Collection Development Policies and Procedures in School Libraries

"It does not matter how many books you may have, but whether they are good or not." - Lucius Annaeus Seneca (3 B.C.-65 A.D.), Epistolae Morale

Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials

Resources for Book Challenges - Extensive list of helpful links from the American Association of School Librarians.
How to Respond to Challenges and Concerns About Library Materials - From the American Library Association.
Stand Up to Book Challenges - Prepare yourself for what may be coming. This is from the ALSC, August 25, 2022
Book Challenges: Coming Soon to a School Near You? - Helpful suggestions in this article by Steve Tetreault in Knowledge Quest, Nov. 3, 2021
Up to the Challenge - You must be prepared to meet a challenge to library materials before it happens. This is an article by Mona Kirby in American Libraries, Sept. 3, 2019.
Reporting Challenges: A Quick How To Video - From the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom.
Formal Reconsideration - Policies to deal with requests to remove books from the library. From the American Library Association.
Sample Reconsideration forms for library Materials - For public and school libraries. From the American Library Association.
School Book Challenge Resource Center - There is an article here which you may wish to share with concerned community members. This is from the National Coalition Against Censorship.
The State of America's Libraries 2022 - The emphasis of this report from the American Library Association is on book challenges.
The Top Ten Most Challenged Books Lists - For the years from 2021 to 2001 from the American Library Association.
Book Bans: What to Know - What is the difference between a book challenge and a book ban. This article from U. S. News, May 7, 2022, includes a list of the most challenged or banned books of 2021.
Culture Wars - Why book banning is increasing in the United States. This video is from Deutsche Welle, and it is a must watch to understand what is going with book banning. May 29, 2022.
A Streak of Extremism: Book Bans May Increase in 2023 - From the Guardian, Dec. 24, 2022
School Librarians Speak Out Against Book Banning - A video from the PBS News Hour, Dec. 11, 2021.
With Rising Book Bans, Librarians are under attack - An article from the New York Times, July 6, 2022.

School Library Collection Policies

Collection Development Policies

Collection Development Policy - This is a brief definition of a collection development policy. It is from the LIS 6010 blog from Wayne State University.
School Library Book Selection - The trustees shall select the books.From the Montana Code, 2021. Who these trustees are is defined Here
Standards for School Library Resource Collections - State of South Carolina, 2016.
AASL Position on Labeling Practices - Feb. 18, 2021
Key Issues for e-Resource Collection Development: A Guide for Libraries - by Sharon Johnson et al, January, 2012.

Selection Policies

ALA Workbook for Selection Policy Writing - 1998
School Library Selection Policy - St. Bonaventure School Library, Huntington Beach, CA.
Collection Development Policy - of the Urban School library, San Francisco, CA.
University Laboratory High School Collection Development Policy - Urbana, IL.
Selection Policy Guide - From the New York City School Library System.
Library Material Selection Policy - For Wellesley, MA School District.
Selection and Reconsideration Policy Toolkit for Public, School, and Academic Libraries - From the American Library Association, January, 2018.
A Content Analysis of District School Library Selection Policies in the United States - by April M. Dawkins and Emily C. Eidson. An analysis of school library selection policies which found that school librarians may need to review their policies and keep them current. In School Library Research, November, 2021

Selection Policies for Electronic Materials and Internet Sites

As a school librarian, you may have to see what university policies say and adapt to it to your needs.

Why Have a Technology Policy in your School or Library - From Scholastic.
Collection Development Policy - Electronic Resources - The University of Alabama Libraries.
Library Collection Development Procedures: Selecting Electronic Resources - From the University of Texas Library at El Paso
Collection Policy Statement: Electronic resources. - From the University of Maryland

Policies for the Use of Social Media in Schools

Internet Responsible Use Policy - Haverford Middle School. This policy includes student and parent forms which must be signed for student to use computers.
Five Ways to Keep Social Media From Being a Legal Headache - an article by Bradley Shear in THE Journal, 3/17/02015.
Social Media Policy for Employees - The Des Moines Public Schools
Social Media Policy - Sewickley Academy, Sewickley, PA.
Social Media Policy for Employees and Associated Persons - Los Angeles Unified School District.
Social Media Policy for Students - Los Angeles Unified School District.
Social Media Policy for Staff and Students - Jackson Public Schools, July, 2017.
Social Media Guidance for Staff - Fairfax County Public Schools,
iPad Policies and Procedures - Keystone School, San Antonio, TX
e-Readers and e-Books - More information on policies for e-readers.
Library Privacy Guidelines for Students in K - 12 Schools - This addresses the need to protect student data.

Book Prices

Average Book Prices, 2022 - From School Library Journal, March 2, 2022.
Average Book Prices, 2021 - From School Library Journal, Feb. 20, 2021
Average Book Prices, 2020 - From School Library Journal. May 12, 2020
Average Book Prices 2019 - School Library Journal, March, 2019.
Average Book Prices, 2018 - School Library Journal, March 2018.

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Collection Evaluation and Weeding

Assessing Your Library Collection - by the National Library of New Zealand Services to Schools.
CREW: A Weeding Manual for Modern Libraries - From the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. This includes a section on weeding e-books.
NoveList Core Collections Weeding Checklist - Updated July, 2020.
Weeding Brochure - Brochure in PDF format from California libraries.
NYC School Librarian Guidebook: Weeding - January, 2021
Tips for Weeding Your Reference Collection - From the Collection Reflection blog.
Weeding e-books - Recommendations - From the Collection management Committee of the Consortium of College and Research Libraries of Illinois. June, 2022
I Feel the Need to Weed: Maintaining an E-Book Collection - An article by Jennifer Cully in the Southeastern Librarian, April, 2015.
Discard Responsibly - Ideas on how to get rid of your weeded books.

Preservation and Repair of Books and Other Materials

A Simple Book Repair Manual - by the Dartmouth Libraries
Preservation - An online resources for preservation of materials by the Northeast Document Conservation Center.
Book Repair Manual - by Gary Harrison of Indiana University Libraries. This site has repair instructions, and many definitions and descriptions of book repair terms and materials.
The Preservation of Pop Up and Moveable Books - By the Baldwin Library. This is a video.
Book Arts Web - Information on bookbinding, repair, and conservation. This site also has links to related sites.
Digital Preservation - This is a video from the Library of Congress. You may find it helpful in preserving your personal digital files like e-mail and photos.
Introduction to Scanning - This is a video from the Library of Congress which gives instructions for making digital images of photographs.

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This site is maintained by Linda Bertland, school librarian (retired), Philadelphia, PA. Please address any comments, additions, or corrections to info@sldirectory.com.