

Aid to the curriculum Does it offer information suited to the curriculum?

Individual inquiry Does it further the interest of the pupil? (i.e. intellectual, emotional or recreational satisfaction of the reader?

Daily living Does it characterize daily life truthfully, or are stereotypes and false situations presented?

Information Is the presentation honest, not enforced just to convey that particular bit of information?

Illustrations Are they in good taste and/or appropriate?Literary Quality

Is it relevant? Is the material of permanent value? Does it show insight into human characteristics? Does it portray a positive outlook on life? Does it provide the potential for behavioral change?

Religion Material on religious subjects should be available, and should be factual, unbiased, and broadly representative.

Political IdeologiesFactual material on an appropriate reading level should be available concerning those ideologies which exert influence on government, education, or any phase of our common life.

Sex and ProfanityInclusion of profanity or frank treatment of sex necessitates a searching evaluation of the merits -- literary quality, true to life, relevance to the curriculum -- that the works in question may possess. Material of this nature will receive approval only if it is determined that it fills a void that cannot be met via other media.

SELECTION TOOLS: In selecting materials for purchase, the media specialist evaluates the existing collection and consults reputable, unbiased, professionally prepared selection aids such as


Library Journal, School Library Journal, Booklist, and standards catalogs. Also, whenever possible, personal examination and evaluation of materials are made, plus recommendations of the teaching staff and of suggestions from students. All selections are to be made by the media specialist within the limitations of this policy as approved by the Board of Education.

GIFTS: Gift materials will be accepted by the school media center with the provision that they meet the standards for the selection of materials as contained herein.

WEEDING: Changes in curriculum content, instructional methods, and needs of teachers and students make necessary the continuous re-evaluation of collections. This process leads to the replacement of outmoded materials with those that are up-to-date, the discarding of materials no longer useful, and the replacement of materials in poor condition.

INCORPORATION: Along with our center’s mission, goals, etc., we also employ the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights.

Library Bill of Rights

The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services.

I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.

II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.

IV. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.

V. A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.

VI. Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.

(Adopted June 18, 1948, by the ALA Council; amended February 2, 1961; January 23, 1980; inclusion of “age” reaffirmed January 23, 1996.)


2.2.1 JUSTIFICATION FOR SELECTION POLICY

The New Lisbon School District Selection Policy includes many elements of a good selection

policy. It begins by explaining the responsibilities of the media specialist, the administrators, and

teachers. We have taken these responsibility statements and used many of them as goals for our

center. The Criteria for Selections area gives a general considerations checklist of library materials.

Within this section, we corrected some errors, made the checklist considerations into separate

questions, and deleted the short paragraph about controversial issues (under literary quality). It

seemed that the controversial issues statement was redundant with materials already contained with the

policy. Under New Lisbon’s Objectives of Selection, the policy states that they follow the Bill of

Rights for School Library Media Systems. We deleted this from our policy and incorporated ALA’s

Bill of Rights, which is standard in most policies. In their Objective Selection, we did incorporate the

first paragraph as our mission statement. We completed deleted numbers 1-6 under Objectives of

Selection as they had already been stated in page one of the Lisbon policy and in our goal statements.


2.2.2 RECONSIDERATION POLICY – PROCEDURES FOR HANDLING COMPLAINTS

Vickery Creek Middle School, Cumming, GA Procedure for Challenged Materials

The following procedures will be followed when a school community member challenges the appropriateness of an item in the media center collection. In this context “school community member” will be defined as anyone associated with the school including administration, faculty, staff, students, and parents.

1. When a complaint is received which specifically relates to any materials in the media center, an informal discussion is held to determine the nature of the complaint.

2. When necessary, a form, Request for Reconsideration of Materials, is provided to the complainant to fill out and return to the school principal.

3. The Request for Reconsideration will be forwarded to the media committee and the school superintendent.

4. A meeting of this media committee will be scheduled within two weeks of receipt of the Request for Reconsideration.

5. Material will be judged by the committee as to its conformance with the criteria for selection listed in this selection policy.

6. The written decision of the committee will be forwarded to the superintendent, who will inform the Board of Education and the complainant of the committee's decision.

