Introduction

This Policy seeks to identify and describe the process by which the staff of the JDS Library make decisions about purchases of books and other materials for its collections, as well as defining practices for weeding, access to material, and acceptance of donations.

The American Library Association, as well as many state library and school library associations, strongly recommend that all libraries have written collection policies in place, both to serve as a basis of judgment for those responsible for the selection of materials, and to inform the community of the policies and practices of the library.

The guidelines described in this policy have been created with the purpose and mission of the Jewish Day School and its library in mind. The guiding principles set out by the American Library Association and the American Association of School Librarians, included in Appendices A and B, were also consulted.

JDS Library Mission Statement

The mission of the JDS Library is to ensure that students and staff are effective, independent users of ideas and information for life long learning.

The library collection supports this mission by providing access to a wide variety of materials that:

• Support and enrich the general and Judaic curriculum
• Encourage critical thinking
• Extend students’ knowledge and understanding of the world around them, and· Promote a love of reading and literature

Responsibility for Selection

Responsibility for day-to-day selection and maintenance of materials in the JDS Library collection is within the purview of the librarian, who coordinates, selects and purchases all materials. While extensive help and advice is sought from administrators, teachers, specialists, teaching assistants, students, parents and others affiliated with The Jewish Day School, the librarian has the final decision in selection, based on the criteria defined in this Policy

Selection Criteria

In general, materials shall be selected for their strengths rather than rejected for their weaknesses. The following criteria are used as a guide in selection:

• Literary and artistic merit
• Lasting importance or significance to a field of knowledge
• Contribution to the General, Judaic, and Hebrew curriculum and the educational goals of the school
• Relevance to parents, teachers or other adults involved in Jewish education
• Favorable reviews found in standard selection sources
• Favorable recommendations based on preview and examination of materials by professional personnel, adults with special expertise, or students
• Reputation and significance of the author, producer and publisher
• Currency or timeliness of material
• Contribution to the breadth and diversity of representative viewpoints on controversial issues
• Contribution to multicultural and pluralistic awareness
• High degree of potential user appeal and quality, durability, and variety of format
• Suitability of format and appearance for intended use
• Value commensurate with cost and/or need

Selection Tools

The following recommended lists shall be consulted in the selection and retention of materials, but selection is not limited to their listings:

a) Bibliographies (latest editions available, including supplements)

• Best Books for Children, Preschool Through Grade
• Best Books for Young Teen Readers, Grades 7-10
• A to Zoo Picture Books
• Books Kids Will Sit Still For
• Reference Books for School Libraries
• Other special bibliographies, many of which have been prepared by educational organizations for particular subject

b) Current reviewing media, for example:

• School Library Journal
• Book Links
• Library Talk
• AJL (Association of Jewish Libraries) Newsletter
• The Puget Sound Council for the Review of Children’s

Procedures

The librarian will select materials for the JDS Library in collaboration with the faculty, parents, and students. The librarian will use professionally recognized reviewing periodicals, standard catalogs, and other selection aids to guide in materials selection. Requests, suggestions, and reactions for the purchase of materials shall be gathered from staff to the greatest extent possible and from students and parents when appropriate. Special consideration will be given to Judaic and Hebrew-language materials which may not be easily available at public libraries.

Access to Materials

With the exception of a small collection of videos reserved for classroom use, the JDS Library does not restrict access to its collection by age or grade and does not label materials for potential controversial content.

The utmost efforts are made to select materials carefully, to place materials in age-appropriate collections (Picture Books, General Fiction and Nonfiction, or Middle School Collection) and to recommend suitable materials to individual students.

Parents are encouraged to communicate directly with their child about any limitations they wish to place on their his/her reading, and to ask the librarian for recommended alternatives to books they consider unsuitable for their child.

For background related to this access policy, please see Appendix A, “The Library Bill of Rights,” and Appendix B, “Access to Resources and Services in the School Library Program.” The library follows the JDS Technology Acceptable Use Policy (see Appendix D) regarding access to information via the Internet.

Judaism and the JDS Library

The JDS serves a population with a wide range of belief, background, and level of religious observance. The library’s policy is to make a special effort to select materials that affirm students’ Jewish identity, rather than rejecting materials that may not be concordant with the beliefs or practices of every family. Parents are encouraged to communicate their expectations and beliefs when their children’s reading raises questions related to Jewish belief or observance.

