Selection Policy

Bancroft-Rosalie
Community School
Library
Approved by the school board
April 11, 1983

Revised Winter 2014

(Modification and revisions marked)

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Table of contents
Mission Statement/ Introduction........................3
Criteria for Selection..........................................4
Tools for Selection..............................................5
Donations...........................................................5
Weeding.............................................................5
Professional Collections.....................................5
Request for Re-evaluation..................................6
Recommendation Request.................................7
Appendix
A. Freedom to Read......................................8
B. Library Bill of Rights...............................12
References.......................................................13
The following policy was originally approved on April 11, 1983 following the
consolidation of the schools. Old library notes show that the policy was
reviewed each year without any changes or amending until 1986 when the
records end. Following the revisions of this policy, the changes will be
reviewed by administration and presented for school board approval at the
April school board meeting. Following approval, the policy will be presented
to the staff during staff in-service time on April 16, 2014.

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Mission Statements:
The mission of the Bancroft-Rosalie Community School is to strive for student
growth and excellence. We support this with the following belief statements.
All students can learn.
Students learn best in a positive, safe environment.
Students must be prepared to compete and excel in a digital age.
Students individual needs must be met.
The mission of the Bancroft-Rosalie Community School Media Library is to
enable students and staff to become life-long learners and effective users of
ideas and information.

Introduction
As a part of the school, the library is to provide materials to
supplement the curriculum and to give students and teachers additional
information on a variety of topics as well as to provide recreational reading
materials.
We The library recognizes that the responsibility for the purchase of
library materials is legally vested in the Board of Education and delegated to
professionally trained personnel for the actual selection of materials. The
following guidelines are to be used to direct their purchases.
Since we the school and library are tax-supported institutions in a
democratic society, we serve all people and all points of view will be served.
In accordance with this policy, we the library will support the American
Library Associations Freedom to Read Statement (Appendix A), and the
School Library Bill of Rights (Appendix B).

Materials to be provided:
1. Books Nonfiction books are to be shelved as classified by the Dewey
Decimal System and cataloged using Sears subject headings. Fiction
books are to be cataloged and shelved y the authors last name.
2. Periodicals used as a current reference to supplement books, for
recreational reading and as selection aids. They will be selected using
the Abridged Readers Guide to Periodical Literature as a guideline.
They will be organized for circulation to students and faculty and
maintained in a minimum five-year back file.
3. Newspapers from all local papers within the school district, an Omaha
and a Sioux City newspaper.
4. Vertical file of pamphlets and clippings used as a reference aid to
supplement books and periodicals. This file is to contain a minimum of
200 entries and filed using Sears Subject headings.
5. Digital Non-print materials including film, filmstrips, tapes, slides,
recordings, film loops, transparencies, pictures, realiaDVDs and CDs
etc. These materials will be classified by the Dewey Decimal System

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and are to be made available to the faculty and the students. Online
resources, such as Discovery Education, are available to all students
and staff. Usernames and passwords are created by the librarian and
can be reset if needed.

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Criteria for the selection of materials

1. Materials shall support and be consistent with the general educational
goals of the district, the school, and curriculum.
2. Materials shall be appropriate for the subject area and for the age,
emotional development, and ability level and social development of
the students for whom the materials are selected.
3. Materials shall meet high standards of quality in factual content and
presentation.
4. Materials should support the development of reading skill and aid
instruction in the use of books and libraries.
5. Materials shall have aesthetic, literary, artistic and/or social value of
recognized significance.
6. Materials chosen shall be by competent and qualified authors and
producers.
7. Materials shall be chosen to foster respect and understanding of
minority groups, women, various ethnic groups and all major religions
and shall realistically and factually represent our pluralistic
contemporary society along with the roles and lifestyles open to both
men and women.
8. Materials shall be chosen that examine various economic, political, and
ideological systems and the historical impact of such systems.
9. Materials shall provide students with opportunities and experiences,
which foster critical thinking in an atmosphere of free inquiry.
10.
Materials should present the varied aspects of our society,
including some that may be considered undesirable.
11.
Materials should present a reasonable balance of opposing sides
of controversial issues.
12.
Materials shall be selected for their strengths rather than
rejected for their weaknesses.
13.
Physical format and appearance of materials shall be of high
quality and be considered useful by some.
14.
Due to budget limitations, it is not possible to acquire all
materials that might be considered useful by some.
15.
Paperbacks are to be included in the collection to obtain books
that are otherwise out of print; for a title not produced in any other
format; for an older title that is useful only occasionally and has
become available in paperback; to encourage the reluctant reader; and
to provide an inexpensive but wide collection of leisure reading for
students.
16.
In a literary work of established quality, the use of profanity or
the treatment of sex is not an adequate reason for eliminating the
material from the school library.

