Published using Google Docs
Granite District Library Materials Selection, Reconsideration, and Deselection Guidelines
Updated automatically every 5 minutes

Granite School District                                                                         Library Media

Granite District Library Materials Selection, Reconsideration, and Deselection Guidelines

School Library Collections

The Library Media Program of the Educational Technology Department provides schools with funding

and resources to promote meaningful reading experiences, support the teaching of state standards, and enrich student learning. School library media centers curate collections which provide for the needs and interests of students and staff, taking into account their diverse interests, age levels, ability levels, learning styles, and emotional and social development levels.

We reaffirm the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights and interpretation for school

libraries, which states:

The school library plays a unique role in promoting, protecting, and educating about intellectual freedom. It serves as a point of voluntary access to information and ideas and as a learning laboratory for students as they acquire critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed in a pluralistic society. Although the educational level and program of the school necessarily shape the resources and services of a school library, the principles of the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights apply equally to all libraries, including school libraries. Under these principles, all students have equitable access to library facilities, resources, and instructional programs.

Selection Criteria

Granite School District uses many resources and strategies for selecting books for school libraries including, but not limited to:

School library staff will select resources according to the following criteria:

  1. educational significance;
  2. contribution and relevance to the state curriculum standards and goals of the school, based on knowledge of existing collection;
  3. potential interest to students, including materials that reflect diverse religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds;
  4. accurate, current, reliable, and authoritative factual content;
  5. timeliness and/or permanence;
  6. readability and accessibility to intended audience;
  7. artistic quality and literary style;
  8. age appropriateness or harmful to minors;
  1. School library staff will scan both library professional resources and parent/community resources to identify potential legal issues with library material that is being considered.
  2. If the scan shows that there is content that potentially violates state law, the school library staff should conduct a more thorough review to assess the literary value of the material and its compliance with the law.
  1. A flowchart to help school library staff navigate the elements of the state law related to content harmful to minors (HB 374) is linked here.  
  1. representation of opposing sides of controversial issues;
  2. favorable reviews, recommendations, and/or award nominees found in professional selection sources or from professional personnel;
  3. reputation and significance of author, producer, and publisher;
  4. requests and recommendations of faculty and students;
  5. variety of format, with efforts to incorporate emerging technologies;
  6. value compatible with budget and/or need;
  7. careful consideration to avoid personal bias and prejudice in selecting or not selecting materials;
  8. support of second language learners;
  9. support of students with special needs.

Items that do not meet an acceptable combination of these criteria will not be purchased or otherwise

added to the collection

Deselection and Weeding  

De-selection and weeding are essential processes to maintain an appropriate, relevant, up-to-date library collection. The library professional staff is responsible to maintain the collection and determine if materials should be removed or replaced. The library professional staff will periodically review the collection to determine which materials should be removed or replaced.


Criteria for de-selection or weeding of materials may include:

  1. failure to satisfy one or more of the selection criteria;
  2. poor physical condition;
  3. superseded by more current information or contains subject matter no longer needed to support the curriculum;
  4. age appropriateness;
  5. encourages stereotypes or biases;
  6. harmful to minors as defined by Utah state law;
  7. receiving little use; or
  8. provides wrong, inaccurate or dated information

If a school or district patron (“current district parent/guardian, district students, district employees” as defined in Administrative Memo 094 Selection of Library and Learning Enrichment Materials (PDF)) feels a book does not meet Granite’s selection criteria and should be de-selected or weeded, particularly where there is concern that a work may not be age appropriate or potentially harmful to minors, a request for a more thorough selection review can be made by providing a written request using the linked form. (Link to Reconsideration and Deselection of Library Materials Form)

Process for a more thorough selection criteria review:

Books that have been reviewed through the de-selection process will not be reviewed again for a period of three years.

Here are the suggested weeding procedures for each Dewey level:

000 – encyclopedias every five years, other materials no more than eight years.

100 – five to eight years.

200 – can be high turnover with religious books–keep current.

300 – almanacs replace every two years, keep political information current.

400 – check for wear and tear frequently.

500 – continuously update to make sure scientific information is current.

600 – continuously update medical information as older information can be misleading or dangerous.

700 – keep until worn.

800 – keep until worn.

900 – weed about every two years.

Biography – keep most current or best written titles.