7. If the complainant is dissatisfied with the decision, a request may be submitted to the superintendent requesting the Board of Education or a sub committee of the Board of Education to review all of the proceedings. The Board of Education will then render a final decision as to the appropriateness of the materials in question.

8. Challenged materials will remain in circulation until the process is complete.

Forsyth County, Vickery Middle Schoolhttp://www.arches.uga.edu/~jpl3/web/selectionpolicywithparentletter.doc


Sample Form for ReconsiderationFrom Lexington and Richland Counties, South CarolinaURL: http://www.lex5.k12.sc.us/bes/besppm.html#challenge

Complaint about Instructional Materials

I. Circle the nature of the material to which you objectPamphlet Tape Recording Video Recording Textbook Library book

Other (specify) _____________________________________________________________________

Author (or artist) _____________________________________________________________________

Title _____________________________________________________________________

Publisher and year of copyright (if known) _____________________________________________________________________

II. Request initiated by (your name) ____________________________________________________

Telephone number _____________________________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________________________

City _________________________________ Zip Code _____________________

III. Complainant represents:

Himself/herself _______

Organization (include name of organization) _____________________________________________________________________

Other (specify) _____________________________________________________________________

IV. 1. To what in this material do you specifically object (please be as detailed as possible)? ______________________________________________________________________

http://www.lex5.k12.sc.us/bes/besppm.html#challenge


____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Did you read the entire book/article or listen to/view all of the material? ______________________________________________________________________

3. What do you believe is the theme of this material? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What do you believe might be the result of students coming in contact with this material? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. For what age group would you recommend this material? ______________________________________________________________________

6. Is there anything good about this material? If so, what? ______________________________________________________________________

7. Are you aware of the judgment of this material by literary critics? ______________________________________________________________________

8. What would you like your school to do about this material?. ______________________________________________________________________

9. In its place, what material of equal literary quality would you recommend that would convey the information contained in the material or as valuable a picture and perspective of our civilization? _____________________________________________________________________

Signature of complainant ___________________________________________________________

Date ___________________

*Please submit completed form to the principal of the school in which the material is used.

Lexintgon and Richland Counties, South Carolinahttp://wwwlex5.k.12.sc.us/bes/bespm.html#challenge


GROUP 7 A+ MEDIA CENTER2.2.2 REVISED PROCEDURE FOR CHALLENGED MATERIALS

The following procedures will be followed when a school community member challenges the

appropriateness of an item in the media center collection. In this context “school community member”

will be defined as anyone associated with the school including administration, faculty, staff, students,

and parents.

1. A community member may challenge any resource in the media center by first

contacting the school’s media specialist to voice a complaint.

2. If the media specialist is unable to resolve the community member’s complaint,

then the community member should be directed to complete a

Request for Reconsideration of Materials and return to the school principal.

3. The principal will immediately forward the Request for Reconsideration to the media

committee. The committee shall consist of a community representative, at least two faculty

members who are knowledgeable about the subject matter, and an administrator. The

committee shall review the material in question according to the selection policy set forth by the

county and report their decision to the principal within two weeks of receipt of the Request for

Reconsideration.

4. The written decision of the committee will be forwarded to the principal, who will

inform the community member of the committee’s decision.

5. If the complainant is dissatisfied with the decision, a request may be submitted to the

superintendent requesting the Board of Education or a sub committee of the Board of Education

to review all of the proceedings. The Board of Education will then render a final decision as to

the appropriateness of the materials in question.

6. Challenged materials will remain in circulation until the process is completed and the

school or county administration has ordered the removal of the challenged material.


Reconsideration Form-Group 7:A+ Media Center

Complaint about Instructional Materials

I. Circle the nature of the material to which you object:Pamphlet Tape Recording Video Recording Textbook Library book

Other (specify) _____________________________________________________________

Author (or artist) ___________________________________________________________

Title _____________________________________________________________________

Publisher and year of copyright (if known) _________________________________________________________________________

II. Request initiated by (your name) ____________________________________________

Telephone number __________________________________________________________

Address __________________________________________________________________

City _________________________________ Zip Code _____________________

III. Complainant represents: Himself/Herself _______

If organization, give its name: _________________________________________________

