This document outlines a vision, mission, goals and policies for developing and maintaining a school library collection. The vision is for the library to be the "heart of the school" providing academic and personal growth for students, teachers and parents. The mission is to ensure all students succeed regardless of attributes. Goals include creating a welcoming environment, helping students continue education after school, ensuring all students meet standards, and inviting community involvement. The document provides detailed selection criteria, tools and policies for collection development including an appeals process and emphasis on diversity.

1. VISION PLAN
MY LIBRARY WILL BE THE “HEART OFTHE SCHOOL”OPEN TOSTUDENTS,TEACHERS, AND PARENTSAND
PROVIDING A SPACE FOR BOTH ACADEMICAND PERSONAL GROWTH.
MISSION STATEMENT
TO ENSURE THAT ALL STUDENTS, REGARDLESSOF RACE, DISABILITY, ORSOCIOECONOMICSTATUS,
SUCCEED WITHIN THE SCHOOL’SEXISTING CURRICULUM AND CONTINUE THAT SUCCESSINTO THEIR
FUTURE LIVES.
LONG-TERMGOALS
CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE PARENTSAND STUDENTSFEEL SAFE AND WELCOMED.
My librarycannotbe successful withoutanopenenvironment wherebothstudentsandparentsfeel
free tocome and goas needed.
 Creatinga Back-to-School Nightwhere parentsare welcomedandintroducedtothe school
library.
 Creatingan opendoorpolicyall dayfor studentstocome as theyneedforanswersandhelp.
 Usingtechnologyandotherresourcestohelpthose withdisabilitiesfunctionandflourishwithin
the library.
HELP STUDENTSCONTINUE EDUCATION AND SUCCESSOUTSIDE OFAND AFTERSCHOOL.
The ultimate goal formy studentsisnotjustto pass a classor complete aprojectbutto learnand apply
that knowledgeintheirfuture goals.
 Invite local universities,colleges,andtechnical schoolstoprovide recruiterstopresentto
prospective students.
 Provide afterschool ACT/SATpreparationhelpandanopportunitytogethelpapplyingto
variousprograms.
 Use local connectionstosearchforpossible scholarshipopportunitiesforstudents.
ENSURE EACH STUDENT MEETSOR EXCEEDSPERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
Providingopportunitiesforall studentstobridge academicgaps.

2. 2
 Openingupthe librarybefore andafterschool hourstoallow forextrastudytime and computer
access.
 Creatinga peer-to-peertutoringprogramwhere studentscanhelpeachotherachieve academic
goals.
INVITE INVOLVEMENT FROM THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.
Providingopportunitiesforstudentstoconnectona deeperlevel withtheircommunity.
 Arrange visitsfromlocal authorsandother leadersinthe communitytoprovide open
discussionswithstudents.
 Create a sectionof literature inthe librarywrittenabout theirlocal community.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Sourcesshouldbe chosen basedonhowwell they…
 Supportthe district’seducationgoalsandpolicies(ChicagoBoardof Education)
 Extendthe school’scurriculum(ChicagoBoardof Education)
 Considerdiverselearners(ChicagoBoardof Education)
 Representvariousviewpointsoncontroversialanddiverse topics(ChicagoBoardof Education)
 Are informational orfulfillrecreational interest(ChicagoBoardof Education)
 Meetthe needsandrequestsof studentsandteachers(BellinghamSchool District)
 Fulfill readabilityneeds(ChicagoBoardof Education)
 Containaccurate and relevantinformation(ChicagoBoardof Education)
 Fulfill duplicationorreplacementneeds(ChicagoBoardof Education)
 Are cost effectivebasedonthe demandof the source (Baltimore CountyPublicSchool District)
 Fillsanarea that islackinginthe library’sexistingsources(JewishDaySchool)
SELECTION TOOLS
 Reviewswill be consideredfromsitessuchas
o Booklist(ChicagoBoard of Education)
o SchoolLibrary Journal(ChicagoBoardof Education)
o Children’sLiterature ComprehensiveDatabase
 Recommendationswill be consideredfromsuchsourcesas
o American Library Association (ChicagoBoardof Education)
 National andstate awards such as NewberryMedal WinnersorEvergreenBooksAwards
(BellinghamSchool District)
 Online collectiondevelopmenttoolslikeFollettTitlewave(ChicagoBoard of Education)

