School Mission Statement: Loring-Flemming Elementary School welcomes parents and students to our community of learners where we strive to educate our children to become global citizens. At Loring-Flemming, we celebrate individual uniqueness as well as diverse learning styles and backgrounds. Our instructional staff maintains high academic expectations in a challenging student-centered atmosphere. We acknowledge that by addressing individual differences, each student's potential for learning and creativity is increased. We believe, as Nelson Mandela stated, “A good head and a good heart are a formidable combination.” Therefore, character development and respect are common themes reinforced throughout our school community. As we soar into the future, we look forward to joining with you in making every coming school year an enriching and successful one. Your support will help to build a strong partnership between students, teachers and parents.

Library Mission Statement: The Loring Flemming Elementary School Library (LFESL) is a twenty-first century multimedia learning center that values kindness, diversity, and excellence in all its forms.

Library Vision Statement: Within the Loring Flemming Elementary School Library, learners develop and refine a love for media and information; come to embody and appreciate their individual talents; and cultivate their talents and interests to prepare for a successful future. In conjunction with teachers, coaches, and administrators, the LFESL incites students to read deeply, think critically, research skillfully, and produce and engage with media ethically.

Library Philosophy Statement: The Loring Flemming Elementary School Library is grounded in the beliefs that:

The Library occupies a distinct and vital niche in its learning community and serves as the heart and hearth of Loring Flemming Elementary School.

The Library embodies the concept of Third Space, a unique area of civic life that bridges school and home, pedagogical and extracurricular, individual and community.
The Library affirms and celebrates diversity, inclusivity, and equity.
The Library strives to engage all community members in all it has to offer.

Deep understanding is the ultimate goal of formal education.

Skills and information are most meaningful when imparted within the specific context of an authentic learning need.
Authentic learning is only possible in an environment sustained by the ideals of intellectual and expressive freedom.
Authentic learning occurs in robust inquiry communities composed of intimately involved subject area teachers, coaches, certified library staff, aides, administrators, students, and volunteers.
All learners, including educators, are lifelong learners.

Reading is the keystone of personal, academic, and civic competence in a democratic society.

Library materials are for use.
To each library user, their library material.
To every library material, its user.
Time is a limited resource. All library users and staff recognize and value the time of others.
The library is a growing organism; its holdings are always evolving, expanding, improving.

Collaboration fosters creation and innovation.

Classroom space for co-taught lessons can be reserved by subject area teachers in advance.
Specialized Library areas are available for class use by registration only.
Student drop-ins are welcome throughout the day so long as students possess a signed library pass.

An effective school library contains six distinct learning spaces. These include:

Makerspaces,
Quiet reading areas,
Computer labs,
Classroom areas,
Small group work areas, and
Comfortable seating.

The Library:

Offers all visitors a safe, comfortable space to inquire, include, collaborate, curate, explore, and engage in (and for) academic and extramural pursuits.
Fosters and promotes collaborative and independent inquiry and curriculum development.
Supports learners of diverse backgrounds, abilities, and styles.
Offers all learners access to the highest quality information technologies—including resources, services, and materials—available.
Cultivates and maintains a collection intended to entertain and inform.

Notes on Access: Catering to the needs of a developmentally diverse learner pool (and watching them grow and develop as years pass) is one of the Loring Flemming Elementary School Library’s greatest joys. Given the array of students it serves, it’s only natural that optimal access is governed by equal parts pragmatism, broadmindedness, and raw enthusiasm.

On Space

Accessibility: Our school library spaces are navigable for students of all abilities, bar none.
Vibe: Our school library spaces emanate warmth and excitement that ensure all visitors feel welcome. Though it’s challenging to pull words that describe this sensation from thin air, anybody who’s visited a library quivering with coziness is familiar with this sense of ambience and ease.
Flexibility: Our school library spaces are flexible in every respect. One can physically move furniture and materials; staff schedules can shift to accommodate other people’s needs; and so on.
Discoverability: Our school library spaces make it easy for learners to find the materials they require, from striking displays to bespoke organizational schemes, from print and digital reference materials to pencils and paper.
Specialization: Our school library spaces devote square footage to essential library functions. Makerspaces, quiet reading areas, computer labs, classroom areas, group work areas, and even comfortable seating are clearly delineated to ensure ease of use.

On Materials and Resources

From fairly straightforward accommodations (large print books for the visually impaired, specialized equipment for differing sensory abilities, etc.) to more esoteric considerations (collection mapping, community-specific concerns, etc.), our school library collections meet students where they stand. To wit:

Representation matters. Materials must speak to learners of all demographic criteria (including socioeconomic background, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, spiritual belief, and so on) and personal interests (no matter how niche).
Facts matter. Materials must always contain accurate, up-to-date, high-quality information as verified by subject area specialists, library staff, and external experts.

On Staff Availability

A library will feel stagnant if staff members don’t make their presence known. From the “roving librarian” reference model to the simple act of standing in the hallway when students move from class to class, there are dozens of ways that Loring Flemming Elementary School Library staff ensure that their learners, colleagues, and administrators can’t help but know they’re available.

Statement on Scheduling

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) supports the position that a responsive school library is fully integrated into the educational program so that learners, families, educators, and school librarians become partners in learning. This integration strengthens the teaching process to ensure learners are active participants who guide and continually assess their own learning. Open access to a quality school library is essential for learners to develop the vital skills necessary to analyze, evaluate, interpret, and communicate information and ideas in a variety of formats. Inquiry skills are taught and learned within the context of the curriculum and may occur in the classroom, the library, or in a virtual environment with 24/7 accessibility to a wide range of resources, technologies, and services.

The fundamental elements of a responsive school library that enable the school librarian to act quickly and effectively to meet the curricular needs of educators and learners are:

“flexible, open, unrestricted, and equitable access” (AASL 2018, 56) to the school library and resources on an as-needed basis
opportunity for school librarians to collaborate as full instructional partners who co-plan, co-teach, and co-assess with classroom educators
24/7 access to digital school library resources

The fully integrated library philosophy is best achieved through an open schedule that encourages school librarians to collaborate as full partners with classroom educators to design, implement, assess, and evaluate inquiry lessons. This practice cultivates high-level educational experiences for learners and is the catalyst that makes the integrated library work. The educator brings to the planning process knowledge of subject content and pedagogy. The school librarian also contributes a broad knowledge of pedagogy, as well as culturally relevant and diverse resources, and current and emerging technologies to meet the inquiry and instructional needs of all learners. As instructional partners, the classroom educator and school librarian are able to provide differentiated and adaptable learning experiences to meet the requirements of the curriculum.

An open schedule is responsive to the learning community’s needs and provides equitable and flexible access to the school library’s learning resources and spaces. “Scheduling of classes should allow flexible, open, unrestricted, and equitable access” (AASL 2018, 56) on an as-needed basis to facilitate just-in-time research, training, and utilization of technology with instruction from the school librarian and the content-area educator. The practice of scheduling classes in the school library on a set schedule to provide educator release or preparation time inhibits best practice by limiting collaboration and co-teaching opportunities between the school librarian and classroom educator. Learners and educators must be able to visit the school library in person or virtually when needed to collaborate with the school librarian and other learners and educators, use information sources and learning tools, and read for pleasure.

The responsibility for an open, flexible library schedule that is responsive to the learning community’s needs must be shared by the entire school community: the local educational agency, district administration, principal, school librarian, educators, the school library support staff, parents, and learners.

The LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY endorses the philosophy that the school library is fully integrated into the district’s educational program and ensures that responsive scheduling for libraries is maintained in all buildings and at all levels through district-level policies.

The DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION supports the philosophy of responsive scheduling and ensures appropriate staffing levels so that all educators, including the school librarian, can fulfill their professional responsibilities.

The PRINCIPAL creates the appropriate climate within the school by understanding and advocating the benefits of responsive scheduling to the faculty, by monitoring scheduling, and by maintaining appropriate staffing levels, funding, and joint planning time for classroom educators and school librarians.

The CLASSROOM EDUCATOR and the SCHOOL LIBRARIAN work collaboratively to provide differentiated and adaptable educational experiences for learners of all abilities. The collaborative lessons meet curricular requirements and library learning standards through relevant and engaging educational experiences that promote positive use of instructional time.

The SCHOOL LIBRARY SUPPORT STAFF works to maintain daily operations as overseen by the school librarian to allow time and flexibility for the school librarian and educators to collaborate to provide learners with excellent educational experiences.

The PARENTS advocate for a school library that provides learners with access 24/7. They promote the use of responsive scheduling so their children are able to come to the school library throughout the day to use information sources, read for pleasure, and collaborate with the school librarian, other learners, and educators.

The LEARNERS stress the need for anytime access to their school library to assist them in completing their academic pursuits and exploring their personal interests.

Background

The AASL Scheduling Position Statement Task Force was asked to review the “Position Statement of Flexible Scheduling” that was adopted 09/2011 and last revised 06/2014. The task force was asked to consider the language from the AASL National School Library Standards (2018) by reviewing a shift in language from specifically noting “flexible scheduling” to a more inclusive statement that reflects this language from the National School Library Standards: “ensure that learners and educators have access to the school library and to qualified professional staff throughout the school day” (p. 174). This position statement is critical for school librarians desiring to fully achieve a collaborative and integrated school library philosophy. The updated statement also considers the impact access has in an expanding school library environment. Outlined in this statement are key responsibilities shared by the entire school community that are vital to school library scheduling success. In addition, the task force was requested to align and edit the position statement to support and reflect the National School Library Standards and National School Library of the Year rubric. A consistent scheduling statement is important for members to articulate best practices for the school library.

