Library Policy Manual Example Created by L.

Erbach (Sections BCDEIKLP)

B Philosophy/Mission statements Division/School

The Mission of Shenandoah County Public Schools is to prepare each student for a future of
life-long learning. We believe that:
The success of Shenandoah County Public Schools rests with how well we prepare our
students for the future
All members of the learning community are valued and respected
A work environment must encourage and support trust, mutual respect, open
communications, and risk taking
Processes which allow for continuous improvement and problem solving are essential
The education of all members of the learning community is a shared responsibility.
The Vision of Shenandoah County Public Schools is to be the first choice for education by:
Producing individuals who have the skills, ability, and attitudes to succeed as
productive citizens and develop a mindset of life-time learning
Demonstrating high standards and expectations for all school personnel
Maximizing the utilization of school resources
Fostering goals and values that will be embraced by those whom the school division
touches
Recognizing superior performance
Comparing favorably with Virginia standards.
Shenandoah County Public Schools believe that great communities come from great schools;
therefore,....
All decisions are based on the best interest of our students.
Meaningful learning occurs only in the presence of meaningful relationships.
Measures of success are unique and individualized for each learner.
Continuous growth and improvement is expected for everyone.
Problem solving is an essential skill.
An atmosphere of respect must exist.
The education of our children is an investment of time, labor, and resources in our future.
The W.W. Robinson Elementary Schools mission is to build a community of life-long learners.

These mission, vision and belief statements make it possible for a school library to get the
resources it needs to provide the students and other members of this community with
diverse access to knowledge. With the focus being on meeting the needs of all types of
learners and continued growth, the library can foster these across all grade levels and
curriculum. It is a one-stop shop for creating a central resource base.

C Philosophy/Mission statement Library

It is the mission of the W.W. Robinson Elementary School Library to support, through a
variety of media and activities, the social and educational goals of our students. It is our
hope to instill a quest for knowledge in the children that will stay with them as they become
vital citizens of our community.
This mission ties into the divisions belief that we should have a great community through our
schools and the schools mission to develop life-long learners. Having a library that is
focused on helping students and other members of the community develop a love of reading
and provide them with access to knowledge they have yet to discover will foster a community
that wants to continue to grow.

D - Selection Statement
Materials will be selected for W.W. Robinsons library that:
build a community of life-long learners.
meets the individualized needs of all learners.
create productive members of our community.
provide opportunities for personal and academic enrichments.
are fiscally responsible choices.

The school librarian, with input from library users, will make selection decisions for the
library.
Criteria for material selection, in order to meet the above bulleted goals, will require the
librarian to be aware of the academic, community and social needs of the library patrons.
This includes:
reviewing annually the demographics of the student and community population,
monitoring changes in the curriculum
seeking data on student achievement growth areas and
being away of popular interests and mediums.

The librarian will need to maintain a level of awareness of available materials, their
usefulness and how to procure them, through professional growth opportunities. These
include, but are not limited to, attending trade conferences/seminars, networking with others
in the industry and reading appropriate journals.
Materials selected by the librarian must fit within the following criteria:
supports curricular needs of school no personal biases present
reflects the community generates critical thinking
appropriately leveled represent a variety of views/voices
meets learning style and/or provides a variety of formats
developmental levels of students well crafted and user friendly
quality materials current, accurate and authentic
fiscally responsible reputable
potentially has high appeal to library meets applicable copyright
users requirements
Different formats will be chosen to meet the library needs which might include:
Books/Graphic Novels DVDs Games
CDs eBooks Graphic Materials
CD-ROMs eJournals/ Kits/Models/Realia
Comics Databases/eZines Newspaper
The librarian may use the following tools to assist in making selections:
 Recommendations from library users (via Recommendation Form).
Multiple favorable reviews found in professional review journals, trade materials and
personal examination by librarian and/or other educator.
Reviews and recommendations can be found in journals, such as: School Library
Connection, School Library Journal, Book Links and Teacher Librarian.
Materials should be reviewed on a five year rotation cycle. (Weeding schedule outlined in
chart in Section L.) Items no longer meeting selection criteria should be removed from
circulation.

E Acquisitions Statement
The librarian will follow Shenandoah Countys purchasing procedures, to include:
Monitor budget and make appropriate decisions as to when orders should be placed
Verify that vendor is approved by Shenandoah County
Request a purchase order from school bookkeeper
Appropriately provide information on purchase order
When applicable, monitor with school bookkeeper and custodians the delivery of
materials
When applicable, inform bookkeeper when on-line materials have been acquired

Prior to placing orders the librarian will:

Verify that materials are not currently available in library holdings
Verify the appropriateness of materials and gain their publisher and ISBN information
Choose appropriate format based on perceived/required needs
Choose appropriate book binding based on perceived use/usefulness
Choose a vender based on services provided and cost and availability of materials
Request a purchase order (PO) from the school bookkeeper.
Complete the PO and submit to principal for final signature.
Once materials are received and checked for quality, invoices will be given to the school
bookkeeper. Materials will be made ready for circulation by cataloging and finding an
appropriate place for them to be shelved and/or stored. New materials will be advertised on
the librarys webpage. The librarian will also follow up with the bookkeeper to ensure that
remaining budget totals are accurate.

