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.
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.

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.
How to Create Social Media Guidelines for Your School - An article by Steven Anderson at the Edutopia web site.
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.

Collection Development in General - Web Sites

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.
Privacy and Surveillance - Library Privacy Guidelines from the American Library Association.
Library Privacy Guidelines for Students in K - 12 Schools - From the American Library Association

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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.
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.