3. 3
WEEDING
In orderto maintaina collectionthathasthe mostrelevantandup-to-date material,librariansmust
continuallyevaluate theircollection. Theymustfirstlookatsourcesthat are out-of-date. If aresource
containsinformationthatisnolongeraccurate or relevantthenitisnot servingapurpose intheir
collection. Booksthatare fallingapartor batteredeitherneedtobe replacedordiscarded. Booksthat
have not circulatedinyearsor currentlyholdnorelevance tothe school’scurriculummustbe discarded
as well (BellinghamSchool District).
BIAS
Resourceswill be chosen basedonhowwell theyinformratherthanproselytize orpreachtowardsone
side of a subject. Theyshall be free of stereotypes,biases,racism, sexism,oranyotherimageryor
wordingthatnegativelyimpactsapopulation(Baltimore CountyPublic School District).
DIVERSITY
Resourceswill be chosenwiththe needsof all studentsinmind. Booksthatcovera varietyof reading
levelsforall students’abilities will be purchased. Thisensuresthatall grade-levelsandlearningabilities
will find sourcesthatare accessible andhelpful tothem. Bookswill be made available inother
languagesbasedonthe needsof the studentpopulation(MontanaState Library Commission).
NON-PRINT FORMATS
Otherformsof materialsbesidesprintsourceswill be purchasedandconsideredwiththe same
selectionpolicy. However,itisalsoimportanttokeepinmindstudents’accessibilitytothese sources.
Electronicreaderswill be made availabletothose studentswhodonothave accessto digital materials
on theirown. The librarywill provide opportunitiesforstudentstoaccessinternetsourcesandonline
databasesbothbefore andafterschool. Audiobookswillbe providedforstudentswithcognitivedelays
that wouldbenefitfrombeingable toreadalongwitha soundfile (BellinghamSchool District).
RECONSIDERATION POLICY
INFORMAL COMPLAINT
Whenan informal complaintismade verballytoeitherthe librarianorthe administration,the best
meansto solvingthe problemisaninformal discussionbetweenthe staff andthe complainant. The best
outcome isif the situationcan be solvedwithoutproceedingintomore formal anddirectconfrontation

4. 4
FORMAL WRITTEN COMPLAINT
A formcan be filledoutbyanycomplainantswhowanttomake theirobjectionsofficialandtake them
further. Complainantscaninclude parentsorguardiansof studentsormembersof the school
community. Those whohave notiesto the school cannotmake a formal complaint. A writtenformisto
be filledoutaboutbothprintand digital materials
IMMEDIATE RESPONSE TO COMPLAINT
A copyof the school’sselectionprocessshouldbe senttothe complainant. Thiswaytheyare
immediatelyinformedof the school’scollectionpolicyandcanfurtherandaccuratelyjudge if the book
doesfitwithinthe selectioncriteria. A copyof theirwrittenformandthe reconsiderationprocess
shouldbe includedaswell. Thiswaythe patron knowswhatto expectandhow the processwill
continue fromthatpointforward. There shouldalsobe a formal letterincludedthat explainswherein
the processtheircomplaintisandto ensure themthattheircomplaintwill be heardandtreatedwith
respect.Itwill alsoinformthemthatthe objectedbookwill remainwithinthe collectionuntil adecision
has beenmade andthat they shouldhave aformal decisionwithinamonth.
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
The writtencomplaintwill thenbe giventoaCollectionDevelopmentCommitteeforconsideration. This
committee shouldincludeavarietyof unbiasedmembersof the school and local community. Itshould
include the school principal asthe chairperson,achosennumberof teachers,andevenalocal public
librarian. These membersshouldbe well-informedaboutthe school’scurriculumandselectionprocess.
Theywill discussand debate the complainant’sobjectionsaswell ashow well the bookfitsintothe
school’smissionandselectionpolicy. Theirdecisionshouldbe writtenupanda copy providedtoboth
the complainantandthe librarian.
APPEALING THE DECISION
The complainantwill have the optiontoappeal the decisionof the CollectionDevelopmentCommittee.
Theirappeal will be directedtothe Superintendentandthe School Board. Theywill holdapublic
hearingat one of theirscheduledschool boardmeetings,where theywill hearthe opinionsfromboth
sidesof the community. Theywill thenmake theirdecisionavailabletothe public,the patron,andthe
librarian
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT
The purpose of our school libraryisto ensure thatall studentsandall teachersregardlessof their
ethnicity,socioeconomicstatus,religion,orsexual orientationhave equal accesstoinformationand
servicesthattheyneed. Assuch,itis importanttostay up-to-date oncommunityandstudentneedsin
orderto fulfill them(Baltimore CountyPublicSchools)

5. 5
Works Cited
Baltimore CountyPublicSchools.“CollectionCriteriaforSchool LibraryMediaCenterCollections.”
Baltimore CountyPublicSchools. Nd.Web.1 Dec 2016.
BellinghamSchool District.“ManagingOurLibraryCollectionsforInformationPower.” BellinghamPublic
Schools.2004. Web.1 Dec 2016.
ChicagoBoard of Education.“NewCollectionDevelopmentPolicyforSchool Libraries.” Chicago Public
SchoolsPolicy Manual.22 March 2006. Web.1 Dec 2016.
JewishDaySchool.“CollectionDevelopmentPolicy.” Jewish Day School.2008. Web.1 Dec 2016.
Montana State Library Commission.“CollectionDevelopmentPolicyGuidelinesforSchool LibraryMedia
Programs.”Montana StateLibrary Commission. 1995. Web.1 Dec 2016.