Other (specify) _____________________________________________________________

IV. 1. To what in this material do you specifically object (please be as detailed as possible)? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Did you read the entire book/article or listen to/view all of the material? ______________________________________________________________________

3. What do you believe is the theme of this material? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


4. What do you believe might be the result of students coming in contact with this material? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. For what age group would you recommend this material? ______________________________________________________________________

6. Is there anything good about this material? If so, what? ______________________________________________________________________

7. Are you aware of the judgment of this material by literary critics? ______________________________________________________________________

8. What would you like your school to do about this material?. ______________________________________________________________________

9. In its place, what material of equal literary quality would you recommend that would convey the information contained in the material or as valuable a picture and perspective of our civilization? _____________________________________________________________________

Signature of complainant ___________________________________________________________

Date ___________________

*Please submit completed form to the principal of the school in which the material is used.

2.2.2 JUSTIFICATION FOR RECONSIDERATION POLICY


Vickery Creek Middle School has created a standard Request for Reconsideration policy. The

policy describes a basic process for community members to follow if they wish to challenge a material

from the media center. The media center’s policy includes a Reconsideration Form for the

complainant to complete and a committee to review the complaint.

However, the policy makes no mention of the media specialist’s role in the process, and it does

not specify who shall serve on the committee. Not all parents will approach the media specialist

because some of them will go straight to the principal to complain. Others will not feel comfortable

making a complaint to the media specialist because they feel the media specialist will defend the

material and not hear their complaint. However, the policy should include the media specialist in the

hopes that the community member and the media specialist will quickly and peacefully solve the

complaint.

If the media specialist is unable to satisfy the community member, the media specialist can

then make the community member aware of the reconsideration process. If the community member

completes the reconsideration form, the principal should be made aware of the situation and should

direct the committee to evaluate the material in question. The committee’s make-up should be

specified in order to include faculty members who are knowledgeable about the challenged material.

In addition, at least one parent should serve on the committee to ensure that the community is being

represented in the process. The committee should be required to make a timely decision, and the

principal should inform the community member of the committee’s decision.

The middle school’s policy included an appeal if the community member is not satisfied with

the committee’s ruling. This appeal process should include the school board, the policy, and the

school superintendent. Their decision should be the final word in the process. The middle’s school’s


policy states that no material should be removed from the media center until the process is completed.

However, an additional statement should be added to include that the media specialist receive

notification of the decision on removal or non-removal of the material. Based on notification, the

media specialist can convey the decision of the committee.

While the middle school made mention of a reconsideration form, one was not included on

their website. However, a very thorough form was found on the website for Lexington and Richland

counties in South Carolina. This form includes every opportunity for the community member to

explain both the positives and the negatives of the material in question. It also provides the committee

with a form to better help them determine the legitimacy of the request. It is most important to cover

all aspects of the policy to ensure that parents know that a process is in place and that media specialists

are required to follow the policy. Also, the process requires input from multiple individuals who are

knowledgeable about the subject matter in question.


2.2.3 SELECTION CRITERIA FOR NON-BOOK MATERIALS & EQUIPMENT

Excerpt from Rockdale County Non-Book Selections Criteria

2. General Considerations for all Non-Book Materials The following questions should be asked when evaluating materials for purchase: · Does the material meet a need or priority identified by the planning process?· Does the material meet a curricular need?· Is the material related to instructional objectives?· Is the material of permanent or transitory interest?· Is the overall quality of the writing or production acceptable?· Is the material suitable for the range of abilities of the students it targets?· Is the material appropriate to the age and sophistication of the students it targets?· Is the format of the material appropriate to its content and purpose?· Is the price of the material balanced by its usefulness?· Does the author/illustrator/producer/publisher have an established reputation for quality? · Is the material free of pervasive vulgarity and gratuitous violence?· Is the factual content accurate and up-to-date? 4. Non-Textual Video Recordings, Audio Recordings, Etc. All non-textual materials purchased, regardless of the source of funds, must meet the guidelines for non-textual materials, must be identified as a priority purchase by the media/technology committee, and must be ordered and processed through the library media center. The school media committee determines the priorities for purchase of non-print materials for the library media center based on curricular needs in light of the strengths and weaknesses of the collection. The library media specialist keeps a consideration file of titles or subject needs from teacher requests, student requests, favorable reviews, and recommended lists. An effort is made to locate favorable reviews on all titles ordered. If reviews are not found, other avenues of information include: preview of the material, personal recommendations from other educators, or personal knowledge of the favorable reputation of the producer. All video recordings produced primarily for entertainment, whether purchased, rented, borrowed, or personally owned, must be rated either G, PG, or PG-13 to be used in the K-8 classroom. For high schools, video recordings with other ratings must be submitted to a review committee such as the school media committee, an academic team, or department for preview and to the principal for final approval before purchase or instructional use. Before any non-school-owned video recording may be used in the classroom, it must be approved by the school principal or his/her designee. A petition for use, Form IFA-F4.02 (Use of Non-School-