Definitions

Flexible access: The school library’s “collection is physically and intellectually accessible” at the point of need for the learner “and other community users” (AASL 2018, 100). This includes access to the school library’s print and digital collection before, during, and after school and 24/7 access to digital resources.
Integrated library philosophy: The instructional work of the school librarian, delivered through collaboration and coteaching with classroom teachers, is an essential and integral part of all classroom curriculum.
Local educational agency: Local governing body that has the authority to create, implement, and enforce educational policy.
Collaboration: Working with
Co-teaching: Two or more educators working together with learners, sharing the planning, organization, delivery, and assessment of instruction, as well as physical space (Bacharach, Heck, and Dahlberg 2010).
Responsive: A condition or disposition that enables the school librarian to act quickly and effectively to meet the curricular needs of educators and learners while also having latitude to provide school library services that change at point of need (Hale 2018, Hale 2019).
Responsive scheduling: Classes must be flexibly scheduled to visit the school library on an as-needed basis to facilitate just-in-time research, training, and use of technology with the guidance of the librarian, who is the information-search specialist and the teacher who is the subject specialist (Hale 2018, Hale 2019).
Open access: Free, unrestricted availability of the school library.

References

American Association of School Librarians. 2018. National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. Chicago: ALA.

Bacharach, Nancy, Teresa Washut Heck, and Kathryn Dahlberg. 2010. “Changing the Face of Student Teaching Through Co-Teaching.” Action in Teacher Education 32 (1): 3–14.

Hale, Sarah. 2018. E-mail message to Ann Martin. December 14.

Hale, Sarah. 2019. E-mail message to Ann Martin. January 4.

Adopted/Revised by the American Association of School Librarians | Sep 2011, Jun 2014, Jun 2019

Adopted by Loring Flemming Elementary School Library | September 2020

For more information, please see:

“Position Statements,” American Library Association, September 27, 2006. http://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/resources/statements (Accessed December 1, 2019)

Ongoing Initiatives

Positive Behavior Intervention and Support

The school library fully endorses, sustains, and enthusiastically participates in Loring Flemming’s schoolwide PBIS initiative.

School-to-Library Pipeline

The school library, like its public library counterpart, should serve as a conduit for and access point to information and information literacies, imparting skills, strategies, and practices that can be shared among learners across circumstances and environments. Although the Loring Flemming Elementary School Library endeavors to provide all learners with 24/7 access to high-quality media and resources for curricular and extracurricular needs, a sustained, dynamic partnership with our community’s public library system is the only surefire way to ensure students access to the widest possible array of materials.

Accordingly, Loring Flemming Elementary School Library works hand-in-glove with the Camden County Library System and New Jersey State Library to optimize student access to information resources, materials, technology, events, and services. From automatic public library card sign-ups of all enrolled pupils to mutual promotion of events, organizations, and offerings to cross-cataloging and responsive interlibrary loan protocols, school and public library staff work in tandem to position our young learners for myriad forms of success.

Annual Student Showcase

As Loring Flemming Elementary School’s learning commons, the Library serves as the heart and hearth of our learning community, celebrating kindness, diversity, and excellence in all its forms. Given our joint devotion to these aspirations, it’s only fitting that the entire community celebrates the young people who so selflessly embody them. As such, Loring Flemming Elementary School Library serves as the staging ground for an Annual Student Showcase the first weekend of every June.

The school-wide Student Showcase highlights our learning community’s exceptional achievements across a wide array of disciplines by recognizing the hard work, creativity, innovation, and sheer determination that make our learners, leaders and our students, teachers. Each student showcase is overseen by a guest of honor: a luminary selected for their shared dedication to the principles that animate our learning community’s spirit of inquisitive camaraderie. Partnerships with local businesses and organizations offer an avenue for community involvement while our School-to-Library Pipeline presents a secondary staging area for a representative selection of student work.

Relevant Standards

ISTE

Knowledge Constructor: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.
3a.	Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.
3b.	Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data or other resources.
3c.	Students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.
3d.	Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.

AASL

I.C.4	Sharing products with an authentic audience.
VI.A.1	Responsibly applying information, technology, and media to learning.
VI.A.2	Understanding the ethical use of information, technology, and media.
VI.A.3	Evaluating information for accuracy, validity, social and cultural context, and appropriateness for need.
VI.B.1	Ethically using and reproducing others’ work.
VI.B.2	Acknowledging authorship and demonstrating respect for the intellectual property of others.
VI.B.3	Including elements in personal-knowledge products that allow others to credit content appropriately.
VI.C.1	Sharing information resources in accordance with modification, reuse, and remix policies.
VI.C.2	Disseminating new knowledge through means appropriate for the intended audience.
VI.D.2	Reflecting on the process of ethical generation of knowledge.

See appended “Library Bill of Rights” and “Freedom to Read Statement” for additional information.

Perennial Goals and Objectives

Facet One: Curriculum Integration

School Librarian Role: Teacher

Objective: The School Librarian will collaborate with administration and faculty to develop an intensive four-year Information Literacies curriculum sequence that builds on student development in each of the existing core disciplines.

Evaluation: School administrators and relevant staff will complete an evaluation of the School Librarian’s contributions to the school’s curriculum sequence.

Facet Two: Information Literacies Instruction

School Librarian Role: Instructional Partner

Objective: The School Librarian will present both complete lessons and piecemeal training modules within and beyond the Library walls in tandem with ongoing curricular activity. These sessions may take the form of independent teaching, co-teaching, floating assistance, one-on-one tutoring, or any combination of the four.

Evaluation: Faculty will complete an evaluation form assessing the School Librarian’s performance as an Instructional Partner.

Facet Three: Collection Development and Maintenance

School Librarian Role: Information Specialist

Objective: The School Librarian will ensure that all members of the Loring Flemming Elementary School learning community have access to a high-quality collection of physical and digital materials that evolve in lockstep with their evolving literacy needs.

Evaluation: The School Librarian will present annual reports to faculty, administrators, and the Board of Education assessing the state of the Library collection.

Facet Four: Technological Initiatives

School Librarian Role: Information Technology Expert

Objective: The School Librarian will work in conjunction with school and district information technology (IT) specialists to enact schoolwide initiatives employing the best possible hardware, software, and information resources available. Specific duties include identifying, evaluating, and assisting in implementation of new technologies; training school staff in technology use; promoting technology instruction; consulting with faculty and students to determine appropriate tools for given tasks; integrating technological solutions for everyday problems; streamlining procedures; and occasional troubleshooting.

Evaluation: IT Staff will offer bi-annual feedback on the School Librarian’s role as a technology expert in the form of a digital questionnaire.

Facet Five: Ethical Use

School Librarian Role: Leader

Objective: The School Librarian will exemplify and convey principles and values that enshrine the ethical use of information. Essential topics include copyright, fair use, citations, plagiarism, and digital etiquette.

Evaluation: Students will complete annual entry and exit quizzes assessing their understanding of various copyright and integrity issues.

Facet Six: Community Hub

School Librarian Role: Program Administrator

Objective: The School Librarian will create and maintain a Third Space within the Loring Flemming Elementary School community.

Evaluation: Any interested member of the learning community can complete a survey assessing the Library’s appearance, offerings, and performance once per marking period via an online form.

Facet Seven: Mentorship

School Librarian Role: Lifelong Learner

Objective: The School Librarian will serve as an informal mentor to any student or colleague in need of sustained support. They will lead by example, striving to improve their own ability as an educator and learner each day and sharing the fruit of this effort with their learning community.

Evaluation: The School Librarian will complete an annual Intangibles Self-Evaluation.

User Analysis: Loring Flemming Elementary School

Township Demographics

Gloucester Township, a sprawling, suburban community in southwestern New Jersey, occupies roughly 23 square miles and contains a population just over 63.8k. The population has decreased roughly 1% since 2010. 70% of residents identify as white, 16% as black, 4% as Asian, 7% as Hispanic, and 2% as biracial. 11% of children speak a language at home other than English. One in five residents are eighteen or younger and three in twenty are sixty-five or older; the median age is 40.4.

The average household contains three people. At $79,169, median household income is 20% higher than the county average but about $2,000 below the state’s. 35% of households take home than $50k; 29% of households take home between $50k and $100k; 29% of households take home between $100k and $200k; and 7% of households take home more than $200k. About 93% of residents completed high school, and 26% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. 81% of workers commute via car, with four in five driving alone; an average commute lasts thirty minutes.

91% of the township’s 25,642 housing units are occupied; three in four homes are single-unit structures. 92% of residents have lived in their current home for a year or more, 73% of homes are owner-occupied, and the average non-rental property boasts a median value of $189,900. About 7.7% of residents live below the poverty line, including 14% of children.

District Overview

Gloucester Township Public Schools serve over six-thousand students with about five-hundred-twenty-six classroom teachers in eight elementary schools and three middle schools. Known as the state’s largest elementary school district, Gloucester Township is grouped in District Factor Group “DE,” the fifth-highest of the state’s eight socioeconomic categories.

School Overview

Loring Flemming Elementary School was built in 1976. The school was named in honor of Myra Loring, Catherine Flemming, and Rachel Flemming, former school district principals. Their devotion and commitment to education and students in Gloucester Township were hallmarks in the district for close to 50 years. An addition built in 1988 significantly increased the building’s size.