Fiction – weed for multiple copies, keep those in best shape and that have the most

literary value keep up on new titles

Reference – weed for currency and accuracy.

Discarded books should be stamped “DISCARD” and the barcode removed. You can offer these

books to students, or teachers. The warehouse will pick up discarded books if you fill out an “Equipment Transfer Form” and attach a list of books to be discarded.

Donations

Any items donated or given to a school must also meet these criteria in order to be added to the

school’s collection. Community members wishing to donate library materials should contact a member

of the district library media staff in the Educational Technology Department (Phone: 385-646-4110)

rather than contacting individual schools.

Reconsideration of Library Materials

Granite School District has established the following procedure to address challenges to selected library materials.

School Procedure 

Each school should establish a School Library Collection Evaluation Committee to address requests for reconsideration of library materials.  Members of the School Library Collection Evaluation Committee should include:

To initiate the reconsideration process, a parent/legal guardian of a student or staff member where the library materials may be accessed must complete and submit a Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials form to the school. A patron may make up to three reconsideration requests each year. Upon the school’s receipt of a completed Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials form members of the School Library Collection Evaluation Committee should review the challenge and evaluate the material in question. The Director of Library/Media Educational Technology Department should also be informed of the challenge and receive a copy of the Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials form.  As part of the review process, each committee member will review the book or media and complete an Evaluation of Materials form giving particular consideration to the concerns that were expressed by the parent/legal guardian.  As soon as possible, the written decision of the School Library Collection Evaluation Committee should be given to the person(s) submitting the request for reconsideration. The members of the School Library Collection Evaluation Committee shall be deidentified in communications and classified as protected under the Government Records Access Management Act (GRAMA) to maintain the integrity of the reconsideration process and safety of patrons.  

District-Level Appeal Procedure

If the school committee's decision does not satisfy the person(s) requesting reconsideration of materials, the school principal should direct them to the District Library Media Selection Committee, who will then review the challenged material and make a final decision. If the Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials form indicates the need for a districtwide collection item to be reviewed, the District Library Media Selection Committee will review the challenge and evaluate the material in question.

Members of the District Library Media Selection Committee:

A written decision from this committee will be provided to the patron, school principal, and superintendent (or designee) so that appropriate action may be taken.

Reconsideration of Library Materials - Committee Member Form

Date:  _______________

Title for Reconsideration:  ________________________________________________________

Committee Member’s Name:  ____________________________________________________________________

Committee Member’s Job Title:  ____________________________________________________________

  1. I have read or viewed the entire book, media, etc.  Yes______ No_______
  2. Did you find the material in question objectionable?  Why or Why not?

  1. Is there any age or group that should be allowed access to this book or video?  If yes, who or what group?  Please be specific and explain your reasoning.

  1. Is there any age or group that should not be allowed access to this book or video?  If yes, who or what group?  Please be specific and explain your reasoning.

  1. What action should be taken concerning this material?
  1. ______ No action
  2. ______Remove from the collection
  3. ______Restrict to specific approved groups
  4. ______Other (explain)

  1. Can the committee recommend another title for the school library to purchase that presents the point of view from the title in question?  If yes, please list title, author, publisher, copyright.

Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials - Patron Form

Electronic version of Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials form can be completed here

MEDIUM:  ______ Hardcopy Book    _____Digital Book    _____Hardcopy Media    _____ Digital Media

TITLE ____________________________________________________________________________

AUTHOR _________________________________________________________________

NAME OF SCHOOL BUILDING WITH THE TITLE IN THE SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA COLLECTION

__________________________________________________________________________________

REVIEW REQUEST INITIATED BY:


Name (print) _______________________________ Signature________________________________

Phone _________________________ Email____________________

Do you have a child who attends the school where the book is located? Yes _____ No _____

Are you an employee who works at the school where the book is located? Yes _____ No _____

CHALLENGER EVALUATION  (attach extra pages as needed)

  1. I have read or viewed the entire book, media, etc.  Yes _____ No _____
  2. Summary of the book in your own words:

  1. To what in the book do you object?  Please be specific and cite page numbers

  1. What age or groups should or should not be allowed access to this book?  Please be specific and explain your reasoning.

  1. What would you like the school or district  to do about this book?

  1. Can you recommend an alternative title for the school library to purchase that represents a comparable perspective, voice, or topic to the title in question?  If yes, please list the title and author.