Holly Grove Middle School

Collection Development Policy

1. Mission Statement

 

HGMS Mission Statement:

 

To ensure student success, the Holly Grove Middle School Community will create an environment of high expectations to promote the growth of our students as 21^stcentury learners.

 

HGMS Media Center Mission Statement:

 

The mission of the Holly Grove Middle School Media Center is to provide access to a collection of materials and collaborative instruction in order to enrich and support the entire curriculum as well as to meet the individual educational, emotional, and recreational needs of all school community members in an environment that fosters 21^stcentury skills.

 

WCPSS Media and Technology Statement:

 

The mission of the media and technology program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information. The program is designed to support, complement, and enhance the educational philosophy, goals, and objectives of the school system. The media and technology program makes available, through the school’s collections, a wide range of print, non-print, and technology resources on varying levels of difficulty with a diversity of appeal compatible with the different needs, interests, and viewpoints of students and teachers.

 

2. Selection

 

1. WCPSS Board Policy 5410

 

The Superintendent shall coordinate the media selection process.

 

5410.1 Procurement of media shall be accomplished in accordance with law, board purchasing and accounting policy, and established selection guidelines, including the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States and the Library Bill of Rights.

 

5410.2 The term media may include, but is not limited to: textbooks, library books, supplementary reading and information materials, periodicals, newspapers, charts, pictures, posters, kits, maps, globes, microforms, motion picture films, slides, audio and video recordings, dramatic productions, concerts, written and performed music, filmstrips, transparencies, art prints, film loops, flashcards, sculpture, study prints, laser discs, CD-ROM programs, computer software, online electronic data, community resource people, agencies, and programs; and all other instructional materials needed for educational purposes.

 

2. Media and Technology Advisory Committee (WCPSS Board R&P 5410.2)

 

The principal shall designate a Media and Technology Advisory Committee to include the principal, the school media coordinator, teachers, and diverse parent and student representatives. To ensure the appropriate use of funds, the committee will consider school-wide needs in cooperation with the school leadership team and school improvement team. Under the leadership of professional media personnel, this group sets priorities for establishing school guidelines consistent with Wake County guidelines, and sets priorities for acquisition of materials based on school-wide objectives and on strengths and weaknesses in the existing collections; however, approval of instructional materials resides with the principal. Ongoing evaluation is necessary and based on information from standard selection tools or preview of materials. The selection should reflect a realistic, long-range acquisition program to provide high quality resources.

 

3. Criteria for Selection

 

Materials selected for inclusion in the Holly Grove Middle School Media Center shall satisfy the following:

 

1. Materials shall be chosen to support, complement, and enrich the curriculum and to meet the educational, emotional, and recreational needs of all patrons.

2. Books shall meet high standards of quality in:

1. Accuracy and currency of information

2. Treatment of subject

3. Educational soundness

4. Physical format and construction

5. Arrangement and organization

6. Literary style

7. Importance of the subject matter and relevance to real-life situations

3. Audiovisual materials shall meet high standards of quality in:

1. Authenticity and currency

2. Appropriateness and relevance

3. Scope

4. Interest

5. Accessibility

6. Organization and format

7. Technical aspects and physical characteristics

8. Educational soundness

4. Newspapers and magazines/journals shall meet high standards of quality in:

1. Addressing needs of HGMS

2. Reader satisfaction

3. Access to basic and expanded information

4. Quality of writing and format

5. Reputation of the publisher

6. Price

5. All materials shall be appropriate for the subject area and for the ages, stages of emotional development, ability levels, learning styles, and stages of social development of Holly Grove Middle School students.

6. Materials shall represent varying viewpoints so that users can engage in critical analysis of information, make judgments based on all available information, and explore their own beliefs, attitudes, and behavior.

 

4. Selection Tools

 

In order to select the most current and relevant materials on any topic, the library media specialist and the Media and Technology Advisory Committee will use the following representative list of selection tools to aid with the review and purchasing process.

 

Reviewing media:

1. Booklist

2. Curriculum Connections

3. Curriculum guides in all subject areas

4. Horn Book

5. School Library Journal

6. Publisher’s Weekly

7. Kirkus Reviews

8. VOYA

9. MultiCultural Review

10. Personally previewed materials

11. Reviews by Wake County media coordinators and teachers

12. Subject area bibliographies

 

5. Electronic Information Policy

 

The Media Center is a learning commons that supports the provision of information in a variety of formats. As such, Internet access is provided through the availability of a full computer lab as well as individual computer stations. All patrons will need to log onto the computers and will be permitted to use the Internet as their research and study needs require.

 

Because equipment and time are limited and must be used to best meet patron needs, the computers in the Media Center will be limited in the following ways:

1. Academic use will always have priority over recreational use.

2. Printing privileges are reserved for academic purposes only. The Media Staff must grant permission for any exceptions.

3. Students must use headphones or earbuds when using sound on the computers.

 

Staff members will monitor student computer use to the best of their abilities, including Media Center Staff and teachers. Students are held to the statements they agreed to in the Acceptable Use Policy. Any violations of the AUP will be reported to the administrative team.

 

The library media specialist will assist with the instruction, formal and informal, of appropriate selection, evaluation, and use of information found on the Internet.