Today, Loring Flemming Elementary School serves 688 students in grades kindergarten through five with roughly 52 faculty members, including a school librarian and a full-time library assistant. Two in five students are economically disadvantaged; 16% have one or more disabilities. Pupils access the internet via one-to-one Chromebooks throughout the day.

Stats at a Glance

Makeup of the community: 70% white, 16% black, 4% Asian, 7% Hispanic, 2% biracial

Socioeconomic status: Average incomes, home values, and poverty rate; 40% of student qualify for free or reduced lunch

Languages groups spoken and read at home: Spanish (3.6%), Bengali (2.3%), Arabic (1%), other languages (2%)

Changes in demographics over the past five years: population slightly decreasing

Student mobility: 8.3%

Homes with computer access: estimated at 86%

Access to public library service: one public library within a ten-minute drive of elementary school—access to vehicular transport a must

Access to other local services: community and county organizations, both governmental and private nonprofit, offer a variety of social and recreational services

Number of student learners: 688

Number of professional staff: 52

Scheduling: late-start school in session from 9:10am to 3:30pm

Schoolwide Mathematics Proficiency: 38%

Schoolwide Language Arts Proficiency: 57%

DFGD: DE (lower-middle-income)

Parental involvement: Loring Flemming’s PEC meets monthly to plan fundraising activities and school sponsored events.

User Analysis References

National Center for Education Statistics. School directory information: Loring Flemming Elementary School, 2019-2020 school year. Retrieved August 3, 2020 from https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?ID=340603001524

State of New Jersey. New Jersey Department of Education. NJ school performance report: South Brunswick High School, 2017-2018. Retrieved August 3, 2020 from https://rc.doe.state.nj.us/runreport.aspx?type=school&county=07&district=1780&school=090&year=2018-2019

U.S. Census Bureau (2018). American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Retrieved August 3, 2020 from Census Reporter Profile page for South Brunswick Township, Middlesex County, NJ https://censusreporter.org/profiles/06000US3400726760-gloucester-township-camden-county-nj/

Library Curriculum (by grade level)

Kindergarten

1st Grade

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

Circulation Policies

Rationale

The Loring Flemming Elementary School Library endeavors to ensure all stakeholders free, fair, equitable, and universal access to all library materials. It views every barrier to access as an obstacle to overcome and every imposition on individual choice an intolerable burden. As such, the following policies are established in the hope of minimizing limitations and maximizing patron and institutional potential.

Checkout Policy

Physical material loans are transacted through and recorded by Follett Destiny. Every item in the collection is assigned a barcode. When a library user wishes to check out an item, a library staff member will associate its barcode with that user’s account. Users have the option of receiving physical receipts, accessing digital receipts at their own discretion, or both.

In the event that Destiny isn’t functional, library staff will record pending transactions in writing and enter them into the system once access is restored.

Loan Terms

Excepting expected wear from use, students are expected to return materials in the same condition that they were received.

Lending Periods

Library material lending periods are intended to ensure each patron sufficient time to enjoy their selections while preventing monopolization or misuse from limiting the access of others.

Books

Most library books may be checked out for a one-cycle (15-day) lending period. Reference materials may be checked out overnight (typically for a single day or, in the case of a weekend or holiday, considerably longer).

Physical Media

Physical media including DVDs, Blu-ray discs, CDs, video games, and small personal electronics may be checked out for a one-week (7-day) lending period.

Periodicals

Periodicals may be checked out for a one-week (7-day) lending period.

Electronic Resources

Lending terms for electronic resources are developed in partnership with their respective vendors. As such, these policies will vary.

Renewal Policy

Library materials may be renewed up to four times by phone, email, or in-person. If checked out materials aren’t on hold for another student, the ILS will automatically renew them once. Students are solely responsible for returning materials to the library in a timely manner.

Return Policy

Library staff will inspect each item for signs of damage upon return. If an item appears damaged, the Library Librarian will evaluate it. If a damaged item is retained in the collection, its catalog record must include a note on its condition. Fines are issued at the Library Librarian’s discretion.

Fines and Fees

As a rule, the Library eschews punitive fines and fees. Financial charges are solely intended to maintain the integrity of the collection in the event of damage or loss.

Late Fees

The Library considers any undue burden imposed between students and library materials unconscionable. As such, it has abolished all overdue fines and late fees.

Lost and Damaged Materials

In the event that a student has lost or damaged a library resource:

A first offense will be noted in the student’s Destiny profile, but no further action should be taken. Accidents happen; we all make mistakes.
Any additional offense will incur a replacement fee equal to the resource’s list price if the lost item was published within the past five years.

Library fines will not result in the loss of privileges outside the library. Students with outstanding fines in excess of $10 may still use physical materials within the library but will not be permitted to check any out. Electronic access will never be impeded.
The library will retain receipts when students pay for lost materials. If the item is later found, the student can elect to retain the item or receive a 50% refund on the total fine.
If a student transfers within the Gloucester Township School District, a notification about pending charges will be posted both in Destiny and in hard copy to that school’s library.
If a student transfers out of the Gloucester Township School District, a reasonable effort will be made to collect any outstanding charges.

Collection Development: Selection and Acquisition Policies

Guiding Statement

The Loring Flemming Elementary School Library is committed to offering its patrons the best available materials, resources, and services to support their personal and pedagogical information needs. The library collection reflects the curricular, recreational, and informational needs of its patrons—personal opinions hold no sway in its development. Library holdings are available in a variety of formats and reflect a diverse array of content areas, perspectives, developmental levels, and interests.

Needs Assessment

The Loring Flemming Elementary School Library is committed to supplying students in grades kindergarten through five with materials that address core curricular subjects as well as recreational and extracurricular needs.

Academic Information Needs: picture books; chapter books; English language arts; US and world history; biography; fairy tales; robotics, computer science, and digital technology; sports; animals/biology; environmental science; simple chemistry and physics; music; visual arts; performing arts.

Known Collection Weaknesses: too few diverse/inclusive books; aging materials; limited comics/graphic novel selection; fiction/nonfiction ratio skews slightly too far toward nonfiction

Recreational Information Needs: series; comics and graphic novels; adventure stories; fantasy and science fiction; superheroes; high-interest fiction; social fiction; film and television; narrative nonfiction.

Personal Information Needs: health and wellness; social-emotional skills; religion and family.

Selection Responsibility

Legal responsibility for all library materials rests with the Gloucester Township School District.
Actual selection decisions are made by the certified School Librarian, who welcomes suggestions from staff, faculty, administration, and students.
Selection decisions are based upon the School Librarian’s personal evaluation of individual items, professional reviews and resources, and curricular requirements.
Selection decisions are guided by the values and principles championed in the Library Bill of Rights, the Freedom to Read Statement, the American Association of School Librarians’ Standards Framework, and the New Jersey Department of Education.
The Loring Flemming Elementary School Library aspires to create a balanced collection reflecting the needs, interests, and aspirations on its patrons.

Selection Criteria

Per the ALA’s Selection Criteria Guidelines, Loring Flemming Elementary School’s library selections are based upon any combination of the follow criteria. All materials—print and digital, free and premium—must:

Support and enrich the curriculum and/or students’ personal interests and learning
Meet high standards in literary, artistic, and aesthetic quality; technical aspects; and physical format
Be appropriate for the subject area and for the age, emotional development, ability level, learning styles, and social, emotional, and intellectual development of the students for whom the materials are selected
Incorporate accurate and authentic factual content from authoritative sources
Earn favorable reviews in standard reviewing sources and/or favorable recommendations based on preview and examination of materials by professional personnel
Exhibit a high degree of potential user appeal and interest
Represent differing viewpoints on controversial issues
Provide a global perspective and promote diversity by including materials by authors and illustrators of all cultures
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, educational games, and other forms of emerging technologies)
Demonstrate physical format, appearance, and durability suitable to their intended use
Balance cost with need

Selection Aids

The School Librarian may enlist any of (but is not limited to) the following professional resources (preferred due to their objectivity and stellar reputations) while selecting materials:

Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Notable Children’s Books
Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Best Books for Young Adults
Booklist
School Library Journal
The Horn Book
Kirkus Reviews
We Need Diverse Books
Commonsense Media
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Library Journal
Publisher’s Weekly
Shelf Awareness

While requiring review citations for each acquisition would impose an unreasonable burden on the School Librarian, the School Librarian should be capable of justifying any acquisition if questioned by a school administrator.

Vendors

The Loring Flemming Elementary School Library may purchase supplies from any of the vendors identified below. “Primary Sources” lists the Library’s go-to commercial partners and identifies advantages and disadvantages of each; “Secondary Sources” enumerates additional options.

Preferred Vendors | Primary Sources

Collection Development

Follett | The standard bearer for school library collection development and Loring Flemming Elementary School’s preferred physical materials vendor.

Advantages

Most popular school library management in the US
Well-designed interface
Ease of ordering
Pre-processed materials
Always-available OPAC
Ebook integration
Simple MARC uploads and analysis
Comprehensive checkout histories
Review and curriculum integration
Mobile app

Disadvantages

Locks library into Follett ecosystem
Privacy concerns
History of mobile app issues

Junior Library Guild | Monthly subscription service

Advantages

Partially relieves library staff or classroom teachers from decision fatigue
Cost-effective
Can quickly shore up collection weaknesses
Ensures regular updates to library collection
Curated by industry professionals

Disadvantages

Preselected packages/limited input
Limited overalls selection

Mackin | Print books and integrated digital resources; Loring Flemming Elementary School’s preferred database vendor.