Owned Videotapes), is completed and submitted to the principal. To be approved for use, the video recording must relate to a specific learning objective and teaching strategy. No approval will be given for entertainment purposes during instructional time. 5. Computer Software All computer software intended for network or lab use and stand-alone software costing in excess of $250.00 must be submitted to the Director of Technology and the Coordinator of Instructional Technology for review and approval before purchase. Selection of software costing less than $250.00 should follow the general guidelines for all non-textual materials. No software personally owned by students or staff may be used on any school computer without review and approval by an appropriate school committee. To consider the software, the committee must be provided with assurance of copyright and with proof that the software is free of any virus. 6. Human Sexuality Materials Any materials related to human sexuality must be submitted to the Human Sexuality Materials Review Committee before purchase or instructional use. A request for review of materials may come from any teacher, media specialist, administrator, parent, community agency, or other interested person. The request for review along with the material is submitted to the Coordinators for math/science/P.E. and health who will take the material for preview to the Committee. 7. Equipment The Technology Planning Committee establishes the priorities for purchase of instructional equipment as part of the system wide technology plan that is annually reviewed and amended. The Technology Planning Committee reviews and approves requests for purchase of equipment based on the technology plan and on criteria established by the committee. The following questions should be asked when evaluating equipment for purchase: · Does the equipment meet industrial standards?· Is the equipment from a reputable manufacturer?· Is the equipment durable enough to withstand student use?· Is the equipment easy to use?· Is the equipment useful or upgradeable for at least 5 years?· Is the equipment compatible with the current network system?

http://www.gsbaepolicy.org/policy.asp?PC=IFA-R&S=4138&C=I&RevNo=1.01



Excerpt from Coffee County Selections Criteria

Periodical Selection

The periodicals collections should be well balanced in relation to the curriculum needs and student interests. It is good to select magazines which are indexed in the Abridged Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature by Wilson or the Children's Magazine Guide.


Excerpt from Floyd Count Selections Criteria

3. Non-Book Library Resources, such as maps and globes; pictures, charts, diagrams and graphs; filmstrips; films and film loops; recordings - disk and tape; transparencies; periodicals, pamphlets, documents; kits, and videocassettes.

a. Accuracy of content? b. Relevancy to content? c. Appropriateness?





GROUP 7: A+ MEDIA CENTER

2.2.3 SELECTION CRITERIA FOR NON-BOOK MATERIALS & EQUIPMENT

Each of the following questions should be asked and seriously weighed when evaluating non-book materials/equipment for purchase:

Does the material meet a need or priority identified within the GPS, school curriculum, school programs, or its prospective users?

Is the material of permanent or transitory interest? Is the material suitable for the age, maturity level, and range of abilities of the targeted user? Is the format and quality of the material appropriate to its content and purpose? Is the price of the material balanced by its usefulness? Does the author/illustrator/producer/publisher and his/her producer/publisher have an

established reputation for quality, accuracy, and dependency? Is the factual content accurate and up-to-date? Is this an item that could easily be obtained through an interlibrary loan program? Will this item add value to the current collection? Does the item promote diversity and tolerance of others? Is the material user-friendly and contents arranged to facilitate use? Does the item hold literary merit? Does the material encourage the use of critical thinking skills? Is material relevant to today’s world?

