Providence Englewood Charter School Library Collection Development Policy

Providence Englewood Charter School Library Mission

The goal of the Providence Englewood Charter School Library is to support the curriculum and mission of
the Providence learning community. Our mission is to accommodate the standards of the Providence
Mission Statement by:

 Enhancing the instruction and evaluation of student and teacher WORK.

 Instilling the ethic of inquiry needed to PLAN.
 Providing the tools of research enrichment and appreciation which allow the Providence
Community to BUILD.
 Fostering the curiosity and wonder needed to DREAM.

To provide these resources, the PECS Library will adhere to the following collection development policy.

GENERAL STATEMENT
The PECS Library supports the American Library Association's Bill of Rights as interpreted for school
library programs and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology's Statement on
Intellectual Freedom.

The purpose of the PECS Library is to serve the needs of the entire school community. Materials are
selected to support the curriculum as well as the mission of the school, to help each student develop
his/her potential as a lifelong learner, and to help each teacher to achieve his/her professional goals.

SELECTION AND EVALUATION OF MATERIALS

Materials will be selected by qualified personnel, relying heavily on reviews found in standard reviewing
media. The Library media specialist will make every attempt to provide a balanced collection of the
highest quality in which students can find a variety of points of view on curriculum-related topics, along
with standard fiction and nonfiction works in fields covered in the curriculum and quality works on
subjects of current interest.

The PECS Library selects titles on the basis of principle and reason rather than personal opinion and
prejudice. Recommendations from the school community are welcomed and encouraged.

Some rules and policies have been adapted from the Chicago Public Schools Department of Libraries and
Information Services’ Collection Development Policy for School Libraries
 Providence Englewood Charter School Library Collection Development Policy

Staff members involved in selection of resource materials will use the following criteria as a
guide:

educational significance contribution the material makes to

contribution the subject matter breadth of representative
makes to the curriculum and to the viewpoints on controversial issues
interests of the students high degree of potential user appeal
favorable reviews found in standard high artistic quality and/or literary
selection sources style
favorable recommendations based quality and variety of format
on preview and examination of
materials by professional personnel timeliness or permanence
reputation and significance of the integrity
author, producer, and publisher
validity, currency, and
appropriateness of material

Donation Policy

The PECS library is grateful for the service of donations and the great benefit that this philanthropic
practice has for the school community. The donations of books and materials are always welcome.
However, the criteria for selection which is used in purchasing new materials should also be referenced
in the selection of items to donate to us. The Library reserves the right to accept or not accept any
donation. Items donated to the PECS library become the property of Providence Englewood Charter
School unless otherwise stated.
The following materials will not be accepted:
o Reference materials published more than 10 years ago (Encyclopedias, Dictionaries,
Atlases, etc.).
o Recreational reading books (paperbacks) in poor physical condition.
o Books on Technology, Science, Social Studies and Geography published more than 5
years from the date of donation.
o Magazines published more than 10 years from the date of donation.
o Books or any other resources in poor physical condition (yellow, broken or missing
pages, dust, cobwebs, written, without cover, very old editions, etc.) unless it is a unique
piece of information not available in the Library and out-of-print in the general book
market).

Some rules and policies have been adapted from the Chicago Public Schools Department of Libraries and
Information Services’ Collection Development Policy for School Libraries
 Providence Englewood Charter School Library Collection Development Policy

Weeding

Weeding is an important part of maintaining a relevant and attractive collection. The PECS library
adheres to the guidelines and recommendations of the Chicago Public Schools and American Library
Association on weeding to select titles and materials which are no longer appropriate for use. Materials
to consider for weeding include items that are in poor physical condition or have been updated by more
current information, and those containing subject matter no longer relevant to the curriculum; receiving
little use; providing wrong, inaccurate or dated information; or encouraging stereotypes or biases.
Weeding decisions are made by the school’s professional library staff.

Challenged Materials

Despite the care of selection undergone by library staff, we understand that some occasional objections
may be voiced concerning library materials. Should a parent or staff member feel the need to question
materials found in the library, they are encouraged to refer to the following course of action:

 When a complaint is received, the principal or library media specialist will acknowledge its receipt
and will notify the Supervisor of Library Services. A determination will be made whether the
complaint should be considered as an individual request or if a review committee should be
activated to reevaluate the material for district-wide use.
 All complaints must be presented in writing and must be signed and identified.
 The Supervisor of Library Services, acting as the designee of the Assistant Superintendent of
Curriculum and Learning, shall direct the reviewing process. The review committee will be made up
of members from the elementary review committee or secondary review committee, whichever
level is appropriate. Information shall be shared with the Director of Elementary Education or the
Director of Secondary Education. The review committee will forward its recommendation to the
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Learning.
 The use of challenged materials shall not be restricted until final disposition has been made by the
appropriate review committee.
 In its deliberations, the review committee shall consider the educational philosophy of the school
district, including the philosophy of Library Services, reviews of the materials, and the objections of
the complainant.

f) The Library Media Specialist will notify interested parties regarding the outcome of the review.
If the action is found unsatisfactory, the complainant may appeal to the Providence Englewood Charter
School Leadership team. Following decision of the PECS Leadership Team, the complainant may not
raise the same or substantially same challenge after the appeal has been decided or matter closed.

Some rules and policies have been adapted from the Chicago Public Schools Department of Libraries and
Information Services’ Collection Development Policy for School Libraries
 Providence Englewood Charter School Library Collection Development Policy

Providence Englewood Charter School Request for Reconsideration

FORMAT: (book, video, magazine) _______________________________________

AUTHOR: ___________________________________________________________

TITLE: ______________________________________________________________

PUBLISHER:_________________________________________________________

REQUEST INITIATED BY: _____________________________________________

ADDRESS: ___________________________________________________________

PHONE: _____________________________________________________________

1. To what in the material do you object? (Please be specific and give examples)
_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

2. Did you examine the entire item?_______________________________________

Which parts? _____________________________________________________

3. Is the item suitable for a different age group? __________________________

What ages? _____________________________________________________

4. Is there anything good in this material? Please comment.

_______________________________________________________________

5. What would you like the school to do about this item?

Do not assign it to my child

Withdraw it from the school
Other

________________________________ ______________
Signature Date
Adapted- http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/LibrarySupport/challenge.doc July 2007

Some rules and policies have been adapted from the Chicago Public Schools Department of Libraries and
Information Services’ Collection Development Policy for School Libraries