Advantages

Widest selection (over 15,000 publishers)
Free collection analysis and pre-processing
One-stop shopping for digital resources
Simplified login process for users

Disadvantages

Limited selection
Can be pricey

PermaBound | Heavily reinforced books

Advantages

Guaranteed to stay bound

Disadvantages

Limited selection
Cost-prohibitive

Furniture and Supplies

Brodart | Traditional furniture and supplies

Advantages

Durable furnishings
Digital equipment
Excellent source of book processing materials
Online reviews

Disadvantages

Most materials already arrive pre-processed
Cost-prohibitive
Selection limited to conventional furniture and supplies
Design can lack student appeal

Demco | Contemporary furniture and supplies

Advantages

Appealing design
Array of movable/flexible furnishings
Also offers classroom options
Excellent source for Makerspace materials
Occasional web specials
Satisfaction guarantee

Disadvantages

Most materials already arrive pre-processed
Cost-prohibitive

Follett Software | ILS

Advantages

Integrated with Follett Titlewave
Exceptional tools for instant analysis

Disadvantages

Effectively locks library into Follett system

Gaylord | Archival materials

Advantages

Museum-quality preservation tools and supplies
Display and case offerings
Environmental control technologies

Disadvantages

Can get pricey
Minimal need

Other Vendors | Secondary Sources

Collection Development

ABC CLIO | Print and digital resource vendor
Alexander Street | Digital material collections
Baker & Taylor | Jobber/distributor
Barnes and Noble | Commercial bookstore chain
Bowker | Bibliographic solutions
Capstone Press | Books and A/V Materials
Follett Library Resources | Books and A/V materials
H.W. Wilson | Collection development databases
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt | Educational publishing juggernaut
Language Lizard | Multilingual books
Libraries Unlimited | Professional development resources
Library Video Company | A/V materials
Mackin Educational Resources | Books, A/V, and digital materials
Macmillan/McGraw-Hill School Division
Overdrive | Ebook service
Pan Asian Publications | Asian books and A/V materials
Penguin Random House | American publishing juggernaut
Perma-Bound Books | Prebound books
Renaissance Learning | AR software
Scarecrow Press | Academic books
Scholastic Library Publishing | K-8 publishing juggernaut
Social Studies School Service | Subject-specific resources
Teachers@Random | K-8 children’s books
The Canadian Publishers' Council | An organization of 34 Canadian book publishers.
The Children's Book Council | A non-profit organization of children's book publishers
The Education Place | Textbook support materials
The Gale Group | Print, A/V, and digital materials
The Publishers' Catalogues Homepage | Links to 6000+ publishers
W. T. Cox | Periodicals
World Almanac | Reference books

Furniture and Supplies

Amazon | The Everything Store
American Library Association Online Store | ALA books and materials
Brodart Library Supplies and Furnishings | Furniture and supplies
Demco | Furniture and Supplies
Ebsco Publishing - K-12 Schools
Gaylord | Furniture and supplies
Library Automation Companies | Website directory
Library Skills | Library supplies
OCLC: Online Computer Library Center, Inc. | Management and metadata services
Perfection Learning Corporation | Digital learning tools
School Outfitters | Furniture and supplies
The Library Store | Library supplies

Adapted in part from https://www.sldirectory.com/libsf/resf/vendor.html

Acquisition Procedures

Purchasing Schedule

The Loring Flemming Elementary School Library places two large book orders each school year: one on September 15th and another on March 30th. These orders are intended to replenish the entire library collection; as such, they coordinate with the availability of new spring and fall titles from US publishers. Large book orders also provide an opportunity for the library to purchase or replace any specific supplies it may require.

In addition, the library will place smaller book orders specifically intended to maintain its nonfiction collection on the fifteenth day of each month according to the following schedule:

January: Dewey 100s and 200s

March: Dewey 300s and 400s

April: Dewey 700s

June: Dewey 800s

September: Dewey 500s

November: Dewey 900s

December: Dewey 600s

Whenever possible, the Loring Flemming Elementary School Library will place orders with Follett, its preferred print material vendor. The Needs Assessment, Selection Criteria, and Selection Aids described above as well as the acquisition procedures enumerated below will inform all purchase decisions.

If necessary, the Librarian can place small material orders at the discretion of school administration. This informal process is initiated at the Library Librarian’s request and is strictly intended to meet pressing needs.

Digital library materials, database subscriptions, and other serial charges are subject to review each June within the library’s annual reports. The Librarian will partner with school administrators to review use statistics and perform a cost-benefit analysis for each individual expense based on the criteria listed above and below. The Loring Flemming Elementary School Library may purchase services from any of the vendors listed above, though Follett and Mackin should receive priority consideration to maximize ease of use.

Physical Materials (including library-specific supplies)

When acquiring additional physical materials, the School Librarian will independently:

Consult relevant professional materials and resources.
Consider requests from the school community.
Assess the current collection’s need for duplicates, replacements, and repairs.
Examine potential acquisitions firsthand (if possible).
Arrive at a decision for each item.
Order materials online (to ensure alacrity) through the approved vendor who offers the lowest total price (typically Follett Titlewave).

If possible, materials should arrive pre-processed with covers and barcodes.

Arrange for payment via PO.
Add materials to collection.

Digital Materials

When acquiring additional digital materials, the School Librarian will independently:

Consult relevant professional materials and resources.
Consider requests from the school community.
Explore potential acquisitions firsthand.
Perform a cost/benefit analysis for a given product or service.
Negotiate product/service terms with an approved vendor who offers the greatest value per dollar spent (typically Mackin).
Arrive at a decision for each product/service and confirm purchase with administration.
Arrange for payment per negotiated vendor terms.
Add materials to collection.

Other Materials

When acquiring library materials outside the collection (e.g. furniture, lighting, office supplies, etc.), the School Librarian will independently:

Research the relevant materials via approved vendor websites or catalogues.
Compile available consumer and professional reviews of each product.
Prepare a brief report summarizing the need for, potential value, and total cost of the acquisition.
Arrange consultations with school administrators to present prepared proposal and evidence.
Proceed from administrative decision, procuring materials if affirmative.
Arrange for payment via PO.
Incorporate materials into Library.

Collection Materials Processing Procedure

Physical Materials

Upon arrival, all physical library materials must be processed in the following manner:

If materials weren’t pre-processed:

Date, vendor, and cost information must be manually added to the item, preferably on a title page.
Plastic covers or laminate must be affixed.
Barcodes must be placed.

All materials must be identified as the property of Loring Flemming Elementary School with a stamp.
All materials must be added to the library OPAC, whether automatically (if pre-processed) or manually.

Cataloging Guide

Please view the full cataloging flowchart here.

Subject Headings: Sears subject headings

Classification System: Dewey Decimal

Fiction: FIC with first three letters of author’s surname

Nonfiction: Classification number with first three letters of author’s surname

Individual Biography: B with subject’s surname

Collective Biography: 920 with first three letters of author’s surname

Easy Fiction: E with first three letters of author’s surname

Special Classification Options: E above classification number for all Easy Nonfiction, J above classification number for all K-3 books except Easy Fiction

Comics and Graphic Novel Collection: GN with first three letters of author’s surname or classification number with first three letters of author’s surname

Short Story Collections: SC with first three letters of author’s surname

Foreign Language Options: Language code with first three letters of author’s surname or classification number with first three letters of author’s surname

Reference: REF above classification number with first three letters of author’s surname

Professional: PRO above classification number of professional books

Digital Materials

Upon addition to the collection, all digital library materials must be processed in the following manner:

If possible, materials must be added to the library OPAC.
All potential users must be added to login-based services.

Gifts and Donations

Though the Loring Flemming Elementary School Library may consider accepting cash and material donations, the following criteria apply:

All material donations must meet the same rigorous standards as the rest of the library collection.
All material donations must be in new or like-new condition.
Certain items, including textbooks, workbooks, testing and test prep materials, and periodicals, are strictly prohibited.
Entities offering cash donations are afforded no influence on how said donation(s) are spent. Acknowledgements can be made in the form of book/furniture plates and in some public relations documents at the school administration’s discretion.

Reconsideration Policy

Community members who aren’t directly involved in the selection process can assert their opinions on library materials by issuing formal reconsideration requests. Any Loring Flemming Elementary School Library patron, including students, parents, staff, and community members, may consider and/or submit such a request.

Reconsideration Procedures

The School Librarian will explain the item’s specific curricular, pedagogical, and/or artistic value, contextualizing it in the collection as a whole. The School Librarian will defend the principles of free speech, expression, and inquiry upheld and embodied by Loring Flemming Elementary School Library and the Library Media Program as enumerated in this Policy Manual rather than mounting a subjective defense of the challenged item.

If the complainant elects to proceed with a reconsideration request, they must first complete the Loring Flemming Elementary School Library’s Citizen Request for Reconsideration Form and return a completed copy to either the School Principal or the School Librarian within two school weeks (ten school days). If the complainant fails to return the form within ten days of complaint, the issue will be considered resolved. Within two school weeks (ten school days) of receipt, the School Principal and District Superintendent will form a Reevaluation Committee composed of the School Principal, the School Librarian, a Classroom Teacher, a Curriculum Advisor, a Community Member, and two student volunteers. As a group, the Reevaluation Committee will:

Familiarize themselves with the item in question through direct exposure and critical evaluations, forming an opinion of the entire item rather than any particular detail.
Discuss the relative value of the item in the specific contexts of a) the school’s curricular program, b) students’ recreational reading needs/preferences, and c) critical consensus on the item.
Compose a one-page report explaining their decision and rationale.

