Objectives • Responsibility • Criteria • Gifts and Donations • Appendicies • SC Policy IJL
The Libraries in the Wellesley Public Schools exist to support teaching and learning in grades PreK-12, to encourage the development of critical thinking skills, to help foster a love of learning and reading and to provide access to informational and recreational materials for its school communities.
This policy provides guidelines for material selection for all library media centers in the Wellesley Public School System.
Objectives
The School Committee endorses the Library Bill of Rights, as adopted by the American Library Association, which asserts that the responsibility of the school library is to:
1. Provide materials that will enrich and support the curriculum, taking into consideration the varied interests, abilities, and maturity levels of the students served.
2. Provide materials that will stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciation, aesthetic values, and ethical standards.
3. Provide a background of information that will enable students to make intelligent judgments in their daily lives.
4. Provide materials on opposing sides of controversial issues so that young citizens may develop under guidance the practice of critical reading and thinking.
5. Provide materials representative of the many religious, ethnic, and cultural groups and their contributions to our American heritage.
6. Place principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice in the selection of materials of the highest quality in order to assure a comprehensive collection appropriate for the users of the library.
Responsibility for Material Selection
Initial purchase suggestions for library materials may come from all personnel–teachers, coordinators, and administrators. Students will also be encouraged to make suggestions. The librarian will recommend materials to be included in the school library. Final approval and authority for distribution of funds will rest with the building Principal subject to the approval of the Superintendent.
The School Committee subscribes in principle to the statements of policy on library philosophy as expressed in the American Library Association’s, Library Bill of Rights and Freedom to Read Statement, copies of which are appended to this policy.
Criteria for Selection of Materials
- Needs of the individual student, based on knowledge of students and requests of parents and students.
- Needs of the individual school, based on knowledge of the curriculum of the school, and requests from the professional staff.
- Provision of a wide range of materials on many levels of difficulty with a diversity of appeal and the presentation of different points of view.
- Provision of materials of high artistic quality.
- Provision of materials with superior format.
- Reputable, unbiased, professionally prepared selection aids are consulted as guides.
Gifts and Donations
- Gifts of library books will be accepted in keeping with the above policy on selection. Complaints about library books will be handled in line with Committee policy on complaints about instructional materials.
- The District libraries welcome donations of books and other resource materials from individuals and organizations but also reserve the right to refuse materials that do not meet the criteria for selection stated above.
- In addition, financial donations to benefit District libraries are accepted with the understanding the library media specialist, with input from the building Principal, retains the right to use funds to purchase those curricular materials that are needed for the library based on the needs of the individual school.