Oyster River High School

LIBRARY MEDIA COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY

The primary objective of the school library media centers is to implement, enrich and support the educational program of the schools. Materials must serve both the breadth of the curriculum and the needs and interests of individual students, faculty and s taff. It is the obligation of the school library media centers 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, principle must be placed above person al opinion and reason above prejudice in selecting resources of the highest quality and appropriateness.

The Oyster River School district subscribes to the "Library Bill of Rights," "Freedom to Read," "Access to Resources and Services in the School Library Media Program: an Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights," and the "Statement on Intellectual Fre edom." The mission of the Oyster River library media programs reflects the principles set forth in Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs [ALA and AECT, 1988). This document is the nationally accepted standard by which library m edia programs are developed.

The responsibility for the selection of library media resources is delegated to the professionally trained personnel employed by the school district. It is essential that the selection of resources reflect the thought and consideration of administration, faculty, students, parents and interested community members. The final decisions for selection of library media resources rest with the certified library media personnel. School library media collections include a wide range of formats and technological delivery systems. In developing school library media collections, the certified library media personnel shall choose resources which:

• meet the needs of the individual school based on knowledge of the curriculum and the interests of its students, faculty, and staff.

   

• stimulate and support intellectual and social growth, literary appreciation, aesthetic values, and ethical standards.

   

• provide a balanced collection reflecting diversity in points of view and in treatment of controversial issues.

   

• meet criteria such as factual accuracy, timeliness, variety of format and appropriateness to level of user.

   

• take advantage of emerging technologies.

In order to maintain a current and highly usable collection of materials, the library media specialist shall provide for continuing renewal of the collection, not only by addition of up-to-date materials, but by the judicious elimination of materials whic h no longer meet needs or find use. Gifts to the library may be accepted if they meet the criteria established for the selection of all instructional materials.

CONFIDENTIALITY OF LIBRARY RECORDS

The Oyster River School District respects the right of privacy of its students and staff in their use of library resources. The ORSD Board endorses the AASL Statement on Confidentiality of Library Records. The practices of the school library media cent ers conform to the requirements of RSA 91-A, which states that library user records are exempted from public records available for public inspection.

CHALLENGED MATERIALS

A process and procedure for handling challenged materials has been developed. See School Board Policies KLD/KLB and KLD-R/KLB-R for specific information.