LIBRARY MEDIA CENTERS | Policy Manual | Manitowoc Public School District

2522 - LIBRARY MEDIA CENTERS

The Board believes that school library media centers are a fundamental part of the educational process by providing a place to foster independent and collaborative learning and information-seeking skills in students and staff. This is accomplished through timely access to services and resources that both reflect the student body, the cultural diversity and pluralistic nature of American society, and represent perspectives held in the world more broadly. Therefore, the Board shall provide sufficient materials and staff for a library media center in each school in the District.

The District Administrator shall designate a licensed library media professional to direct or coordinate the District's library media program. The Board shall adopt a long-range plan for library media services developed by teachers and library and audiovisual personnel and administrators. The plan shall be reviewed periodically. The plan and any materials selection or review process shall be in accordance with Policy 2260 - Nondiscrimination and Access to Equal Educational Opportunity.

The major goals of the District's school library media centers are:

To support and enrich the District's standards and benchmarks;
To provide for personal interests, professional, educational, and recreational reading while promoting an appreciation of literature;
To provide a comprehensive and coordinated collection of current and accurate resources so that students and staff will conveniently and effectively use a wide variety of materials, including print and non-print media;
To provide the appropriate technology and equipment for information retrieval, resource sharing, classroom instruction, and student and teacher use;
To promote and support the appropriate use of technology for accessing, interpreting and communicating intellectual content;
To provide instruction that advances student and staff literacy of print, digital, and other emerging information resources;
To provide equitable and timely access to resources that support students' personal, academic, and life-long learning;
To foster a love of reading, curiosity, and investigation by providing a space that is well-maintained, up-to-date, welcoming, and safe for all users.

The District Administrator, in collaboration with the District's library media specialist, shall establish procedures consistent with the District's long-range plan for library services development related to the selection of materials, removal (weeding) of materials, inventory, and repair and/or replacement of materials. The use of the District's allocation from the Common School Fund for acquisitions, in accordance with DPI regulations, shall be a component of the foregoing procedures.

Gifts and Donations

Gifts and donations shall be handled in accordance with Policy 7230 - Gifts, Grants, and Bequests.

Reconsideration of School Library Materials

Parents of children attending school in the District and District residents may request formal reconsideration of the inclusion of specific material in a school library. Requests made under this policy relate to library materials only and not to curriculum-related materials. Complaints concerning curriculum-related materials, such as textbooks, are governed by Policy 9130 - Public Requests, Suggestions, or Complaints.

All requests for reconsideration of library materials under this policy shall be addressed as follows:

Concerns about specific library materials should be raised first with the library media specialist, then with the building principal, if necessary, in an effort to resolve the matter informally. If a satisfactory resolution is not reached, requests for consideration of removal of any library materials shall be submitted in writing to the District Administrator.
The request to the District Administrator shall be made in writing and shall include the following information:
1. author;
2. title;
3. publisher;
4. the individual's familiarity with the material, including how much of the entire book/resource being challenged has been read by the complainant;
5. for requests to reconsider materials, provide specific concerns upon which the request to reconsider is based. This should include a specific description of the offending material (e.g. contains content that is harmful to minors or prohibited under State law, violates the District's policy on nondiscrimination, is not age-appropriate for the grade level for which the material is used, or some other specified reason). This should include specific references to the text of the material by page number and excerpted text if known.
A Reconsideration Committee will be appointed by the District Administrator, upon receipt of the formal complaint, which shall consist of the following members:
1. a building level administrator;
2. a teacher;
3. a school librarian;
4. a reading specialist or language arts teacher; and
5. a member of the community.
The procedures for the Reconsideration Committee will be as follows:
1. The chairperson will be the building-level principal or designee. The secretary of the committee will be elected at the first meeting.
2. The chairperson will call the meeting within ten (10) business days of the formation of the committee, which shall comply with the open meetings law.
3. The committee shall read and/or examine the challenged resource, read the written reconsideration form, and read copies of the professionally prepared reviews and list of awards provided by the school librarian on the committee. The chairperson should forward these materials to the committee members prior to the committee's initial meeting or as soon thereafter as pertinent materials become available.
4. The requestor may make an initial verbal presentation concerning the request or may choose to rely on the written request already submitted. The complainant is asked to provide sources for quotes used during this presentation.
5. During the initial or subsequent meetings, the committee will issue a majority approved recommendation to the District Administrator whether to retain the materials, move the resources to a different level, or remove the resource.
6. The committee's recommendation shall be reported to the District Administrator in writing within five (5) business days following the committee's decision.
  
  The District Administrator will advise the requestor, in writing, of the committee's recommendation and the District Administrator's decision. The District Administrator shall also advise the Board of the committee's recommendation and the decision.
The requestor may submit an appeal of the District Administrator’s decision in writing to the Board President within twenty (20) business days of the date the decision is transmitted to the requestor. The written appeal and all written material relating to it shall be referred to the Board for consideration. The Board will review the appeal and may choose to receive additional information or to proceed on the record provided to it.
The decision of the Board is final.

Material being reviewed based on a request under this policy shall remain available in the library during the review process unless the District Administrator determines that subject material does pose a threat of harm to students considering the grade level involved and provided the determination is not made solely because it presents ideas that may be unpopular or offensive to some. Any temporarily removed materials will be promptly returned if the final determination is to retain the material. Any action to remove material following a request reviewed under this policy will be explained in the review process records.

Decisions on reconsidered materials will stand for five (5) years before new requests for reconsideration of those items will be entertained.

Criteria for the Selection of Materials

Initial purchase suggestions for library materials may come from all personnel--teachers, coordinators, and administrators. Students will also be encouraged to make suggestions. The recommended purchase of library materials will be made by the library media specialist. The District Administrator will approve funds to be spent on materials.

The following criteria will be considered in reviewing suggestions for library materials or in evaluating whether to accept donations of materials. Some criteria may not apply in each situation and not all criteria need to be met in order to acquire and incorporate library materials. Materials should:

support and enrich the curriculum and/or students’ personal interests and learning;
meet high standards in literacy, 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 reviewing sources viewed as authoritative by library professionals;
exhibit a high degree of potential user appeal and interest;
represent differing viewpoints on issues of interest;
provide a global perspective and promote cultural diversity and reflect the pluralistic nature of American society 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 (i.e. online databases, e-books, educational games, and other forms of emerging technologies) in accordance with technology software selection as per Policy 7540.03 - Student Technology Acceptable Use and Safety Policy;
demonstrate physical format, appearance, and durability suitable for their intended use;
balance cost with need.

Selection is an ongoing process that should include removing materials that are no longer used or needed (weeding), adding materials, and replacing lost and worn materials that still have educational value.

Parental/Police Access to Library Media Center Information

The Board respects the privacy rights of parents and their children. The Board is also committed to ensuring that parents are permitted to obtain information about the instructional material, resources, and services students choose to use at the District’slibrary media centers.

Parents of a student under the age of sixteen (16) have the right to review, upon request (see Form 2416.01 F1),library media center records relating to the use of the documents or other materials, resources, or services by the student.

Upon request from a law enforcement officer investigating criminal conduct alleged to have occurred at a school library, thelibrary media center shall disclose to the officer records produced by a surveillance device under the control of thelibrary that are pertinent to the alleged criminal conduct.

Other than the exceptions noted above, records indicating the identity of any individual who borrows or uses the library's documents or other materials, resources, or services may not be disclosed except by court order or to persons acting within the scope of their duties in the administration of the library or to persons authorized by the individual to inspect such records.