All non-book materials purchased, regardless of the source of funds, must meet the “Standard Considerations for All Non-Book Materials/Equipment,” must be identified as a priority purchase by the media/technology committee, and must be ordered and processed through the library media center. Further, the school media committee determines the priorities for purchase of non-book materials for the library media center based on curricular needs in light of the strengths and weaknesses of the collection. The library media specialist keeps a consideration file of needed media materials or subject needs from teacher requests, student requests, favorable reviews, and recommended lists. An effort is made to locate favorable reviews on all media materials ordered. If reviews are not found, other avenues of information include: preview of the material, personal recommendations from other educators, or personal knowledge of the favorable reputation of the producer. A. Video Recordings, Audio Recordings, Disc Recordings, and Related Items

All recordings and related items purchased, regardless of the source of funds, must meet the “Standard Considerations for All Non-Book Materials/Equipment” and must be ordered and processed through the library media center. For recordings, the school media committee will also weigh the following additional criteria:


Is the item free of distortion? Is the item compatible with present equipment? Is present equipment the best format for said item? Is the item the most effective means of providing the key elements of its contents?

Further, all video/disc recordings produced primarily for entertainment, whether purchased, rented, borrowed, or personally owned, must be rated either “G,” “PG,” or “PG-13” to be used in the K-8 classroom. For high schools, video/disc recordings with other ratings must be submitted to a review committee such as the school media committee, an academic team, or department for preview and to the principal for final approval before purchase or instructional use. Before any non-school-owned video/disc recordings may be used in the classroom, it must be approved by the school principal or his/her designee. A petition for use, Form IFA-F4.02 (Use of Non-School-Owned Videotapes), is completed and submitted to the principal. To be approved for use, the video recording must relate to a specific learning objective and teaching strategy. No approval will be given for entertainment purposes during instructional time. B. Computer Software All computer software intended for network or lab use and stand-alone software costing in excess of $250.00 must be submitted to the Director of Technology and the Coordinator of Instructional Technology for review and approval before purchase. Selection of software costing less than $250.00 should follow “Standard Considerations for All Non-Book Materials/Equipment.” The following additional questions should be asked when evaluating equipment for purchase:

Will the software program be compatible with school/user equipment? Will a computer be the best format for software presentation? Is the software program user-friendly? Does the software program provide on-screen instructions or remedial assistance?

No software personally owned by students or staff may be used on any school computer without review and approval by an appropriate school committee. To consider the software, the committee must be provided with assurance of copyright and with proof that the software is free of any virus. C. Equipment The Technology Planning Committee establishes the priorities for purchase of instructional equipment as part of the system-wide technology plan that is annually reviewed and amended. Equipment under this section typically applies to, but is not limited to, projectors, moveable AV carts, VCR and/or DVD players, scanners, cameras, recording devices, compact disc players (and related types of media materials). The Technology Planning Committee reviews and approves requests for purchase of equipment based on the technology plan and on criteria established by the committee. The following questions (in addition to “Standard Considerations for All Non-Book Materials/Equipment” are some further selection criteria in this category:


Does the equipment meet industrial standards? Is the equipment from a reputable manufacturer? Is the equipment durable enough to withstand prolonged and constant student use? Is the equipment user-friendly? Is the equipment useful or upgradeable for at least 5 years? Is the equipment compatible with the current network system? Is there another alternative to purchasing, i.e. short-term rental that is more feasible? Is the requested equipment likely to be used only by one teacher, one classroom, and/or in only

one content area?

D. Periodicals/ Newspapers

All non-book materials purchased, regardless of the source of funds, must meet the “Standard Considerations for All Non-Book Materials/Equipment” and must be ordered and processed through the library media center. For these specific items, the school media committee will weigh the following additional criteria:

Is the journal indexed within a reputable, widely-accepted source? Does the electronic version present the same content and quality as the print version? How easy is it to access back issues? How is the electronic version updated? Does the electronic version provide links to other electronic sources? How easy is it to download articles?