I Policy/Procedures for Handling Challenges

Shenandoah County Public Schools has a policy for reconsideration of materials purchased for
the library. Follows are the procedures as outlined in the School Board Policy KLB.
The procedure for filing a complaint concerning learning resources is as follows:
1. The complaint should be filed in writing with the principal on the Request for
Reconsideration of Learning Resources form KLB-E. This form may be obtained from the
principal or the central office.
2. Upon receipt of the completed Request for Reconsideration of Learning Resources form,
the principal will form and convene a review committee consisting of the principal, the
librarian, a classroom teacher, and a parent and/or student.
The responsibilities of the committee are to:
a. read, view or listen to the challenged material;
b. read several reviews, if available;
c. check standard selection aids;
d. talk with persons who may be knowledgeable about the material in question and
similar material;
e. discuss the material;
f. make a decision to retain or withdraw the material;
g. file the recommendation of the committee with the principal and the superintendent
or superintendents designee
h. notify the complainant of its decision and the disposition of the challenged material.
3. The complainant may appeal the decision to the School Board. The board will review, read,
or listen to the challenge material and review information provided by the review committee.
They will be responsible for informing the complainant, via letter, of their decisions.
4. Challenged material will remain in circulation until a decision is made and the appeal
process, if applicable, has been completed.

K Evaluation of Collection
The evaluation of the collection in the library is important for the W.W. Robinson Library to
meet its mission of supporting the learning goals of our students. The library staff has the
responsibility to regularly review the collection to ensure it meets the needs of its patrons.

The following techniques will be used to evaluate library resources:

Inventory
Usage statistics gleaned from reports generated from Alexandria Researcher
Collection mapping of SOL content areas
Direct examination of library materials for quality as they are returned
Regular, verbal check-ins with teachers and students as to suggestions they may
have, to improve the collection resources.

L Weeding/Deselection Statement
The person(s) who do the best job of weeding the school library collection are those who
have a thorough understanding of the existing collection, of the school's curriculum, and of
the various units taught in all classrooms. Other qualities needed are an adequate
background in literature and knowledge about the characteristics of a good book;
understanding of the interests, abilities and needs of the age group served; a background of
information about the community and other book resources available.
The librarian will start with a record of the books inventoried within W.W. Robinson
Elementary School. This can be found through the on-line cataloging system (Alexandria
Researcher) or a print-out of the books in the librarys collection.
Weeding is an essential component of any collection development plan in order to maintain a
collection that meets the needs of students and the curriculum. The weeding process will be
conducted, at minimum, on a 5-year rotating schedule. (See A Rule of Thumb/Schedule
for Weeding the Collection Chart) The weeding guidelines should include reasons for
weeding and criteria for de-selection. The following points may be used as the foundation
for weeding:
To maintain a current, useful, dynamic collection
To adapt to changing needs and interests of students and teachers
To accommodate changes in the schools curriculum
To make the best use of floor and shelf space
To improve the physical appearance of the collection
To assess the collections strengths and weaknesses
To increase circulation
Weeding Criteria:
Length of time since the book was last checked out (on average 5 years)
Age of the book in terms of copyright date (on average 5 years, although age is more
telling in some parts of the Dewey scheme than in others, e. g., medical, legal, current
events, and computer subjects need to be very current)
Condition of the book

There are several general categories that comprise the types of books under consideration
for retaining or discarding from the school library. A few suggestions are offered under each
heading. The general groups include:
1. Books of good quality and in good condition -- Shelve correctly and promote use.
2. Books of good quality but in poor condition -- Remove from shelves and place in
workroom for simple mending or cleaning, if possible.
3. Books of poor quality but in good condition -- Check approved lists; if not included, lay
aside for examination by teachers. Unless there is a positive reason for retaining book,
remove it from the collection.
4. Out-of-date books -- Remove from shelves.
5. Little used material -- Sometimes these items need only to be brought to the attention
of teachers or students for their circulation to greatly increase. They can be promoted by
means of newsletters, special displays, use in book talks, etc. If they meet criteria set for
good books and are found on standard lists then care should be taken to re-examine
them and look for values that may have been overlooked. Books basic to all collections
(such as the classics), even though seldom circulated, should be maintained on the
shelves, and old and unattractive editions replaced by new ones.