The entire process will take no more than four school weeks (twenty school days). A copy of the report will be sent to both the Board of Education and the complainant. The Reevaluation Committee’s verdict is final and binding: once they have made a decision, the item in question is afforded immunity from additional inquiries and challenges. Materials will remain in circulation throughout the reconsideration process and can only be removed pending a decision from the Reevaluation Committee.

References

“Acquisitions Procedures,” American Library Association, December 20, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2019 from http://www.ala.org/tools/challengesupport/selectionpolicytoolkit/acquisitions

“Selection Criteria,” American Library Association, December 19, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2019 from http://www.ala.org/tools/challengesupport/selectionpolicytoolkit/criteria

Hearing the Community’s Voice: Acquisition and Reconsideration Forms

To ensure the Loring Flemming Elementary School Library best serves its community, Material Acquisition and Citizen Request for Reconsideration forms are available as standalone documents in both print and digital format.

Material Acquisition Request Form

Loring Flemming Elementary School Library
135 Little Gloucester Road

Blackwood, NJ 08012

Date ___________________________________________________________
Name __________________________________________________________
Address _________________________________________________________
City ____________________________ State/Zip _______________________
Phone __________________________ Email __________________________

Are you a student, faculty member, administrator, parent, or other? (circle one)

If you answered the previous question with “Other,” please specify: _______________________

1. Resource you are requesting:
___ Book (e-book) ___ Movie ___ Magazine ___ Database
___ Audio Recording ___ Digital Resource ___ Textbook ___ App
___ Newspaper ___ Game ___ Streaming Media ___ Other

Title ________________________________________________________________________

Creator _______________________________________________________________

Publisher/Vendor _______________________________________________________________

Price _______________________________________________________________

ISBN ________________________________________________________________________

Is the resource part of the curriculum, library collection, or other?

2. What brought this resource to your attention?

3. What value do you believe the resource will add to the Loring Flemming Elementary School Library?

Digital Version Available Here

Citizen Request for Reconsideration Form

Loring Flemming Elementary School Library
135 Little Gloucester Road

Blackwood, NJ 08012

Date ___________________________________________________________
Name __________________________________________________________
Address ________________________________________________________
City ____________________________ State/Zip _______________________
Phone __________________________ Email __________________________

Do you represent yourself? ____ Or a local group/organization? ____

Name of Local Group/Organization ___________________________

1. Resource on which you are commenting:
___ Book (e-book) ___ Movie ___ Magazine ___ Database
___ Audio Recording ___ Digital Resource ___ Textbook ___ App
___ Newspaper ___ Game ___ Streaming Media ___ Other

Title ________________________________________________________________________

Author/Creator _______________________________________________________________

Is the resource part of the curriculum, library collection, or other?

2. What brought this resource to your attention?

3. Have you examined the entire resource? If not, what sections did you review?

4. Summarize the resource in your own words.

5. What concerns you about the resource? Be specific and cite relevant portions.

6. What potential negative outcomes do you associate with the resource? Be specific and cite relevant portions.

7. What do you like, appreciate, or find positive about the resource? Be specific and cite relevant portions.

8. What age group(s) or audience(s) would you recommend for this resource?

9. Are you familiar with any critical opinions or scholastic consensus on this resource? If so, please describe them.

10. Are there any resource(s) you suggest to provide additional information and/or other viewpoints on this topic? Be specific.

11. What action are you requesting the committee consider?

Digital Version Available Here

Based on the ALA’s Sample Reconsideration Form:

“Sample Reconsideration Form,” American Library Association, December 26, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2019 from http://www.ala.org/tools/challengesupport/selectionpolicytoolkit/sampleforms

Collection Evaluation Procedure

Philosophy

Collection evaluation is an ongoing process. Although periodic assessments of the entire collection are vital, active engagement with materials passing through the library (at the circulation desk, into classrooms, during inventory, while incorporating acquisitions, while preparing reports, etc.) is essential. The working knowledge established during everyday engagement prove invaluable while conducting the annual evaluation procedure described below, which aims to impart aspects of this knowledge to important stakeholders.

General Procedure

Consult with faculty and administration before the year begins to address any pressing needs.
Actively monitor materials and collection use during the academic year.
Gather data each May.

Quantitative Data

Create inventory to compare size of collection to size of student population.
Map collection using catalog software. Divide into fiction, biography, and nonfiction segments based on 100-number Dewey designations. Analyze each for:

Number of items
Average and median age
Size relative to total collection
Circulation stats for past year
Circulation scale relative to total collection

Qualitative Data

Perform shelf scans by section. Take note of:

Overall impression
Condition
Ostensible age
Ease of access

Flag titles based on criteria below.

Compare flagged titles to “best of” and standard resource lists; create a smaller list for further consideration.
Take note of any areas in need of special attention.

Prepare annual collection reports to share in June.

Prepare a concise report—no longer than five pages—analyzing each subsection of the collection relative to use, budget, and faculty requests for the library’s records.
Create a one-page infographic for each academic discipline to share with relevant faculty and staff. Encourage active engagement in collection management.
Create a two-page infographic to share with administration. Assert needs/desires as mandated by the report’s contents.

Take appropriate action based on all findings.

Adapted from:

“Evaluating Library Collections: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights,” American Library Association, July 26, 2006. Retrieved September 15, 2019 from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/evaluatinglibrary

Hyödynmaa, M., Ahlholm-Kannisto, A., & Nurminen, H. (2010). How to evaluate library collections: a case study of collection mapping. Collection Building, 29(2), 43-49.

Kelly, M. (2014). Applying the tiers of assessment: A holistic and systematic approach to assessing library collections. The journal of academic librarianship, 40(6), 585-591.

Weeding Procedure

Definition: What is Weeding?

Weeding is the removing of materials from a library collection in a systematic and deliberate way. It is an ongoing part of collection development, a planned and thoughtful action that will ensure library materials are current and enticing. The Loring Flemming Elementary School Librarian calls on their years of formal training and practice while performing this invaluable task.

How Are Items Discarded from the Collection?

To discard an item from the collection, the School Librarian or a trained member of the library staff will first flag the item according to the criteria enumerated below. Once an item is flagged, the School Librarian will decide whether to return it to the collection, repair the item, replace the item, or discard the item. Digital and physical materials are evaluated by the same guidelines (excepting criteria based on physical condition.)

Weeding Guidelines: MUSTIE and CREW

The School Librarian will rely on two effective acronyms to evaluate materials during weeding: MUSTIE and CREW. Note that these methods inform the School Librarian’s opinions, but by no means dictate their informed and impartial decision-making.

MUSTIE

MUSTIE provides a checklist of factors to consider while examining individual objects in the collection.

M: Is the material misleading or factually inaccurate?

U: Is the material ugly? Is a book is worn, torn, moldering, or in disrepair?

S: Has the material been superseded by a newer edition?

T: Is the material’s content trivial? Does it lack discernible value?

I: Is the material irrelevant to the needs and interests of the community?

E: Is the material elsewhere available via interlibrary loan?

CREW

More a guiding philosophy or method than a straightforward heuristic, CREW is an acronym for Continuous Review, Evaluation, and Weeding. The CREW method relies on a simple formula—Y/X/MUSTIE—to determine an item’s relative value in the library collection. In this formula, Y indicates the number of years that have passed since an item was published; X indicates the number of years that have passed since an item was used or checked out; and MUSTIE represents the MUSTIE criteria enumerated above. A convenient overview of CREW guidelines by subject follows below.

Adapted from:

Larson, J. (2012). CREW: A weeding manual for modern libraries. Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Overview Chart of CREW Formulas

Flagging Materials

When flagging materials, library staff will:

Identify items that don’t meet the basic criteria: accuracy, currency, condition.
Identify items which have not circulated or been used in-house for four years.
Identify items older than 12 years in the state standards date-sensitive Dewey areas.
Identify encyclopedias older than 5 years.
Identify fiction older than 10 years.
Identify items in poor condition.

Flagging Fiction

Has the book been checked out:

This year?
Within the past five years?
Ever?

Is the book in good condition?

If not, can the book be repaired?

Has the book accrued any accolades?

Is it a canonized classic?
Has it won any awards?
Was it positively reviewed?

Did the book’s content age poorly?

Does the book contain an offensive depiction of any person or group of people?
Is the book glaringly inaccurate or needlessly, deliberately, perniciously provocative?

Flagging Nonfiction

Biographies: Stay apace of well-reviewed titles and works on contemporary and historic figures of significance. Discard eclipsed figures.
000s | General: Subscription services—both digital and periodical—are preferred to other reference materials.
100s | Philosophy and Psychology: As a field, psychology ages quickly. Books older than ten years should be removed/replaced. Pay particular attention to self-help.
200s | Religion: Material ages slowly. Breadth and depth of the collection are of the utmost concern: strive to incorporate as many worldviews as possible. Retain classics.
300s | Social Sciences: Retain items of historic value. Update books on government and society every ten years. Monitor social problems. Keep yearbooks current.
400s | Language: Model materials to present curriculum and demonstrated need.
500s | Pure Science: As a rule, ensure volumes are no older than five years. Slow-moving fields (e.g. botany, paleontology) merit a bit more flexibility.
600s | Applied Science: Books on technology and industry should be reexamined on a five-year basis. Retain car manuals and repair guides. Business books should be removed after ten years. Books on domestic skills and home economics have a longer shelf life; cookbooks are evergreen. Use dictates collection size.
700s | Art and Recreation: Currency dictates retention. Keep sports fresh.
800s | Literature: Map collection to curriculum and educators’ needs. Otherwise, retain based on condition. Streamline collection to basics.
900s | History, Travel and Geography: Accuracy and scholastic trends dictate speed of replacement. Prioritize based on demand. Update ASAP. Discard outdated maps.

