Objectives
The library collection in the Giant’s Head School Resource Centre will:
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provide a broad range of educational materials in a variety of formats; | |
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support, enrich and enhance all curriculum areas; | |
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be accessible to students of varied abilities to meet their information and interest needs support a variety of learning and teaching styles; | |
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provide diversity of appeal, allowing for the presentation of many different points of view; | |
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encourage reading for pleasure among students and | |
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provide instructional and professional materials for staff for the implementation of education programs. |
Responsibility of Selection
While selection of materials involves many people, teachers, administrators, students, and parents, the responsibility for selecting and purchasing instructional materials for the library media centers rests with the teacher-librarian.
Procedures for Selection of Materials
When selecting materials for the school library resource center, the teacher-librarian will: evaluate the existing collection; assess curricular needs; consider recommendations staff, students and parents; examine materials and consult reputable, professionally prepared selection aids and apply the criteria of this selection policy.
Selection Criteria
Resources being considered for the Giant’s Head School Library Resource Center should meet the following criteria:
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Purpose |
- What is the educational significance of this resource?
- Does it support the learning outcomes listed in the British Columbia Integrated Resource Packages?
- Will it support the goals of School District #67 and Giant’s Head School?
- Will it promote a love of reading?
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Audience |
– Is the resource appropriate for the intended audience?
- Consider the students’ age, emotional development, ability level, learning styles and social development.
- What is its readability?
- Will students find the resource appealing?
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Authority |
- What is reputation and significance of the creators of this material?
- What are the qualifications of the author/ illustrator/composer/producer of this work?
- Is the publishing company well known?
- What is the quality of previous publications?
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Content |
- Does the resource meet high standards of quality in content and presentation?
- Is the content of the material Canadian or does it matter?
- Is the material fair, objective, free from bias, propaganda, discrimination and sex-role stereotyping?
- What is the quality of the writing, illustrations or production?
- Is the layout logical and consistent?
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Evaluation |
– Who has looked at this resource?
- Have favorable reviews been found in the literature of reputable, professional organizations and other reviewing sources recognized for their objectivity and wide experience?
- Did a professional personnel base their recommendation on a preview and examination of the resource?
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Format |
– Is the physical format and appearance of the resource suitable for its intended use?
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Value |
– Does the value of the resource commensurate with cost and/or need?
- What are the circumstances of the use of this resource?
- Is there a high degree of potential user appeal?
- What are the scope, availability and accessibility of materials in the collection similar to this resource?
Criteria for Specific Resources
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Non- Fiction |
- Resources should have a table of contents and/or index as well as a glossary if necessary.
- The material should be well organized and structured with current and accurate content.
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Fiction |
- All genres of fiction will be represented.
- Materials by authors and illustrators of all cultures will be included in the collection.
- Purchases will be based on favorable book reviews, but materials not notable for their literary quality or artistic merit may be considered based on demand.
- Literature lacking literary value will be purchased in paperback format.
- Picture books will be purchased in hard cover format whenever possible.
- Easy Chapter books will be purchased in paperback format whenever possible.
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Periodicals |
Circulation of magazines will be assessed yearly to determine the value of continuing with the subscription. At the moment, periodicals are selected for leisure reading for students.
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Reference Materials |
Materials chosen for the reference collection will follow the selection criteria for all resources. The cost effectiveness in terms of projected use must be considered before purchasing.
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Videos |
All of the I.R.P. recommended video resources are available at the school district’s Instructional Materials Centre. Teachers should be encouraged to borrow video resources from the IMC. No entertainment videos will be purchased.
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Parent Resources |
Parent Resources are selected and purchased by the Parent Advisory Committee. The Giant’s Head School Library Resource Center's role is to catalogue, house and circulate these materials.
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Professional Resources |
Professional items should be of value to a number of staff members and support the goals of the curriculum, school district and school.
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Sound Recordings |
Whenever possible, compact discs will be purchased rather than audiocassettes because of their durability.
Specific Criteria
Judgment and sensitivity must be utilized when selecting learning resources that have a potential to offend any sector of the community. Areas that could be subject to criticism will be handled in the following ways:
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Sex Instruction |
Materials will be selected on the basis of sound factual authority considering the practical and curricular need for information of the K-5 students who use the material.
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Religion |
An attempt will be made to provide factual, unbiased materials representative of all major religions.
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Ideologies |
Information and/or literary treatment on the philosophies of any group and all points of view on the issues of our times shall be represented according to the interests of our curriculum. Such information will be selected on the basis of its sound factual authority and/or literary merit.
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Obscenity |
The decision to include materials with profanity and racist or derogatory terms will be based upon literary merit and age appropriateness of the material. Is the example provided in a real-world setting?
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Science |
Material shall be selected according to its unbiased, objective and authoritative treatment of fact or theory. It will not be considered in relation to apparent agreement or conflict with moral or ethical judgments of ideological groups.
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Discrimination |
Materials will portray sexual, racial, religious, ethnic, or other social groupings in our society in such a way as to build positive images while supplying an accurate and sound balance in the matter of historical perspective.
Duplicate Titles
Popular fictional titles may be duplicated as necessary to meet demand. Multiple copies of non-fiction resources are purchased at the requested of a teacher for research purposes.
Gifts Policy
Gift resources will be accepted or rejected by the teacher-librarian based on the criteria in the selection policy.
Lost Materials
When an item is deemed lost, the student will be charged the replacement cost. A receipt will be issued for the lost item at the time of payment. In the event that the item should be returned, the student will be refunded the money in full. The status of lost items will be changed to Lost in the catalogue and reordered if necessary.
Consideration File
The teacher-librarian will keep a consideration file for future purchases. This file will reflect school needs, staff recommendations and reviews. The title, author, publisher, ISBN, review source and price will be recorded.