Information books, if they have not become too out of date, may not circulate because of
changes in curriculum and courses being offered. If there seems a possibility that these
courses will again be offered in the not too far-distant future, the books could be
retained.

In general, consider for discard for any or all of the following reasons, books that are:
1. Unattractive in appearance because of yellowed paper, fine print, etc.
2. In poor physical condition as to ragged binding, torn or dirty pages, etc.
 3. Seldom circulated.
4. With old copyright dates that make the books outdated in content, use or accuracy.
5. Mediocre or poor in quality. These include:
a. Poorly written adult books, with stereotyped characters and plots, popular when
relatively few children's books were available.
b. "Old-fashioned" stories which are so written or illustrated that they are not
appealing to children today. These may also include those with a didactic or
moralizing tone, once thought to be exemplary reading for the young.
c. Fictionalized representations of life in this country and other countries which have
contributed to the development of false and stereotyped concepts of minority groups
in our country and of people in other countries.
6. Duplicated with several copies of titles no longer in heavy demand.
7. Of a subject matter or treatment not suitable for students served by the library.
8. Set of books (especially in the literature and history sections) which have gathered
dust for years.
9. Superseded by new or revised editions.
10. Of passing interest at the time of publication, such as travel and biographies of
persons who were known in their generation, but not likely to be of interest again.

A Rule of Thumb/Schedule for Weeding the Collection Chart

Dewey Number Suggested Copyright Guidelines to Weeding 5
Discard Year Rotation
000 2 10 years (computer tech books may age Year 3
faster)
100 10 years Year 3
200 2 10 years Year 3
300 5 10 years Year 5
400 10 years Year 5
500 5 10 years (some science titles may age Year 1
faster)
600 5 10 years (tech. titles may age faster) Year 1
700 5 15 years Year 5
800 Flexible Year 3
900 5 10 years (country books, atlas, maps Year 2
may age faster)
Biographies Flexible; 10 years for contemporary subjects Year 2
Encyclopedias 5 years (consider online versions) Year 2
Almanacs 3 years Year 2
Periodicals 3 years; 6 months if superseded by Year 2
electronic resources
Fiction 10 years (may keep award winners/classics) Year 4
Audio & Video Check periodically for condition and content Year 1
Technology (on-line) 2 5 years Year 1 & Year 3
Deleted items must be disposed of properly and removed from your shelf list, inventory and
catalog. All reference to W.W. Robinson and/or SCPS must be marked through or, if possible,
removed. If possible, items are to be recycled through the schools recycling program. All
other materials are to be disposed, based on the materials, by the Technology Department
and/or Custodial Staff following their own guidelines and procedures.

P Bibliography
American Library Association. (2015). Library bill of rights. Retrieved on November 13, 2016
from
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/intfreedom/librarybill/lbo
r.pdf

American Library Association. (2015). The freedom to read statement. Retrieved on November
13, 2016, from
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/statementspols/freedomreadstatement

Hillsborough County Public Schools. (n.d.). Library media services handbook. Retrieved on
October 30, 2016 from
https://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/docs/00/00/13/30/Library_Media_Handbook.pdf

Mardis, M. (2016). The collection program in schools: Concepts and practices (6th ed.). Santa
Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

Shenandoah County Public Schools. (2016). School Board policy manual sections GAB/IIBEA
and GAB-R/IIBEA-R: Acceptable computer system use. Retrieved on October 30, 2016,
from
http://www.shenandoah.k12.va.us/UserFiles/Servers/Server_3199882/File/Technology
%20Dept/divisionAUP.pdf

Shenandoah County Public Schools. (2014). School Board policy manual, section IB Academic
freedom. Retrieved November 13, 2016, from
http://www.shenandoah.k12.va.us/cms/One.aspx?
portalId=3199965&From=kr&pageId=12927698&objectId.568761=12192519&contextId.5
68761=11098744&lastCat=11870399

Shenandoah County Public Schools. (2015). School Board policy manual, section KLB: Public
complaints about learning resources. Retrieved October 30, 2016, from
http://www.shenandoah.k12.va.us/cms/One.aspx?
portalId=3199965&From=kr&pageId=12927737&objectId.568767=12686056&contextId.5
68767=11098744&lastCat=11870407

Shenandoah County Public Schools. (2015). School Board policy manual section KLB-E: Public
complaints about learning resources. Retrieved on October 30, 2016, from
http://www.shenandoah.k12.va.us/cms/One.aspx?
portalId=3199965&From=kr&pageId=12927737&objectId.568767=12686073&contextId.5
68767=11098744&lastCat=11870407