LHS Selection Policy
It is the policy of Larned High School Library to provide a broad range and well-balanced coverage of educational materials to enrich and support the curriculum and to meet the needs of individual students and teachers. Materials should be available in a variety of formats, subjects and represent varying levels of difficulty, varying points of view, diverse interests, and needs of the school community . In selecting materials, principles outweigh personal opinion. Materials are considered for their quality and appropriateness.
Responsibility
1. Responsibility for the selection of all library materials is delegated to the professional library staff through
the building principal. The selection process involves open opportunity for consultation with
administrators, faculty, supervisors, and students. Selection is based upon evaluation by the
professional library staff, using professional library tools and other review media.
the building principal. The selection process involves open opportunity for consultation with
administrators, faculty, supervisors, and students. Selection is based upon evaluation by the
professional library staff, using professional library tools and other review media.
2. In selecting materials, library staff, administrators, and faculty are guided by the principles incorporated in the School Library Bill of Rights, the Freedom to Read Statement, standards adopted by the America
Association of School Librarians, and the School Library Standards of the Kansas State Board of
Education.
Association of School Librarians, and the School Library Standards of the Kansas State Board of
Education.
Criteria
1. Materials should be selected to support and enrich both the curriculum and the personal needs of students and faculty, taking into consideration diverse
interests, abilities, socioeconomic backgrounds, maturity levels, and student’s interests. Materials selected should encourage an appreciation for both
informational and recreational reading, viewing, or listening.
2. Care will be taken to select materials meeting standards of high quality including
a. educational significance
b. physical format
c. presentation, including special features, such as indexes, table of contents, illustrations, photographs, maps, charts, and graphs
d. readability
e. authenticity/accuracy in factual content
f. artistic quality or literary style
g. technical production/construction that is well-crafted, durable, manageable, and attractive.
3. Materials should be considered relating to their overall purpose and their direct relationship to instructional objectives and/or the curriculum. Selected
materials should support needs in the content areas and be appropriate to the variety of ages, developmental stages, ability levels, and learning
styles represented by the particular facility for which they are chosen.
4. Materials should be selected representing opposing points of view on controversial issues, encouraging individual analysis.
5. The literary style of a work should be appropriate and effective for the subject matter and its intended readers or viewers.
6. The value of any work must be examined as a whole. The impact of an entire work will be considered, transcending individual words, phrases,
and incidents.
7. Resource sharing will be considered in purchasing decisions. Materials may be purchased or not purchased based on networking and
collaborative relationships with other collections and depending upon extent of need.
8. Materials will be purchased in a variety of formats with efforts made to incorporate emerging technology when they meet the criteria outlined above.
interests, abilities, socioeconomic backgrounds, maturity levels, and student’s interests. Materials selected should encourage an appreciation for both
informational and recreational reading, viewing, or listening.
2. Care will be taken to select materials meeting standards of high quality including
a. educational significance
b. physical format
c. presentation, including special features, such as indexes, table of contents, illustrations, photographs, maps, charts, and graphs
d. readability
e. authenticity/accuracy in factual content
f. artistic quality or literary style
g. technical production/construction that is well-crafted, durable, manageable, and attractive.
3. Materials should be considered relating to their overall purpose and their direct relationship to instructional objectives and/or the curriculum. Selected
materials should support needs in the content areas and be appropriate to the variety of ages, developmental stages, ability levels, and learning
styles represented by the particular facility for which they are chosen.
4. Materials should be selected representing opposing points of view on controversial issues, encouraging individual analysis.
5. The literary style of a work should be appropriate and effective for the subject matter and its intended readers or viewers.
6. The value of any work must be examined as a whole. The impact of an entire work will be considered, transcending individual words, phrases,
and incidents.
7. Resource sharing will be considered in purchasing decisions. Materials may be purchased or not purchased based on networking and
collaborative relationships with other collections and depending upon extent of need.
8. Materials will be purchased in a variety of formats with efforts made to incorporate emerging technology when they meet the criteria outlined above.
Procedures for Selection
The library media specialist will be responsible for the selection of materials. In coordinating this process, the library media specialist will:
1. Use reputable, unbiased, professionally prepared selection aids. Among the sources which may be consulted are:
● American Film & Video Association Evaluations
● Book Report Booklist
● Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
● Children’s Software Review
● Horn Book
● Kirkus Reviews
● The Journal
● Library Journal
● Library Talk
● Multimedia Schools
● Reference Books for School Libraries
● School Library Journal
● Technology Connection
● Technology & Learning
● VOYA
● CD-ROMs for Schools and Libraries
● Other sources as appropriate
2. When possible, examine items to be purchased.
3. Consider recommendations from LSH staff and students.
4. Judge gift items by standard selection criteria.
5. Purchase duplicates of extensively used materials.
6. Purchase replacements for worn, damaged, or missing materials basic to the collection.
1. Use reputable, unbiased, professionally prepared selection aids. Among the sources which may be consulted are:
● American Film & Video Association Evaluations
● Book Report Booklist
● Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
● Children’s Software Review
● Horn Book
● Kirkus Reviews
● The Journal
● Library Journal
● Library Talk
● Multimedia Schools
● Reference Books for School Libraries
● School Library Journal
● Technology Connection
● Technology & Learning
● VOYA
● CD-ROMs for Schools and Libraries
● Other sources as appropriate
2. When possible, examine items to be purchased.
3. Consider recommendations from LSH staff and students.
4. Judge gift items by standard selection criteria.
5. Purchase duplicates of extensively used materials.
6. Purchase replacements for worn, damaged, or missing materials basic to the collection.
Donation Policy
Donations of materials that have no conditions as to use, location, rebinding, or disposal are accepted by the library, and may be added even though they would not have ordinarily been purchased. Generally, the same standards of selection are applied to donations.
Challenged Material Policy
In recognition of the rights of individuals to challenge selections, it is recommended that the following procedure should be followed if such a challenge is made:
A. Invite complainant to file his or her objection in writing. For this purpose, he or she should use the Request for Reconsideration of Materials.
B. The principal will appoint a committee of the librarian and LSH representatives to review the complaint by examination of the material and by consultation with review. The committee will discuss the material within 10 days of the complaint and will submit a report to the principal for a decision.
C. If the complainant is not satisfied with the principal’s decision, he/she may submit the complaint to the superintendent who will take the matter to the
Fort Larned School Board for a decision.
A. Invite complainant to file his or her objection in writing. For this purpose, he or she should use the Request for Reconsideration of Materials.
B. The principal will appoint a committee of the librarian and LSH representatives to review the complaint by examination of the material and by consultation with review. The committee will discuss the material within 10 days of the complaint and will submit a report to the principal for a decision.
C. If the complainant is not satisfied with the principal’s decision, he/she may submit the complaint to the superintendent who will take the matter to the
Fort Larned School Board for a decision.