ICHABOD CRANE 4513
LIBRARY MATERIALS SELECTION
The Board of Education, as the governing body of the school district, is legally responsible for the selection of library materials, including the selection and approval of printed and non-printed materials for its use. Since the Board is primarily a policy-making body, it delegates to the following professional personnel of the district the authority for the selection of materials: teachers, Principals, librarians, etc., under the leadership of the Superintendent of Schools.
In order to provide the Superintendent and his/her staff with guidance in the acquisition of instructional resource material, such as library books, references, audiovisuals, maps, etc., the Board endorses the following guidelines that such resources:
1. provide information that will enrich and support the curriculum, taking into consideration the varied interests, abilities, and maturity levels of the students served;
2. provide information that will stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciation, aesthetic values, and ethical standards;
3. provide information that will enable students to make intelligent judgments in their daily lives;
4. provide information on opposing sides of controversial issues so that young citizens may develop under guidance the practice of critical reading and thinking;
5. provide information representative of the many religious, ethnic, and cultural groups and their contributions to our American heritage;
6. include, in the body of works as a whole, characters and settings which reflect the racial, ethnic, cultural and religious makeup of the student body and the country as a whole;
7. promote the understanding and appreciation of culture, class, language, race, ethnicity and other differences that contribute to the diversity of American culture;
8. 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;
9. Provide a global perspective and promote diversity by including materials by authors and illustrators of all cultures;
10. Earn favorable reviews in standard reviewing sources such as School Library Journal, Booklist, ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) Notable Children’s Books, YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) Best Books for Young Adults and We Need Diverse Books website and/or favorable recommendations because on preview and examination of materials by professional personnel;
11. Meet high standards in literary, artistic, and aesthetic quality; technical aspects; and physical format;
12. Include a variety of resources in physical and virtual formats including print and
non-print such as electronic and multimedia (including subscription databases and other online products, e-books, and other forms of emerging technologies;
The Superintendent shall be responsible for the selection of resource materials within the aforesaid guidelines and for the determination of factual accuracy, readability, authoritativeness, integrity and quality of format. To assist in the selection process, reputable, unbiased professionally prepared aids (such as the School Library Journal, etc.) shall be consulted as guides.
In order to respond to any complaints about, or challenges to, the selection of library materials, the district has adopted regulations (1420-R, Complaints About Curricula or Instructional Materials Regulation) establishing a complaint procedure and providing for a committee to review such complaints or challenges.
Through a continuous yearly evaluation, library materials which are worn out, outdated, or no longer useful shall be withdrawn from the collection.
If any person wishes to permanently remove materials from a school district library, he/she must seek the formal approval of the Board. The Board may determine that such materials should be removed. Such determination must not be based upon official suppression of ideas, but rather upon the educational suitability of the materials in question. Only the Board and/or the Superintendent may authorize said permanent removal of instructional materials, pursuant to the decision of the Board.
Ref:
Education Law §§1709(15); 1711(5)(f)
Board of Educ., Island Trees UFSD v. Pico, 457 US 853 (1982)
Effective Date: April 13, 2021