Weeding and Discarded Materials

The removal of materials no longer appropriate and the replacement of lost and worn materials still of educational value is part of the selection process. The Library staff shall continually evaluate materials in the collection according to the selection criteria listed above, and shall discard materials that are outdated, worn, or otherwise no longer appropriate to the Collection. Duplicates of books and other materials shall be weeded when demand for them decreases sufficiently that multiple copies are no longer required.

The following criteria are considered in weeding the collection:

• Circulation: If the material has not been used in ten years, it is weeded
• Physical Condition: If an item is in poor condition, it is weeded, and a decision must be made on whether to replace it
• Timeliness: Materials are weeded if they are (a) obsolete, particularly in the sciences and technology; (b) no longer in demand or not in support of the curriculum; (c) superceded editions
• Reliability: If materials are inaccurate, incomplete or otherwise unreliable, they are weeded
• Duplicates: Duplicates that are not circulating are discarded

Retentions. Materials are not weeded if they are within the following categories: materials on local history or of local interest, high research potential, core collection materials (e.g. materials in the most recent edition of Best Books for Children), or materials that lend balance to a subject area. Judaic materials, especially those that are out of print, may be retained even if they meet other conditions for weeding.

Weeded materials shall be discarded in the following ways, according to the librarian’s discretion:

• Materials that would enhance a classroom collection may be offered to a classroom teacher
• Materials that may be of interest to individual students may be given away or sold for minimal cost at the library’s Used Book Exchange (See Used Book Exchange section below).
• Materials that have historical value may be donated to a research collection or archive
• Materials that are extremely worn or damaged, or that contain inaccurate or outdated information that renders them inappropriate for classroom or home use, will be stripped of their covers and recycled. Worn, damaged, or outdated materials which contain the Hebrew Name of God will be placed in the Geniza
• Materials that are no longer appropriate to the JDS Library Collection, but which have monetary value as collectors’ items, may be sold online or to an antiquarian bookseller, with the proceeds to be added to the library’s budget for that year

Gifts and Donations

The JDS Library welcomes gifts and donations, which are here considered in three categories:

1. Birthday Books and Other Solicited Gifts

• The library’s Birthday Book program enables students and other community members to donate books to the library in commemoration of a birthday, Bar or Bat Mitzvah, or other special event, or in honor of another person. Through the Birthday Book program, students learn that their tzedakah can make a lasting contribution to the learning and enjoyment of others in their community for years to come.
• Birthday Book donations are acknowledged with a book plate and with verbal and/or written thanks
• Birthday Book donations should be chosen from the library’s Birthday Book case or from the online wish list maintained for this purpose. Other books or materials may be donated after consultation with the librarian to determine the library’s needs
• The librarian may decline Birthday Books that duplicate materials already in the library’s collection or otherwise do not meet collection needs. Worn or obviously used books and most paperback books are not appropriate Birthday Book donations
• While the wishes and feelings of donors will be respected as much as possible, the final decision on acceptance and retention of Birthday Book donations, as with other donations and additions to the collection, rests with the librarian
• Birthday Books, like other books, often become worn and out-of-date over the years and may need to be discarded. In consideration of the donor, the book plate will be removed when a Birthday Book donation is withdrawn from the library collection

2. Unsolicited Donations

• Unsolicited donations will be reviewed in light of the selection criteria listed above. Materials that do not meet these criteria will be offered to teachers for their classroom collections or set aside for the end-of-year Used Book Exchange
• When possible, the librarian will inform donors of unsolicited material of this procedure, and will offer them the choice of keeping materials the library does not need.
• If an unsolicited donation is in new condition and constitutes an exceptionally valuable addition to the library collection, the librarian may acknowledge the donation with a book plate and a written note.
• The library staff cannot evaluate of the monetary value of any gift for income tax purposes

3. Used Book Exchange

• The library generally holds a Used Book Exchange and Sale near the end of each school year. The Used Book Exchange:
• Promotes summer reading by enabling students to purchase books at a minimal cost
• Enables the library to physically discard books that have been weeded throughout the year
• Enables the library to enrich its popular literature collection without depleting its limited budget
• Serves as a minor fundraiser for the library

The sale is promoted within the school during the last month of school, and students are encouraged to bring in unwanted books from home to contribute to the Book Exchange.

