BAMBERG-EHRHARDT HIGH SCHOOL MEDIA CENTER COLLECTION POLICY DEVELOPMENT

SELECTION:

I. Philosophy
The BEHS Media Center exists primarily for educational purposes and for the implementation of classroom activities. The media center is an integral part of the curriculum, offering enrichment for students and resource materials for faculty.  Materials from all available media forms are selected on the basis of interest, vocabulary, and the maturity and ability levels of all students within the school system.

The school library media center provides additional materials to attract students to reading, reviewing, and listening as sources of lifelong pleasure and recreation over and beyond the needed subject content.

II. RESPONSIBILITY FOR SELECTION OF MATERIALS

The Board of Education, as the policymaking and governing body of the school district, is legally responsible for the selection and approval of all print and nonprint materials.

The selection of materials involves many people-principals, teachers, coordinators, and media specialists.  The responsibility for coordinating the selection of library materials and making recommendations for purchase is delegated to the professionally trained library media personnel.

Media as used in this selection policy may be defined as: a) print and audiovisual forms of communications and their accompanying technology; b) materials used to support and enrich the curriculum of the school.

III. OBJECTIVES OF SELECTION AND
EVALUATION

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

To stimulate a love for reading, viewing, listening, and learning which will provide for recreation and personal enjoyment and will encourage a continuing self-education enabling one to make intellectual judgements in daily life.

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 library.

Gift materials are judged by basic selection standards, and are accepted or rejected by these standards.  Donated materials in honor of others receive permission from the honoree and parents/guardian for placement in the media center.

Selection is based upon the needs of all school personnel and students.

Materials are Considered on the Basis of

-overall purpose
-timeliness or permanence
-potential use
-importance of the subject matter
-readability and popular appeal
-reputation/significance of the author/artist/composer/producer
-format and price

    Selection and evaluation are performed systematically, continuing throughout the year, so that the materials will be balanced in terms of both curriculum needs and the needs and interests of individual students and instructors.  Materials, which are outdated or damaged, should be removed and replaced, if appropriate.

Selection Tools

The following resources shall be consulted when materials are being selected for inclusion in the library media center collection (although the library media specialist is not limited to these tools in making the final determination):

• American Historical Fiction: An Annotated Guide to Novels for Adults & Young Adults, by Lynda Adamson (Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998), <http://www.bookfinder.com>;
• Senior High School Library Catalog (Bronx, NY: W. H. Wilson, 1997);
• Horn Book Magazine (on-line edition at

• Book Links (on-line edition at <http://www.ala.org/BookLinks/>);
• Booklist (on-line edition at <http://www.ala.org/booklist/>);
• English Journal (on-line edition at <http://cc.ysu.edu/tej/>);
• School Library Journal (on-line edition at <http://www.slj.com/index.asp>);
• Reading Teacher magazine;
• Kliatt magazine;
• Wilson Library Bulletin; and
• specialized bibliographies prepared by various educational groups for individual curricular areas.

The library media specialist will solicit requests and suggestions from all members of the educational community—students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community leaders. Reviews will be collected for titles under consideration. As far as possible, the library media specialist will request preview copies for examination prior to making a final decision on any particular title. Weeding of the collection to remove materials that are outdated or no longer appropriate is a part of the selection process to ensure that the collection is as current as possible and continues to meet the information and recreational reading needs of all patrons. All donated materials will be subject to the same selection criteria as purchased materials.
 

IV. AIDS TO SELECTION

Because no individual in a school system can read all materials, references such as standard catalogs, book reviews, and book selection magazines will be used.

V. PROCEDURE FOR HANDLING COMPLAINTS

     A definite procedure is used to handle complaints:

1. Individuals voicing objections will be given a copy of the Collection Development Policy with a prepared questionnaire requesting clarification of their objections and the course of action  they recommend.

2. A review committee will be appointed by the superintendent to review the complaints and make recommendations.

VI. CATALOGING AND PROCESSING

1. Upon arriving, all items are checked in against invoice number and order and labeled with school's name.
2. Items are then cataloged into the On-line system database and barcodes and spine labels are printed.
3.  After cataloging, the items are properly shelved.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

MAGAZINES

1. Have property stamps in several sizes with the school’s name and full address on them.

2. Note the purchase order request information on the budget spreadsheet.

SOFTWARE

1. Have property stamps in several sizes with the school’s name and full address on them.

2. Note the purchase order request information on the budget spreadsheet

VIDEO AND OTHER AUDIOVISUALS

1. Keep a log of the barcode ranges assigned to each vendor and processing options.

2. Request or purchase the full MARC records from all vendors.

3. Have property stamps in several sizes with the school’s name and full address on them.

4. Note the purchase order request information on the budget spreadsheet.

VIII. DONATED ITEMS POLICY
 

The Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School library media center welcomes gifts to our resource collection. All donations will be acknowledged. All donations will be subject to the same selection criteria as purchased resources. If any donation is not selected for inclusion in the resource collection, the gift material will be passed on to a more appropriate recipient.

IX. Recommendations for Collection Size of Print Resources Based on School Enrollment
 
 

In the past decade a technology explosion has taken place in our schools, providing access to information beyond the walls of the schools via the Internet and within the physical limitations of the schools via the school’s intranet. However, we must provide a varied, up-to-date collection of print resources in addition to those resources in electronic format. When there are network problems, other library media center resources are available.

Just as technology changes, so does a school’s curriculum. We must have a dynamic print collection that changes to meet the ever-changing curriculum needs. To encourage an up-to-date collection, the following recommendations are made:

• Middle and high schools with enrollments of fewer than two hundred should have a minimum of twenty-five hundred volumes.
• Middle and high schools with enrollments equal to or greater than two hundred should have a minimum of ten volumes per student, up to 12,500 volumes.
• Elementary, K–12, and special-purpose schools should have a minimum of fifteen volumes per student or three thousand volumes, whichever is greater.

VIII. EVALUATION

  Evaluations are completed monthly during weeding  and acquiring materials.
  An annual report is completed at the end of each school year.