 

6. AV Policy

1. The Media Center provides AV materials and services for the following purposes:

1. To supplement its collection of materials

2. To support, complement, and enhance the curriculum of Holly Grove Middle School

3. To meet the individual, educational, and recreational needs of all HGMS community members

2. Format

1. The Media Center’s AV collection consists of films (DVD and VHS), electronic databases, electronic reference sources, ebooks, and audio books.

2. The Media Center does not collect filmstrips or music CDs.

 

 

3. Gifts

 

The Holly Grove Middle School Media Center welcomes gift materials. These materials shall be subject to the same criteria as those obtained through the regular selection process before being entered into the collection.

 

4. Weeding

 

1. Purpose

 

The Holly Grove Middle School Media Center recognizes the importance and necessity of having a collection of materials that is current, accurate, relevant, and useful with regard to content and format. Therefore, a periodic evaluation of the collection will be conducted by the library media specialist(s) to determine if any items in the collection no longer meet the standards for inclusion. The following guidelines have been devised to aid with the weeding process.

 

2. Guidelines

1. Weeding Based on Content

1. Information is out-of-date

2. Information is inaccurate

3. Poorly written or presented information

4. Unsuitable subject or treatment not suitable to school population (perpetuation of sexual, racial, or cultural stereotypes)

5. Content does not meet stated selection criteria

2. Weeding Based on Physical Condition

1. Pages are tattered, torn, damaged, yellowed

2. Cover is torn, missing, damaged

3. Binding is beyond repair

4. Antiquated appearance that discourages use

5. AV materials with broken or missing pieces

6. Poor technical quality

3. Weeding Based on Duplicate or Superfluous Copies

1. Unneeded duplicate copies

2. Older edition when newer one is available

3. Books which no longer relate to the curriculum

4. Weeding Based on Use

1. Nonfiction: the item has not been checked out in the last 5-7 years

2. Fiction: the item has not been checked out in the last 5 years (exclusions: classics, autographed copies, copies with bookplates)

 

Weeded materials will be withdrawn from the collection according to Wake County Public School System guidelines.

 

5. Reconsideration of Materials

 

1. WCPSS Board R&P 5410.4

 

When materials are challenged, all complaints, whether received by telephone, letter, or in personal conversation, shall be referred to the building principal. Recommendations made in selection publications should not be viewed as the final judgment on the appropriateness of materials.

 

Resolution of the complaint shall first be sought though a discussion with the principal and/or his designee. In an informal discussion, the complainant will be informed about the selection policy, criteria, and merits of the material being questioned. If the complainant does not submit a formal request for reconsideration within two weeks, the complaint will be considered closed.

 

If the complainant chooses to file a formal complaint, the following procedures should be used:

 

1. The principal or his/her designee will explain the school selection procedure and criteria to the complainant. This should be done courteously with no commitment made as the Reconsideration Committee has responsibility to respond.

2. The principal or his/her designee will provide the complainant with a copy of the form Request for Reconsideration of Instructional Materials. The complainant should be advised to submit the form to the principal.

3. When a complaint has been initiated, the principal will appoint and ad hoc Reconsideration Committee. Minimum representation on this committee will be the media coordinator, two teacher representatives who a specialists in the content area(s) being challenged, two parents, and the principal.

4. The challenged material will continue to be used until the consideration process is completed; however, the use of the material(s) for that particular student shall be suspended, if requested by the parent(s).

5. The Superintendent, Chief Academic Officer, appropriate Area Regional Superintendent, appropriate Senior Director for Curriculum and Instruction, and Director of Library Media Services will be informed of the complaint by the principal.

6. The Reconsideration Committee will be activated within thirty days to:

1. Examine the challenged material

2. Read appraisals of the material in professional reviewing sources

3. Form opinions based on the material as a whole and not on passages isolated from context

4. Prepare a report responding to the complainant

5. File a copy of the report with the principal, Superintendent, Chief Academic Officer, appropriate Area Superintendent, appropriate Senior Director for Curriculum and Instruction, and Director of Library Media Services

6. Inform the complainant of the decision of the committee

7. Retain or withdraw the challenged materials based on the decision of the committee

7. The decision of the school’s Reconsideration Committee may be appealed to the Central Instructional Materials Advisory Committee. This committee will be composed of: Chief Academic Officer; Director of Library Media Services; Senior Administrator for subject area, appropriate Area Superintendent; the Senior Director for Elementary, Middle, or High School Programs; and a minimum of two parents. The complainant must put the request in writing to the Central Instructional Materials Advisory Committee after notification of the action taken by the school’s Reconsideration Committee. The appeal to the central committee must be requested in writing by the complainant to the Director of Library Media Services with a copy being sent to the principal. Each voting member of the Central Instructional Materials Advisory Committee will read or view the material in its entirety before the committee informs the school committee of its position.

 

The Central Committee’s recommendations are advisory. Only the Board of Education has the power to reverse the school’s decision.

 

8. If the complainant is dissatisfied with the decision of the Central Instructional Materials Advisory Committee, he/she may appeal to the Wake County Board of Education in accordance with board policy 1316.

 

 

6. Supporting Documents

 

Appendix A: ALA – Library Bill of Rights

Appendix B: WCPSS Board Policy 5020 – Academic Freedom

Appendix C: ALA – Access to Resources and Services in the School Library Media Program