Flagging Digital Resources

Does student use justify the expense of paid subscriptions?
Is a superior alternative—free or paid—available?

The American Library Association’s “Library Bill of Rights”

The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services.

I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.

II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.

IV. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.

V. A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.

VI. Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.

VII. All people, regardless of origin, age, background, or views, possess a right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use. Libraries should advocate for, educate about, and protect people’s privacy, safeguarding all library use data, including personally identifiable information.

Adopted June 19, 1939, by the ALA Council; amended October 14, 1944; June 18, 1948; February 2, 1961; June 27, 1967; January 23, 1980; January 29, 2019.

Inclusion of “age” reaffirmed January 23, 1996.

Sourced from:

“Library Bill of Rights,” American Library Association, June 30, 2006. Retrieved September 25, 2019 from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

The AASL’s Statement on the Role of the School Library

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) supports the position that an effective school library plays a critical role in preparing learners for life in an information-rich society. As defined by AASL, school libraries are “dynamic learning environments that bridge the gap between access and opportunity for all K–12 learners” (AASL 2016b, 1). Grounded in standards and best practice, school libraries are an integral component of the educational landscape. The school library provides access to a wide array of resources and an environment in which teaching and learning are the primary emphases. The school library provides a space and place for personalized learner success; learners are encouraged to explore questions of personal and academic relevance. Under the direction of a qualified school librarian, school libraries are instrumental in fostering literacy and teaching inquiry skills to support lifelong learning (AASL 2018, 54).

Instruction and services provided through the school library are developed around six essential Shared Foundations—Inquire, Include, Collaborate, Curate, Explore, and Engage:

Inquire: Inquiry and investigation are at the core of the school library. Through scaffolding the use of an inquiry-based model of learning, the school library offers multiple opportunities for learners to integrate new and existing knowledge.
Include: An effective school library includes diverse and inclusive resources, programs, and services that meet the needs of all learners; represents various points of view on current and historical issues; and provides support across a wide range of interest areas with opportunities for learners to recognize themselves.
Collaborate: An effective school library encourages broadening personal knowledge and creating interconnected learning opportunities through collaboration. Users of the school library collaborate effectively, sharing ideas and information in a responsible and ethical manner.
Curate: The effective school library includes a professionally curated collection of resources selected based on their authority, currency, relevance, scope, and relationship to other items in the collection. Using this selection model, users of the school library are encouraged to examine the authority and bias of authors or producers of information when curating resources for personal and academic use.
Explore: An effective school library provides learners with a venue to explore questions that arise out of personalized learning opportunities and out of individual curiosity and interest. The school library focuses on the development of a culture of reading, supports reading for learning and personal enjoyment, and provides opportunities for learners to read for pleasure. To meet the needs of all learners, the school library provides a wide variety of resources in multiple formats.
Engage: Effective school libraries help learners engage with the principles of safe and effective information skills and provide opportunities for learners to develop competencies in a space that allows learners to share and disseminate information.

Learners require well-managed access to technology and print, digital, and online resources, including openly licensed educational content. Effective school libraries have adequate, up-to-date instructional and learning technologies and resources. As part of the school library, the school librarian provides leadership and instruction to both educators and learners on how to use all of these resources constructively, ethically, and safely. To ensure learners are successful, it is essential for school librarians to have opportunities on a continuing basis to update their own knowledge about emerging and new technologies. They may then provide the support and training required to assist learners and staff on how to best use resources (AASL 2018, 56).

In an effective school library resources are available to all before, during, and after the school day. Scheduling classes in the school library should allow for responsive, open, unrestricted, and equitable access to collections and technology, and to the services of a certified school librarian. Scheduling should be thoughtfully designed to ensure learners have access to library spaces and resources at the point of need for an integrated school library. Additionally, the school library is not confined to the physical library space. Through the use of technology and online resources, the effective school library provides continuous access to resources, whether in the library, the classroom, the learner’s home, or other remote locations (AASL 2018, 56–57).

The school library’s value is demonstrated through the close alignment with the school librarian standards and the activities of a certified school librarian within the school community, such as representation on key decision-making committees. Representation on school-wide and district committees such as the curriculum, technology, budget, and leadership committees that align with the school mission and strategic plan strengthens relationships for the school library and provides opportunities for library issues to be heard among decision makers (AASL 2018, 57).

An effective school library is continuously assessed and evaluated based on the results of the assessments to ensure that it meets the needs of all members of the learning community. An effective school library is fully integrated into the curriculum through ongoing, sustained efforts and a strategic plan that serves the school’s mission, educational goals, and objectives, and school community stakeholders. In addition to evaluation based on conducting ongoing formative assessment to measure progress toward short- and long-term goals, the development of evidence-based outcomes and the incorporation of research and best practice are part of a well- developed school library plan (AASL 2018, 170).

For learners, the school library represents one of America’s most cherished freedoms: the freedom to speak and hear what others have to say. Learners have the right to choose what they will read, view, or hear and are expected to develop the ability to think clearly, critically, and creatively about their choices, rather than allowing others to do this for them.

Background

Citizens of this information world and knowledge-based economy must have the skills and dispositions to access information efficiently and to critically assess the content and sources they rely upon for decision- making, problem-solving, and generation of new knowledge. The effective school library (AASL 2016b) program plays a critical role in schools in instructing students on how to access information efficiently and critically assess resources.

Definitions

Assessment: Process of “collecting, analyzing, and reporting data” (Coatney 2003, 157) about learner accomplishments and understandings throughout a learning experience. Forms of assessment may include tests, observations, self-assessments, conferences, logs, graphic organizers, surveys, checklists, rubrics, and interviews (Wiggins and McTighe 2005; Harada and Yoshina 2010).
Collaboration: Working with a member of the teaching team to plan, implement, and evaluate a specialized instructional plan (AASL 2016a; Montiel-Overall 2006).
Curation: Curation is the act of continually identifying, selecting, and sharing the best and most relevant content and resources on a specific subject to match the needs of a specific audience (Handley 2012).
School Library: An effective school library has a certified school librarian at the helm, provides personalized learning environments, and offers equitable access to resources to ensure a well-rounded education for every learner (AASL 2016b).
Information Technologies: Modern information, computer, and communication technology products, services, or tools, including the Internet, computer devices, and other hardware, software applications, data systems, personal digital devices, and other digital and multimedia content and data storage (AASL 2016b).
Learning Environment: The diverse physical locations, contexts, and cultures in which people learn. Since learners may learn in a wide variety of settings, such as outside-of-school locations and outdoor environments, the term is often used as a more-accurate or preferred alternative to “classroom,” which has more limited and traditional connotations—a room with rows of desks and a chalkboard, for example (Abbott 2013).
Personalized Learning: The process of using a diverse variety of educational programs, learning experiences, instructional approaches, and academic support strategies that are intended to address the distinct learning needs, interests, aspirations, or cultural backgrounds of individual learners. Learning personalization may take the form of using online and/or in-person learning experiences tailored specifically to learners (Abbott 2015).
Virtual Resources: Resources that are not physical in nature, such as computer hardware platforms, operating systems, storage devices, computer network resources, electronic databases, e-books,apps, student information systems (SIS), and learning management systems (LMS).

References

Abbott, Stephen E., ed. 2013. “Learning Environment.” Glossary of Education Reform for Journalists, Parents, and Community Members. <http://edglossary.org/learning-environment> (accessed May 6, 2019).

———. 2015. “Personalized Learning.” Glossary of Education Reform for Journalists, Parents, and Community Members. <http://edglossary.org/personalized-learning> (accessed May 6, 2019).

American Association of School Librarians (AASL). 2018. National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. Chicago: ALA.

———. 2016a. “Appropriate Staffing for School Libraries.” <www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslissues/positionstatements/AASL_Position%20St atement_Appropriate%20Staffing_2016-06-25.pdf> (accessed May 6, 2019).

———. 2016b. “Definition of an Effective School Library Program.” <http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/advocacy/tools/docs/AASL_Position_Stateme nt_Effective_SLP_2018.pdf> (accessed May 6, 2019).

Coatney, Sharon. 2003. “Assessment for Learning.” In Curriculum Connections through the Library, edited by Barbara K. Stripling and Sandra Hughes-Hassell, 157–68. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Handley, Ann. 2012. “Content Curation Definitions & Context for Content Marketing.” TopRank Online Marketing Blog. <www.toprankblog.com/2010/06/content-marketing-curation-context> (accessed May 6, 2019).

Harada, Violet H., and Joan M. Yoshina. 2010. Assessing Learning: Librarians and Teachers as Partners, 2nd ed. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

Montiel-Overall, Patricia 2006. “Teacher and Teacher-Librarian Collaboration: Moving toward Integration.” Teacher Librarian 34 (2): 28–33.