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Tools for selection of library materials

1. In selecting materials for purchase, the library media specialist will
evaluate the existing collection and the curriculum needs and will
consult reputable, unbiased, professionally prepared selection aids
including standard bibliographies such as:
a. Booklist
b. School Library Journal
c. Wilson Library Core Collections
d. Title Wave
e. Commercial publishers
f. Any other source deemed suitable by LMS
2. Recommendations for purchase will be solicited from faculty,
Administrators, and students.
3. National and state awards or honor lists will be considered. These lists
include honors such as Caldecott, Newbery, and Coretta Scott King
awards.

Library Donations
Professional staff, using the same criteria as materials to be purchased,
must review all gifted materials. Gift materials shall be judged by the saIt
me criteria as materials to be purchased and shall be accepted or rejected by
those criteria. Donated materials should be new or barely used, complete,
clean, and attractive. Materials that are considered consumables, such as
workbooks or instructional materials are not appropriate for library use and
will not be accepted.

Weeding
Selection is an ongoing process and also includes the removal of
materials no longer appropriate and the replacement of lost or worn
materials still of educational value. Weeding includes more than just the
materials in poor condition. It includes materials that receive little use, no
longer needed, or has inaccurate information. The decision on items to be
removed should be made by library staff, which may consult school
administrators and staff.

Professional Collections Policy

The library will provide materials for professional development of the
staff. The selection process will follow the materials selection policy with
input from the administration and the staff. Digital resources along with
username and passwords can be obtained from the media specialist.

Procedure for filling a request for reconsideration of

library materials
It is recognized that the possibility of an error in materials selection
does exist. Therefore, an effort should be made before filing a formal
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objection, to rectify the matter informally by contacting the library media

specialist directly. In the event the objection cannot be adjusted informally,
the following procedure should be employed:
1. A request for review or reconsideration of any library materials in the
school shall include a full description of the work in question along with
specific items, passages, excerpts or parts of the materials to which
objection is being made. Reasons for objections shall be given and the
statement shall be signed and dated. The signatory will further
identify his/her group association or affiliation, if any.
2. An objection or request for reconsideration of materials should be
submitted to the principal and shall be answered by the principal.
3. The decision of the principal may be appealed to the superintendent.
4. If the citizen still feels that his objections have not bee dealt with
adequately, he or she may make the final appeal to the Board of
Education.

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Bancroft-Rosalie Community School

Request form for Re-evaluation of Learning Resource Center Materials
The school board of Bancroft-Rosalie has delegated the responsibility for
selection and evaluation of library resources to the school library media
specialist, and has established procedures to address concerns about those
resources. Please return the completed form to:
Bancroft-Rosalie
Community School
708 Main Street
Bancroft, NE 68004
Name: ___________________________________Date: ______________________________
Address: _________________________________City:________________________________
State:___________________Zip:_______________Phone:______________________________
Type of Resource:
____ Book ____ Textbook ____ Video ____ Display ____ Magazine ____ Library
Program
____ Audio Recording ____ Newspaper ____ Electronic information
Title:__________________________________________________________________________
Author/Producer:______________________________________________________________
Please respond to the following questions. If sufficient space is not provided,
please use an additional sheet of paper.
1. What brought this resource to your attention?
2. Have you examined the entire resource? What do you believe is the
main idea of this material?

3. What concerns you about the resource?

4. What action do you recommend that the school take on this material?

Date:___________________

Signature:______________________________________
Organization (if applicable):_____________________
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Bancroft-Rosalie Community School

Recommendation for Library Materials
Please return the completed form to:
Bancroft-Rosalie Community School
708 Main Street
Bancroft, NE 68004
Name: ___________________________________Date: ______________________________
Address: _________________________________City:________________________________
State:___________________Zip:_______________Phone:______________________________
List resources you would like to see added to the library materials:
(Please include any professional reviews supporting your interest)

List any subjects that you would like the library to consider adding more
information.