E. Miscellaneous Non - Book Media Resources

All non-book materials purchased, regardless of the source of funds, must meet the “Standard Considerations for All Non-Book Materials/Equipment” and must be ordered and processed through the library media center. For the purposes of this selection policy, other non-book media resources include, but are not limited to, the following: maps, globes, pictures, charts, diagrams, graphs, transparencies, realia, pamphlets, documents, and kits. The following questions should also be applied to these other non-book media resources:

Is the item durable enough to withstand prolonged and constant student use? Is the item going to require extraneous costs and attention beyond its initial purchase? Is the item safe for its intended environment and users? Is this item the best, cost-effective choice for its purpose? Is the item user-friendly?

F. Online Databases

Online Databases are another non-book media form that must meet the “Standard Considerations for All Non-Book Materials/Equipment” prior to its purchase, ordering, and/or processing through the library media center. The following selection questions should also be considered with this type of media material:


How is the database indexed? Can users conduct searches by various formats? Can users use Boolean logic do conduct searches? Are cross-references provided? How frequently is the database updates? Will the update frequency meet curriculum and GPS

needs? What years does the database cover? What services does the vendor offer? Is the database user-friendly? Is it free of distractions? Is that a print version? Is the online search time less than that required for searching the print

version? What are the sources of the information on the database? What criteria or standards were used in creating the database? Can the users access the database from home after school hours? Is the vendor willing to

negotiate this service?

2.2.3 JUSTIFICTION FOR SELECTION CONSIDERATION FOR NON-BOOK MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT


This part of our handbook is largely comprised of components found in Rockdale County’s

Selection Policy. Their policy was attractive in that it compiled a list of generic criteria that could be

applied to many materials. We combined some of the criteria to make the guidelines more

comprehensive and inclusive of a broader segment and added seven additional generic standards

suggested in The Collection Program in Schools that could, for the most part, also cover a broad amount

of media materials (Van Orden & Bishop, 2001, p. 101-102). To make the Rockdale County policy

more exclusive to specific materials, we made the following criteria additions/changes based on

readings from our class textbook: Section A, four additions (Van Orden & Bishop, 2001, p. 148-149);

Section B, four additions (Van Orden & Bishop, 2001, p. 156); Section C, two additions, some minor

word choice changes, and a standard list of media equipment was added for defining purposes (Van

Orden & Bishop, 2001, p. 142). The selection element regarding Human Sexuality Materials in the

Rockdale County policy was deleted in its entirety in that its inclusion seemed to create the risk

mentioned by the Minnesota Coalition Against Censorship referenced in our textbook (Van Orden &

Bishop, 2001, p. 103).

A small portion of the Coffee County Selections Policy was chosen because in its original form

it mentioned checking for index references as suggested in the classroom text. To make the selection

for periodicals/newspapers more specific yet generic, the specific indexes mentioned in the original policy

were deleted and five specific criteria were added to this section of our policy (Van Orden & Bishop,

2001, p. 173). A small portion of our handbook contains a defining list of non-book materials

from Floyd County’s Selections Policy; some specific criteria were added to this section. Lastly,

considering today’s technology, criteria for online databases was added (Van Orden & Bishop, 2001,p.

169-170).

REFERENCES:


Van Orden, Phyllis J., & Bishop, Kay (2001). The Collection Program in Schools: Concepts, Practices, and Information Sources (3rd ed.). Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited

Rockdale County -http://www.gsbaepolicy.org/policy.asp?PC=IFA-R&S=4138&C=I&RevNo=1.01 Coffee County - http://www.gsbaepolicy.org/policy.asp?PC=IFA-R&S=4041&C=I&RevNo=1.11

Floyd County - http://www.gsbaepolicy.org/policy.asp?PC=IFA-R&S=4068&C=I&RevNo=1.12

America Library Association - http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/statementspols/statementsif/librarybillrights.htm

Forsyth County, Vickery Middle School -http://www.arches.uga.edu/~jpl3/web/selectionpolicywithparentletter.doc

Lexintgon and Richland Counties, South Carolinahttp://wwwlex5.k.12.sc.us/bes/bespm.html#challenge

Lisbon School District







http://wwwlex5.k.12.sc.us/bes/bespm.html#challenge

http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/statementspols/statementsif/librarybillrights.htm




Selection of Instructional Materials (Policy #361)stu.westga.edu/~bwilbor2/mediaportfoliobgw/6465_Selec… · Web viewSelection of Instructional Materials (Policy #361) It is the

Documents