Wiggins, Grant P., and Jay McTighe. 2005. Understanding by Design, 2nd ed. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Adopted/Revised by the American Association of School Librarians | June 2016, June 2019

Adopted by Loring Flemming Elementary School Library | August 2020

For more information, please see:

“Position Statements,” American Library Association, September 27, 2006. http://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/resources/statements (Accessed December 1, 2019)

The American Library Association’s “Freedom to Read Statement”

The freedom to read is essential to our democracy. It is continuously under attack. Private groups and public authorities in various parts of the country are working to remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to label "controversial" views, to distribute lists of "objectionable" books or authors, and to purge libraries. These actions apparently rise from a view that our national tradition of free expression is no longer valid; that censorship and suppression are needed to counter threats to safety or national security, as well as to avoid the subversion of politics and the corruption of morals. We, as individuals devoted to reading and as librarians and publishers responsible for disseminating ideas, wish to assert the public interest in the preservation of the freedom to read.

Most attempts at suppression rest on a denial of the fundamental premise of democracy: that the ordinary individual, by exercising critical judgment, will select the good and reject the bad. We trust Americans to recognize propaganda and misinformation, and to make their own decisions about what they read and believe. We do not believe they are prepared to sacrifice their heritage of a free press in order to be "protected" against what others think may be bad for them. We believe they still favor free enterprise in ideas and expression.

These efforts at suppression are related to a larger pattern of pressures being brought against education, the press, art and images, films, broadcast media, and the Internet. The problem is not only one of actual censorship. The shadow of fear cast by these pressures leads, we suspect, to an even larger voluntary curtailment of expression by those who seek to avoid controversy or unwelcome scrutiny by government officials.

Such pressure toward conformity is perhaps natural to a time of accelerated change. And yet suppression is never more dangerous than in such a time of social tension. Freedom has given the United States the elasticity to endure strain. Freedom keeps open the path of novel and creative solutions, and enables change to come by choice. Every silencing of a heresy, every enforcement of an orthodoxy, diminishes the toughness and resilience of our society and leaves it the less able to deal with controversy and difference.

Now as always in our history, reading is among our greatest freedoms. The freedom to read and write is almost the only means for making generally available ideas or manners of expression that can initially command only a small audience. The written word is the natural medium for the new idea and the untried voice from which come the original contributions to social growth. It is essential to the extended discussion that serious thought requires, and to the accumulation of knowledge and ideas into organized collections.

We believe that free communication is essential to the preservation of a free society and a creative culture. We believe that these pressures toward conformity present the danger of limiting the range and variety of inquiry and expression on which our democracy and our culture depend. We believe that every American community must jealously guard the freedom to publish and to circulate, in order to preserve its own freedom to read. We believe that publishers and librarians have a profound responsibility to give validity to that freedom to read by making it possible for the readers to choose freely from a variety of offerings.

The freedom to read is guaranteed by the Constitution. Those with faith in free people will stand firm on these constitutional guarantees of essential rights and will exercise the responsibilities that accompany these rights.

We therefore affirm these propositions:

It is in the public interest for publishers and librarians to make available the widest diversity of views and expressions, including those that are unorthodox, unpopular, or considered dangerous by the majority.

Creative thought is by definition new, and what is new is different. The bearer of every new thought is a rebel until that idea is refined and tested. Totalitarian systems attempt to maintain themselves in power by the ruthless suppression of any concept that challenges the established orthodoxy. The power of a democratic system to adapt to change is vastly strengthened by the freedom of its citizens to choose widely from among conflicting opinions offered freely to them. To stifle every nonconformist idea at birth would mark the end of the democratic process. Furthermore, only through the constant activity of weighing and selecting can the democratic mind attain the strength demanded by times like these. We need to know not only what we believe but why we believe it.

Publishers, librarians, and booksellers do not need to endorse every idea or presentation they make available. It would conflict with the public interest for them to establish their own political, moral, or aesthetic views as a standard for determining what should be published or circulated.

Publishers and librarians serve the educational process by helping to make available knowledge and ideas required for the growth of the mind and the increase of learning. They do not foster education by imposing as mentors the patterns of their own thought. The people should have the freedom to read and consider a broader range of ideas than those that may be held by any single librarian or publisher or government or church. It is wrong that what one can read should be confined to what another thinks proper.

It is contrary to the public interest for publishers or librarians to bar access to writings on the basis of the personal history or political affiliations of the author.

No art or literature can flourish if it is to be measured by the political views or private lives of its creators. No society of free people can flourish that draws up lists of writers to whom it will not listen, whatever they may have to say.

There is no place in our society for efforts to coerce the taste of others, to confine adults to the reading matter deemed suitable for adolescents, or to inhibit the efforts of writers to achieve artistic expression.

To some, much of modern expression is shocking. But is not much of life itself shocking? We cut off literature at the source if we prevent writers from dealing with the stuff of life. Parents and teachers have a responsibility to prepare the young to meet the diversity of experiences in life to which they will be exposed, as they have a responsibility to help them learn to think critically for themselves. These are affirmative responsibilities, not to be discharged simply by preventing them from reading works for which they are not yet prepared. In these matters values differ, and values cannot be legislated; nor can machinery be devised that will suit the demands of one group without limiting the freedom of others.

It is not in the public interest to force a reader to accept the prejudgment of a label characterizing any expression or its author as subversive or dangerous.

The ideal of labeling presupposes the existence of individuals or groups with wisdom to determine by authority what is good or bad for others. It presupposes that individuals must be directed in making up their minds about the ideas they examine. But Americans do not need others to do their thinking for them.

It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians, as guardians of the people's freedom to read, to contest encroachments upon that freedom by individuals or groups seeking to impose their own standards or tastes upon the community at large; and by the government whenever it seeks to reduce or deny public access to public information.

It is inevitable in the give and take of the democratic process that the political, the moral, or the aesthetic concepts of an individual or group will occasionally collide with those of another individual or group. In a free society individuals are free to determine for themselves what they wish to read, and each group is free to determine what it will recommend to its freely associated members. But no group has the right to take the law into its own hands, and to impose its own concept of politics or morality upon other members of a democratic society. Freedom is no freedom if it is accorded only to the accepted and the inoffensive. Further, democratic societies are more safe, free, and creative when the free flow of public information is not restricted by governmental prerogative or self-censorship.

It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians to give full meaning to the freedom to read by providing books that enrich the quality and diversity of thought and expression. By the exercise of this affirmative responsibility, they can demonstrate that the answer to a "bad" book is a good one, the answer to a "bad" idea is a good one.

The freedom to read is of little consequence when the reader cannot obtain matter fit for that reader's purpose. What is needed is not only the absence of restraint, but the positive provision of opportunity for the people to read the best that has been thought and said. Books are the major channel by which the intellectual inheritance is handed down, and the principal means of its testing and growth. The defense of the freedom to read requires of all publishers and librarians the utmost of their faculties, and deserves of all Americans the fullest of their support.

We state these propositions neither lightly nor as easy generalizations. We here stake out a lofty claim for the value of the written word. We do so because we believe that it is possessed of enormous variety and usefulness, worthy of cherishing and keeping free. We realize that the application of these propositions may mean the dissemination of ideas and manners of expression that are repugnant to many persons. We do not state these propositions in the comfortable belief that what people read is unimportant. We believe rather that what people read is deeply important; that ideas can be dangerous; but that the suppression of ideas is fatal to a democratic society. Freedom itself is a dangerous way of life, but it is ours.

This statement was originally issued in May of 1953 by the Westchester Conference of the American Library Association and the American Book Publishers Council, which in 1970 consolidated with the American Educational Publishers Institute to become the Association of American Publishers.

Adopted June 25, 1953, by the ALA Council and the AAP Freedom to Read Committee; amended January 28, 1972; January 16, 1991; July 12, 2000; June 30, 2004.

A Joint Statement by:

American Library Association
Association of American Publishers

Subsequently endorsed by:

American Booksellers for Free Expression
The Association of American University Presses
The Children's Book Council
Freedom to Read Foundation
National Association of College Stores
National Coalition Against Censorship
National Council of Teachers of English
The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression

Sourced from:

“The Freedom to Read Statement,” American Library Association, July 26, 2006. Retrieved September 25, 2019 from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomreadstatement

Acceptable Use: Device and Internet Access Policies

Loring Flemming Elementary School Library is subject to all rules, policies, and procedures governing both Loring Flemming Elementary School and the Gloucester Township School District. In order to qualify for select federal funding sources, the District complies with the Children’s Internet Protection Act and the Neighborhood Children’s Internet Protection Act. The Loring Flemming Elementary School Library also affirms and upholds the values expressed in the American Library Association’s “Access to Electronic Information, Services, and Networks” interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights.

Both students and their parents/guardians must sign an Acceptable Use Policy Agreement Form before access to school technologies and digital services is granted. This form should be returned within the first week of the school year. Student use is a privilege, not a right, and failure to comply with school or district policies may result in temporary or permanent suspension of access, school-level punishments, and legal action.

The Loring Flemming Elementary School Library:

Provides access to computers, tablets, and other digital learning tools,
Educates learners about appropriate online behavior,
Filters some inappropriate content (but cannot be expected to filter it all),
Monitors network use and student safety,
Prohibits unauthorized access to network resources and unauthorized use and disclosure of personal information,
And gatekeeps access to electronic communication media.

“Acceptable use” is defined as technological access that:

Supports and enhances teaching and learning,
Abstains from vandalism, harassment, and other violations of local, state, and federal law,
Respects the rights and privacy of other internet and technology users,
And assumes sole responsibility for user actions.

B.Y.O.D.