List any non-print or electronic resources that would be beneficial to review.

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Appendix A

TheFreedomtoReadStatement

Thefreedomtoreadisessentialtoourdemocracy.Itiscontinuouslyunderattack.Private
groupsandpublicauthoritiesinvariouspartsofthecountryareworkingtoremoveorlimit
accesstoreadingmaterials,tocensorcontentinschools,tolabel"controversial"views,to
distributelistsof"objectionable"booksorauthors,andtopurgelibraries.Theseactions
apparentlyrisefromaviewthatournationaltraditionoffreeexpressionisnolongervalid;that
censorshipandsuppressionareneededtocounterthreatstosafetyornationalsecurity,aswellas
toavoidthesubversionofpoliticsandthecorruptionofmorals.We,asindividualsdevotedto
readingandaslibrariansandpublishersresponsiblefordisseminatingideas,wishtoassertthe
publicinterestinthepreservationofthefreedomtoread.
Mostattemptsatsuppressionrestonadenialofthefundamentalpremiseofdemocracy:
thattheordinaryindividual,byexercisingcriticaljudgment,willselectthegoodandrejectthe
bad.WetrustAmericanstorecognizepropagandaandmisinformation,andtomaketheirown
decisionsaboutwhattheyreadandbelieve.Wedonotbelievetheyarepreparedtosacrificetheir
heritageofafreepressinordertobe"protected"againstwhatothersthinkmaybebadforthem.
Webelievetheystillfavorfreeenterpriseinideasandexpression.
Theseeffortsatsuppressionarerelatedtoalargerpatternofpressuresbeingbrought
againsteducation,thepress,artandimages,films,broadcastmedia,andtheInternet.The
problemisnotonlyoneofactualcensorship.Theshadowoffearcastbythesepressuresleads,
wesuspect,toanevenlargervoluntarycurtailmentofexpressionbythosewhoseektoavoid
controversyorunwelcomescrutinybygovernmentofficials.
Suchpressuretowardconformityisperhapsnaturaltoatimeofacceleratedchange.And
yetsuppressionisnevermoredangerousthaninsuchatimeofsocialtension.Freedomhasgiven
theUnitedStatestheelasticitytoendurestrain.Freedomkeepsopenthepathofnoveland
creativesolutions,andenableschangetocomebychoice.Everysilencingofaheresy,every
enforcementofanorthodoxy,diminishesthetoughnessandresilienceofoursocietyandleavesit
thelessabletodealwithcontroversyanddifference.
Nowasalwaysinourhistory,readingisamongourgreatestfreedoms.Thefreedomto
readandwriteisalmosttheonlymeansformakinggenerallyavailableideasormannersof
expressionthatcaninitiallycommandonlyasmallaudience.Thewrittenwordisthenatural
mediumforthenewideaandtheuntriedvoicefromwhichcometheoriginalcontributionsto
socialgrowth.Itisessentialtotheextendeddiscussionthatseriousthoughtrequires,andtothe
accumulationofknowledgeandideasintoorganizedcollections.
Webelievethatfreecommunicationisessentialtothepreservationofafreesocietyanda
creativeculture.Webelievethatthesepressurestowardconformitypresentthedangerof
limitingtherangeandvarietyofinquiryandexpressiononwhichourdemocracyandourculture
depend.WebelievethateveryAmericancommunitymustjealouslyguardthefreedomtopublish
andtocirculate,inordertopreserveitsownfreedomtoread.Webelievethatpublishersand
librarianshaveaprofoundresponsibilitytogivevaliditytothatfreedomtoreadbymakingit
possibleforthereaderstochoosefreelyfromavarietyofofferings.
ThefreedomtoreadisguaranteedbytheConstitution.Thosewithfaithinfreepeople
willstandfirmontheseconstitutionalguaranteesofessentialrightsandwillexercisethe
responsibilitiesthataccompanytheserights.

