Defending Your Pages with Policy: Developing & Revising your Selection and Reconsideration Policies

AASL 2023

Tampa, FL

Friday, Oct 20, 4:20 pm

Conv Center 403-404

Research

Dawkins, April M., and Emily Eidson. 2021. “A Content Analysis of District School Library Selection Policies in the United States.” School Library Research 24. (2021).

Why do we need policy?

Policies v Procedures

Policies

• School board approved
• Legally binding
• Publicly accessible in board policy manual

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Procedures

• Administrative guidelines
• More easily revised
• May or may not be publicly accessible

Original Workbook

• Created in 1998
• Only for school libraries
• Old version

The Toolkit

• http://www.ala.org/tools/challengesupport/selectionpolicytoolkit
• 4 sections
• Introduction
• Basic Components of a Selection Policy
• Reconsideration Procedure
• Appendix

Creating/Revising your Policy

Timing & Politics

Do’s

• Determine who approves policies
• Involve school-level and district-level personnel
• Look at sample policies
• Get feedback

Don’ts

• Revise or write policy during a challenge

Keys to Revision

• When was your policy created/revised?
• Removing outdated statements
• New material formats to include
• Accessibility
• New and emerging formats
• Consult IF resources on Schools & Minors Rights
• http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/minors
• Interpretation of Bill of Rights for Minors
• Access in the School Library
• Internet Access for Minors

Components

• The Library Mission
• Support for Intellectual Freedom
• Policy Objectives

• Classroom Collection Policy Objectives
• Area to include in revision
• Responsibility for Selection
• Delegated responsibility

Components

• Selection Criteria
• Based on goals and objectives of the school
• Reviewing resources (next slide)
• Acquisitions Procedures
• Evaluating and recommending
• Weeding!

• Special Collections
• Unique to your school
• Selecting Controversial Topics
• We serve everyone!
• Gifts & Donations
• Statement that must meet normal selection criteria
• Maintenance & Weeding

Review Resources (Airtable)

Example policy - Selection

Code IJ

https://www.greeleyschools.org/

Reconsideration Procedures

• General statement about reconsideration
• ***Stress that materials will NOT be removed while being reconsidered & single person can’t make determination to remove
• Who has standing to request reconsideration?
• Informal complaints

• Formal Reconsideration
• Consider roles of administration
• Levels of review
• Need a timeline for response to complainant
• Training for reconsideration committee?
• If not resolved at school level?
• Form!
• Example letters to complainant

Example policy - Reconsideration

• Reconsideration (KEC, KEC-C, KEC-R)

https://www.greeleyschools.org/Page/26613

• Dr. April Dawkins
• Assistant Professor, UNC Greensboro
• amdawkin@uncg.edu or for confidential correspondence - aprildawkins@ncslma.org
• https://www.aprilmdawkins.com/

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