B.Y.O.D., or Bring Your Own Device, is a policy permitting students to employ their own privately owned personal electronic devices during a specified use period toward a specified goal or purpose. Participation in B.Y.O.D. is optional and voluntary. Students who elect not to participate will not be penalized. Students participating in B.Y.O.D. are subject to all the policies enumerated above.

Code of Ethics

As an informational hub and learning commons, the Loring Flemming Elementary School Library recognizes the importance of codifying and making known to our students, colleagues, and community the ethical principles that guide our work and mission.

Ethical dilemmas occur when values are in conflict. The American Library Association Code of Ethics states the values to which we are committed, and embodies the ethical responsibilities of the profession in this changing information environment.

We significantly influence or control the selection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of information. In a political system grounded in an informed citizenry, we are members of a profession explicitly committed to intellectual freedom and the freedom of access to information. We have a special obligation to ensure the free flow of information and ideas to present and future generations.

The principles of this Code are expressed in broad statements to guide ethical decision making. These statements provide a framework; they cannot and do not dictate conduct to cover particular situations.

We provide the highest level of service to all library users through appropriate and usefully organized resources; equitable service policies; equitable access; and accurate, unbiased, and courteous responses to all requests.
We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources.
We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted.
We recognize and respect intellectual property rights.
We treat co-workers and other colleagues with respect, fairness and good faith, and advocate

conditions of employment that safeguard the rights and welfare of all employees of our institutions.

We do not advance private interests at the expense of library users, colleagues, or our employing institutions.
We distinguish between our personal convictions and professional duties and do not allow

our personal beliefs to interfere with fair representation of the aims of our institutions or the
provision of access to their information resources.

We strive for excellence in the profession by maintaining and enhancing our own knowledge

and skills, by encouraging the professional development of co-workers, and by fostering the aspirations of potential members of the profession.

Adopted by the ALA Council | June 28, 1995

Adopted by the Loring Flemming Elementary School Library | August 1, 2020

Adapted from the Code of Ethics of the American Library Association. For additional information, please consult the ALA’s “Code of Ethics.”

“Professional Ethics,” American Library Association, May 19, 2017. http://www.ala.org/tools/ethics (Accessed December 1, 2019).

Statement of Confidentiality

The members of the American Library Association, recognizing the right to privacy of library users, believe that records held in libraries which connect specific individuals with specific resources, programs, or services, are confidential and not to be used for purposes other than routine record keeping: to maintain access to resources, to assure that resources are available to users who need them, to arrange facilities, to provide resources for the comfort and safety of patrons, or to accomplish the purposes of the program or service. The library community recognizes that children and youth have the same rights to privacy as adults.

Libraries whose record keeping systems reveal the names of users would be in violation of the confidentiality of library record laws adopted in many states. School library Librarians are advised to seek the advice of counsel if in doubt about whether their record keeping systems violate the specific laws in their states. Efforts must be made within the reasonable constraints of budgets and school management procedures to eliminate such records as soon as reasonably possible.

With or without specific legislation, school library Librarians are urged to respect the rights of children and youth by adhering to the tenets expressed in the Confidentiality of Library Records Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights and the ALA Code of Ethics.

For additional information, please consult the ALA’s “Policy on Confidentiality of Library Records.”

“Policy on Confidentiality of Library Records,” American Library Association, July 7, 2006. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/statementspols/otherpolicies/policyconfidentiality (Accessed December 1, 2019).

Copyright and Fair Use

The Loring Flemming Elementary School Library abides by all academic integrity policies governing the Gloucester Township School District.

It is impossible to honor professional cores values of librarians—first amendment, equity of access, and inclusion—without copyright law. Without it, libraries would be unable to loan books, preserve content, and exercise fair use. Libraries have a privileged position in the law with individual exceptions that apply only to non-profit libraries and archives. Congress recognized that libraries are sites of learning, where protected content will be continually available, distributed, used, and preserved to further knowledge, fostering the Constitutional purpose of the law “to advance the progress of science and the useful arts” to benefit the public.

Copyright policy favoring rights holders over users of information can limit access, free speech, research, and scholarship. Because of advances in digital technology and its widespread availability, educators, researchers, and the general public are using content in new ways. Where fair use begins and ends in this environment is put to the test. At the same time, fundamental reproduction rights crafted with physical content in mind must be upheld. Section 108 rights continue to be used and provide an understanding of the power Congress granted libraries in order to ensure they can fulfill mission-critical functions, including interlibrary loan, preservation, and educational services like public performance of content in the classroom.

ALA works with Congress, the U.S. Copyright Office, the U.S Patent and Trademark Office and other government agencies to represent the library community and the public and to ensure that users rights are upheld. Our position is that copyright will only be effective when it is balanced between the rights of the public and the interests of rights holders.

Fair use is a legal doctrine that promotes freedom of expression by permitting the unlicensed use of copyright-protected works in certain circumstances. Section 107 of the Copyright Act provides the statutory framework for determining whether something is a fair use and identifies certain types of uses—such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research—as examples of activities that may qualify as fair use. Section 107 calls for consideration of the following four factors in evaluating a question of fair use:

Purpose and character of the use, including whether the use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
Nature of the copyrighted work
Amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
Effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work

Adapted from the ALA’s Copyright Interpretation and United States Copyright Law; see also this infographic.

“Copyright: An Interpretation of the Code of Ethics,” American Library Association, May 19, 2017. http://www.ala.org/tools/ethics/copyright. (Accessed December 1, 2019).

“Copyright Tools,” American Library Association, October 16, 2018. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/pp/pub/copyright (Accessed December 1, 2019).

More Information on Fair Use. (2019). https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/more-info.html. (Accessed December 1, 2019).

Glossary

AACR: Anglo-American Cataloging Rules; long-serving set of rules for creating catalog records; phased out in favor of RDA

ALA: American Library Association; largest professional librarian organization in the world; coordinate the establishment of cataloging policies and procedures

Authority files: library catalog component listing names and subject headings used when assigning subject headings to catalog items

Authority module: module using catalog database to maintain consistency of headings describing bibliographic materials

BIBFRAME standard: standard for bibliographic records compatible with relational databases; developed by LoC

Bibliographic description: descriptive record for item in library catalog

BISAC Subject Headings: Book Industry Standard and Communications terms; standard used by bookstores to categorize books based on topical content; displayed in LOC catalog records

Call number: library notation system used to find item’s exact location in a collection

Catalog: list of items in a library

Catalog module: module used to create, store, retrieve, and manage bibliographic records

Classification: process of assigning a discipline or class to an item using a prescribed system of letters and numbers

Common Core Curriculum Standards: college- and career-ready standards for kindergarten through twelfth grade in English language arts/literacy and mathematics

Controlled language or vocabulary: precise list of terms or subject headings applied to each item in a catalog

Core RDA Elements: catalog elements an RDA record requires; includes title, state of responsibility, edition statement, numbering of serials, publication/production/manufacture/copyright date statement, series statement, identifier for Cutter number: notation code comprising the letters in an author’s name used in call numbers

Dewey Decimal Classification: classification system based on the Baconian order or knowledge; uses numbers with three decimal places; consists of ten main classes from 000 to 900, summary tables for the hundred division from 000 to 990, and thousands sections from 000 to 999

Folksonomies: classification scheme resulting from tagging activities developed by a large population of users

Integrated Library System: information system for libraries comprised of different features that assist the librarian with all of the collection management activities in the library

International Federation of Library Associations: the governing body over current international cataloging standards

Learning Commons Model: school library model in which programs and services focus on information needs of users in all formats; library services include information enquiry instructions, collaborative learning, and technology leadership

Library of Congress (LOC): world’s largest library; depository for copyrighted materials; oversees many standards and practices for cataloging

Library of Congress Catalog Service: LOC service that provides cataloging information on the verso page of every printed item the LOC catalogs

Library of Congress Classification System (LCC): classification system used in the LOC; comprises letters and numbers

Library of Congress Subject Headings list (LCHS): developed to manage the holdings of the LOC

MARC (machine-readable cataloging record): computer records used in online catalogs that instruct computer how to display records in OPAC

MARC standard: standard format for computer library records

Metadata: bibliographic data for any cataloged item

OCLC: the Online Computer Library center provides organizing and coordinating function for creating and sharing catalog records that meet international and national standards

OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog): feature of an automated catalog system that displays the catalog records associated with a library’s holdings

Original cataloging: cataloging procedure in which all of the information about an item is entered into the catalog module

Paris Principles: international cataloging standards established in 1961 to standardize how items are described in a catalog record

Resource Description and Access (RDA): the latest standard for cataloging library materials; its intent is to expand the range of materials that can be included in a library catalog to electronic and cloud-based items

Sears List of Subject Headings: developed by a single librarian, Minnie Earl Sears, in 1923; used to manage the smaller holdings of school and public libraries; based on LCSH headings but with fewer compounded headings and less technical terminology

Serials: publication issued periodically at regular or irregular intervals that retains the same title with each item

Shelf list: a library catalog feature that lists items as they are arranged on the shelf by classicization

Social tagging: activity in which users add their own descriptive terms to digital materials

Tag: each MARC field is labeled with a three-digit number that denotes a different piece of bibliographic information

Universal bibliographic control: goal for published items to be cataloged promptly and made internationally accessible

Worldcat: one of the world’s largest online resource discovery systems; maintained by the OCLC

Based on:

Houston, C. (2016). Organizing information in school libraries: basic principles and new rules. Santa Barbara, California : Libraries Unlimited.

Kelsey, M. (2018). Cataloging for school librarians (Second edition.). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.