Gooding Jt. School District 231
INSTRUCTION 2510P
Selection of Library Materials
The selection of library materials is a professional task conducted by the library staff. The librarian shall plan the acquisition of new materials as well as the maintenance and taking of inventory of library materials. This should include review to determine whether materials should be removed as part of the de-selecting process.
In selecting library materials, the librarian or their designee will consider whether they:
- Fill a gap between the existing collection and the wants of students and staff;
- Are integral to the instructional goals, curricular, or extra-curricular programs of the school;
- Are appropriate for the reading level, understanding, and access abilities of students in the school;
- Reflect the interests and relevant needs of the students and staff;
- Warrant inclusion in the collection because of literary, historical, or artistic value and merit;
- Present information with the greatest degree of currency, accuracy, and clarity possible;
- Represent a fair and unbiased presentation of information while also representing as many shades of opinion as possible, in order that varying viewpoints are available to students; and
- Reflect a variety of cultural
The librarian will examine materials and consult reputable, professionally prepared selection aids when selecting materials. They shall also seek and consider recommendations of material to acquire from teachers, students, administrators, and other District staff and community members as appropriate. The actual resource will be examined whenever possible.
The librarian shall also consider whether new material formats, such as online databases, ebooks, streaming media, apps, etc., should be added to the library’s collections. Factors to consider in this decision include current demand, trends or growth in demand, and strengths and weaknesses of the format. Accessibility to patrons with special needs should also be considered when purchasing materials.
Special Collections
The District’s school libraries may maintain special collections that reflect the unique character and mission of the schools these libraries serve. Each school library may have different priorities within its collections or special collections, and schools with specialized curriculums may have special collections that support those areas. Therefore, if a special collection is needed in a school library, then that school librarian shall work to develop a school-specific selection process providing guidelines for their special collections.
De-Selection
When materials no longer meet the criteria for selection, they shall be removed as part of the de- selecting process. De-selecting is a necessary aspect of selection, since every library will contain works which may have answered a need at the time of acquisition, but which, with the passage of time, have become obsolete, dated, unappealing, or worn out.
The librarian of each school shall be responsible for ensuring the library’s collection is reviewed for de-selection regularly in accordance with this procedure. All materials shall be considered for de-selecting based on accuracy, currency, and relevancy. Space limitations, edition, format, physical condition, and number of copies are considered when evaluating materials. The librarian will also consider how frequently an item is checked our or used by members of the school community to determine whether it still provides value. The de-selecting process shall not be used to circumvent the process for reconsidering learning materials described in Policy 2530.
School librarians should develop processes to guide collection maintenance, conduct an inventory of the collection, and review the collection for de-selecting to ensure that materials and resources are available to students and staff and also to more efficiently manage the collection.
These processes should include guidance on repair, replacement, and removal of materials. Discarded materials will be clearly stamped:
“WITHDRAWAL FROM GOODING SCHOOL DISTRICT LIBRARY”
Materials will be discarded in compliance with Policy 9100.
Gifts
Gift materials may be accepted in accordance with District policies and procedures on donations and gifts with the understanding that they must meet criteria set for book selection. The school librarian shall evaluate whether a donated item meets the criteria for acceptance and ensure it is added to the collection or discarded according to the criteria in this procedure. Gifts and donations, like purchased resources, will be removed from the collection at the end of their useful life. Donated materials that do not meet the District’s criteria for inclusion in the library collection may be used for other purposes. This may include altering or cutting out portions of the book for art projects or other activities.
When feasible, the school librarian should explain to donors the District’s practices regarding accepting and discarding donated materials. School librarians may maintain lists of suggested materials a donor might purchase for the library.
Procedure History: Promulgated on: 5/8/12 Revised on: 2/14/23 Reviewed on: 2/9/21