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Wethereforeaffirmthesepropositions:
1. Itisinthepublicinterestforpublishersandlibrarianstomakeavailablethewidest
diversityofviewsandexpressions,includingthosethatareunorthodox,unpopular,or
considereddangerousbythemajority.
Creativethoughtisbydefinitionnew,andwhatisnewisdifferent.Thebearerofevery
newthoughtisarebeluntilthatideaisrefinedandtested.Totalitariansystemsattemptto
maintainthemselvesinpowerbytheruthlesssuppressionofanyconceptthatchallenges
theestablishedorthodoxy.Thepowerofademocraticsystemtoadapttochangeisvastly
strengthenedbythefreedomofitscitizenstochoosewidelyfromamongconflicting
opinionsofferedfreelytothem.Tostifleeverynonconformistideaatbirthwouldmark
theendofthedemocraticprocess.Furthermore,onlythroughtheconstantactivityof
weighingandselectingcanthedemocraticmindattainthestrengthdemandedbytimes
likethese.Weneedtoknownotonlywhatwebelievebutwhywebelieveit.
2. Publishers,librarians,andbooksellersdonotneedtoendorseeveryideaorpresentation
theymakeavailable.Itwouldconflictwiththepublicinterestforthemtoestablishtheir
ownpolitical,moral,oraestheticviewsasastandardfordeterminingwhatshouldbe
publishedorcirculated.
Publishersandlibrariansservetheeducationalprocessbyhelpingtomakeavailable
knowledgeandideasrequiredforthegrowthofthemindandtheincreaseoflearning.
Theydonotfostereducationbyimposingasmentorsthepatternsoftheirownthought.
Thepeopleshouldhavethefreedomtoreadandconsiderabroaderrangeofideasthan
thosethatmaybeheldbyanysinglelibrarianorpublisherorgovernmentorchurch.Itis
wrongthatwhatonecanreadshouldbeconfinedtowhatanotherthinksproper.
3. Itiscontrarytothepublicinterestforpublishersorlibrarianstobaraccesstowritings
onthebasisofthepersonalhistoryorpoliticalaffiliationsoftheauthor.
Noartorliteraturecanflourishifitistobemeasuredbythepoliticalviewsorprivate
livesofitscreators.Nosocietyoffreepeoplecanflourishthatdrawsuplistsofwritersto
whomitwillnotlisten,whatevertheymayhavetosay.
4. Thereisnoplaceinoursocietyforeffortstocoercethetasteofothers,toconfineadults
tothereadingmatterdeemedsuitableforadolescents,ortoinhibittheeffortsofwriters
toachieveartisticexpression.
Tosome,muchofmodernexpressionisshocking.Butisnotmuchoflifeitselfshocking?
Wecutoffliteratureatthesourceifwepreventwritersfromdealingwiththestuffoflife.
Parentsandteachershavearesponsibilitytopreparetheyoungtomeetthediversityof
experiencesinlifetowhichtheywillbeexposed,astheyhavearesponsibilitytohelp
themlearntothinkcriticallyforthemselves.Theseareaffirmativeresponsibilities,notto
bedischargedsimplybypreventingthemfromreadingworksforwhichtheyarenotyet
prepared.Inthesemattersvaluesdiffer,andvaluescannotbelegislated;norcan
machinerybedevisedthatwillsuitthedemandsofonegroupwithoutlimitingthe
freedomofothers.
5. Itisnotinthepublicinteresttoforceareadertoaccepttheprejudgmentofalabel
characterizinganyexpressionoritsauthorassubversiveordangerous.
Theidealoflabelingpresupposestheexistenceofindividualsorgroupswithwisdomto
determinebyauthoritywhatisgoodorbadforothers.Itpresupposesthatindividuals