Contributions received during this period are credited at a 2-for-1 basis (students who bring in two books receive credit for one free book at the Book Exchange). Otherwise, Book Exchange contributions are treated as are unsolicited donations: the librarian has the authority to decide where each book would be of the most use, whether that be in the Book Exchange sale, in a classroom collection, or as an addition to the library’s collection.

Materials weeded from the library throughout the year are also offered for sale during the Book Exchange. Severely dated and inaccurate nonfiction materials, offensive or inappropriate materials, and books so worn that they are falling apart, will not be sold at the Book Exchange. All book plates will be removed from discarded books before they are offered at the Book Exchange.

Requests for Reconsideration

Any Jewish Day School student, parent, board member, or employee may challenge the appropriateness of library materials. The purpose of the following procedure is to enable those who do not directly select materials to express their opinions.

Informal Statement of Concern. When the library receives a question about library materials, the issue may be resolved informally by the librarian and the Head of School explaining the school’s collection development policies.

Formal Statement of Concern. A formal challenge may be filed using the form “Statement of Concern About Library Resources” (Appendix C). Upon receiving such a form, the Librarian will inform the Head of School, who will assign a review committee to examine the material in question. The review committee will include: the Librarian, an Education Committee representative, the Director of Judaic Studies or other appropriate Judaic staff member, and any staff members who have a vital interest in and/or expertise regarding the issue at hand. An odd number of committee members is advisable. The committee will meet to discuss the material and prepare a recommendation on the resolution of the matter. No materials will be removed from the library pending the outcome of a “Statement of Concern About Library Resources”. The Head of School will inform the complainant in writing of the decision made by the review committee. The recommendation will be implemented by the library.

Appendix A

Library Bill of Rights

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

• 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.
• 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.
• Libraries should challenge censorship of the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.
• Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.
• A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.6. 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.

Adopted June 18, 1948.
Amended February 2, 1961, and January 23, 1980,
inclusion of “age” reaffirmed January 23, 1996, by the ALA Council.

Appendix B

Access To Resources and Services in the School Library Program

The school library program plays a unique role in promoting intellectual freedom. It serves as a point of voluntary access to information and ideas and as a learning laboratory for students as they acquire critical thinking and problem solving skills needed in a pluralistic society. Although the educational level and program of the school necessarily shape the resources and services of a school library program, the principles of the “Library Bill of Rights” apply equally to all libraries, including school library programs.

School library professionals assume a leadership role in promoting the principles of intellectual freedom within the school by providing resources and services that create and sustain an atmosphere of free inquiry. School library professionals work closely with teachers to integrate instructional activities in classroom units designed to equip students to locate, evaluate, and use a broad range of ideas effectively. Through resources, programming and educational processes, students and teachers experience the free and robust debate characteristic of a democratic society.

School library professionals cooperate with other individuals in building collections of resources appropriate to the developmental and maturity levels of students. These collections provide resources which support curriculum and are consistent with the philosophy, goals, and objectives of the school. Resources in school library collections represent diverse points of view on current as well as historical issues.

While English is, by history and tradition, the customary language of the United Sates, the languages in use in any given community may vary. Schools serving communities in which other languages are used make efforts to accommodate the needs of students for whom English is a second language. To support these efforts, and to ensure equal access to resources and services, the school library program provides resources which reflect the linguistic pluralism of the community.

Members of the school community involved in the collection development process employ educational criteria to select resources unfettered by their personal, political, social, or religious views. Students and educators served by the school library program have access to resources and services free of constraints resulting from personal, partisan or doctrinal disapproval. School library professionals resist efforts by individuals to define what is appropriate for all students or teachers to read, view, or hear.

Major barriers between students and resources include: imposing age or grade level restrictions on the use of resources, limiting the use of interlibrary loan and access to electronic information, charging fees for information in specific formats, requiring permission from parents or teachers, establishing restricted shelves or closed collections, and labeling. Policies, procedures, and rules related to the use of resources and services support free and open access to information. The school board adopts policies that guarantee students access to a broad range of ideas. These include policies on collection development and procedures for the review of resources about which concerns have been raised. Such policies, developed by the persons in the school community, provide for a timely and fair hearing and assure that procedures are applied equitably to all expressions of concern. School library professionals implement policies and procedures in the school.

Adopted July 2, 1986; amended January 10, 1990, by the ALA Council.