Procedures for Selection and Removal of School Library Media Center Materials
The professionally trained Library Media Specialists employed by the Little Chute Area School District are responsible to the Board of Education for the selection of library materials.
- In selecting materials and information for purchase for the school library media center, the school librarian will evaluate the existing collection and the curriculum needs, readability, and popular appeal of materials, and consult with reputable, professionally prepared selection aids and other appropriate sources.
- Recommendations for purchase will be solicited from faculty and the student body. Recommendations from parents and community members will also be considered. Such recommendations will be seriously considered but are not binding on the library media specialists.
- Materials and information offered as gifts shall be evaluated by the same criteria as selected materials and shall be accepted or rejected by those criteria. Such materials will not be accepted if subject to restrictions on use or disposal or if they would produce an imbalance the library cannot afford to redress.
- Selection is an ongoing process. It shall include the removal of materials no longer appropriate and the replacement of lost and worn materials still of educational value. This process shall be guided by the publication “CREW: A Weeding Manual for Modern Libraries” and the method described within the document.
- Selections shall be forwarded to the designated business or administrative office for purchase throughout the year.
- The following list may be, but is not limited to, guiding removal in connection with routine maintenance (weeding) of the district’s library collections under the direction and supervision of the district librarian (see CREW: A Weeding Manual for Modern Libraries for the complete weeding process):
- Materials that are excessively worn/damaged;
- Materials that are obsolete (such as outdated or superseded editions; or materials that are unnecessarily duplicative of other resources (such as excess copies of a book no longer in significant demand);
- Materials that are unused for lengthy periods of time and that have minimal current educational value; and
- Materials that are negatively affecting either the usability of the library or efficiency of library operations.
Use of Controversial Materials
The option is always open for a parent to object to specific educational materials being used with his/her child as part of the educational program. The parent or guardian has the right to judge whether certain materials are acceptable for his/her child. However, no parent or organization has the right to abridge the rights of other parents or children to have access to materials which are part of the School District’s educational program. Any adult resident or employee of the School District may object to materials used in the educational program. In the event of an objection to the use of a specific educational material, every effort should be made to first resolve the matter at the school or building level. If the school or building process is unsuccessful, the complainant may formally challenge the use of specific materials. This complaint must be in writing, and will be forwarded by the District Administrator to a materials review committee composed of a parent, a curriculum director, a Library director, a professional staff member, and a school administrator. The task of the committee is to review the material in question and provide a written recommendation to the District Administrator. Any review committee recommendation and subsequent decision by the District administration may be appealed to the Board of Education for a final decision.
Procedures for Handling Challenged Materials
A. Review
B. Request for Review
C. Review Process
Review
Any adult resident of the Little Chute Area School District (LCASD) may raise an objection to materials used in the educational program and ask that a specific title or titles be reviewed or reexamined. The term “review” used in this section will refer to reexamination or reevaluation of material based on a complaint resulting in the submission of a completed Request for Reconsideration of Educational Material form. It should not be confused with the normal reviewing process as a part of selection. This will not be considered to reflect adversely on the qualifications of the person or persons who made the selection.
Outlined below is the process the person should follow:
- The school official or staff member receiving a request for review or reexamination regarding the library shall explain (or seek assistance in explaining) to the requester the place this material occupies in the educational program, its intended educational usefulness, and additional information regarding its usefulness. The materials shall remain in use unless removed through the formal procedure herein provided.
- In the event that the person asking for the review is not satisfied with the initial explanation, the person raising the question should be referred to the librarian The complainant shall be apprised of the District’s selection policy, criteria for selection, the reason for the selection and the judgment of other outside professionals, such as reviewers, regarding the material. Appropriate district-level personnel should be consulted for their expertise, which may contribute to a resolution of the issue. Upon completion of this process, the complainant shall be informed of the library’s decision regarding the material in question. Notification will be in writing and indicate name, material, and resolution.
- If the library’s decision is unacceptable to either the complainant or any committee member, he/she may formally request an appeal of the use of the material in the educational program following the LCASD Challenged Materials review process.
Request for Review
- All formal requests for review must be made on the Request for Reconsideration of Instructional / Library Material form.
- The person asking for review is required to complete and submit the Request for Reconsideration of Instructional / Library Material form to the District Administrator of Schools within ten business days.
- If a completed Request for Reconsideration of Instructional / Library Material form is not submitted within ten business days, the matter is considered closed.
- The District Administrator shall present the formal complaint to the District’s Materials Review Committee for reevaluation. The Materials Review Committee will consist of at least one teacher, librarian, principal, a community member, and the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. The task of the Materials Review Committee will be to make a recommendation for the disposition of the material in question to the District Administrator.
Review Process
- At the first meeting following receipt of a Request for Reconsideration of Instructional / Library Material form.
- The District Administrator or his/her appointee will prepare and distribute the following:
- Copies of the written Request for Reconsideration of Educational Material form
- Copies of the material in question for full review
- Reputable, professionally prepared reviews of the material if available
- Appropriate checklist form for fiction or nonfiction material
- Discussion and procedures will be finalized as to how the committee will proceed.
- At a subsequent meeting, a thorough discussion of the material will be conducted. Interested persons, including the person requesting the review, will have the opportunity to share their views in writing or in person. The committee may request individuals with special knowledge to present information to the committee.
- With the understanding that the sole criterion for the final decision is the appropriateness of the material for its intended educational use, the committee shall make its decision in open session to recommend one of the following actions:
Take no removal action.
Remove all or part of the material from the total school environment.
Allow the use of alternate titles, selected by appropriate school personnel.
Limit the educational use of the material.
- The written decision and its justification shall be forwarded to the District Administrator for appropriate action, to the person initiating the request, and to the appropriate building principal.
- A request to review materials that have previously been before the committee must receive approval of a majority of the committee members before the materials shall be reconsidered. Requests with less than a two-year lapse will not be considered. Every Request for Reconsideration of Instructional / Library Material shall receive a written response from the committee.
- If not satisfied with the decision, any person may request that the matter be placed on the agenda of the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Education for a final decision.
- If the matter reaches the press, the District Administrator, or designee, will make the response.
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