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mustbedirectedinmakinguptheirmindsabouttheideastheyexamine.ButAmericans
donotneedotherstodotheirthinkingforthem.
6. Itistheresponsibilityofpublishersandlibrarians,asguardiansofthepeople'sfreedom
toread,tocontestencroachmentsuponthatfreedombyindividualsorgroupsseekingto
imposetheirownstandardsortastesuponthecommunityatlarge;andbythe
governmentwheneveritseekstoreduceordenypublicaccesstopublicinformation.
Itisinevitableinthegiveandtakeofthedemocraticprocessthatthepolitical,themoral,
ortheaestheticconceptsofanindividualorgroupwilloccasionallycollidewiththoseof
anotherindividualorgroup.Inafreesocietyindividualsarefreetodeterminefor
themselveswhattheywishtoread,andeachgroupisfreetodeterminewhatitwill
recommendtoitsfreelyassociatedmembers.Butnogrouphastherighttotakethelaw
intoitsownhands,andtoimposeitsownconceptofpoliticsormoralityuponother
membersofademocraticsociety.Freedomisnofreedomifitisaccordedonlytothe
acceptedandtheinoffensive.Further,democraticsocietiesaremoresafe,free,and
creativewhenthefreeflowofpublicinformationisnotrestrictedbygovernmental
prerogativeorselfcensorship.
7. Itistheresponsibilityofpublishersandlibrarianstogivefullmeaningtothefreedomto
readbyprovidingbooksthatenrichthequalityanddiversityofthoughtandexpression.
Bytheexerciseofthisaffirmativeresponsibility,theycandemonstratethattheanswerto
a"bad"bookisagoodone,theanswertoa"bad"ideaisagoodone.
Thefreedomtoreadisoflittleconsequencewhenthereadercannotobtainmatterfitfor
thatreader'spurpose.Whatisneededisnotonlytheabsenceofrestraint,butthepositive
provisionofopportunityforthepeopletoreadthebestthathasbeenthoughtandsaid.
Booksarethemajorchannelbywhichtheintellectualinheritanceishandeddown,and
theprincipalmeansofitstestingandgrowth.Thedefenseofthefreedomtoreadrequires
ofallpublishersandlibrarianstheutmostoftheirfaculties,anddeservesofallAmericans
thefullestoftheirsupport.
Westatethesepropositionsneitherlightlynoraseasygeneralizations.Weherestakeoutalofty
claimforthevalueofthewrittenword.Wedosobecausewebelievethatitispossessedof
enormousvarietyandusefulness,worthyofcherishingandkeepingfree.Werealizethatthe
applicationofthesepropositionsmaymeanthedisseminationofideasandmannersof
expressionthatarerepugnanttomanypersons.Wedonotstatethesepropositionsinthe
comfortablebeliefthatwhatpeoplereadisunimportant.Webelieveratherthatwhatpeopleread
isdeeplyimportant;thatideascanbedangerous;butthatthesuppressionofideasisfataltoa
democraticsociety.Freedomitselfisadangerouswayoflife,butitisours.
ThisstatementwasoriginallyissuedinMayof1953bytheWestchesterConferenceofthe
AmericanLibraryAssociationandtheAmericanBookPublishersCouncil,whichin1970
consolidatedwiththeAmericanEducationalPublishersInstitutetobecometheAssociationof
AmericanPublishers.
AdoptedJune25,1953,bytheALACouncilandtheAAPFreedomtoRead
Committee;amendedJanuary28,1972;January16,1991;July12,2000;June30,2004.

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Appendix B
Library Bill of Rights
The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for
information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their
services.
I.

II.

III.
IV.
V.
VI.

Books and other library resources should be provided for the

interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the
community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded
because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to
their creation.
Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all
points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not
be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal
disapproval.
Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their
responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.
Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned
with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to
ideas.
A persons right to use a library should not be denied or abridged
because of origin, age, background, or views.
Libraries that make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to
the public they serve should make such facilities available on an
equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals
or groups requesting their use.

Adopted June 19, 1939, by the ALA Council; amended October 14, 1944; June
18, 1948; February 2, 1961; June 27, 1967; January 23, 1980; inclusion of
age reaffirmed January 23, 1996.

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References
American Library Association. (1996). Library bill of rights. Retrieved
February 22, 2014, from American Library Association web site:
http://www.ala.org/
American Library Association. (2004). The freedom to read statement.
Retrieved February 22, 2014, from American library Association
website: http://www.ala.org/
Follett. (n.d.) School Library Collection Development Policies; Directory of
Books and Websites. Retrieved from
http://www.titlewave.com/intro/pdfs/news/grants-colldevpolicies.pdf

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