The following statements of Policy are taken from the Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association:
The main objective of our selection procedure is to provide students with a wide range of educational materials on all levels of difficulty and in a variety of formats, with diversity of appeal, allowing for the presentation of many different points of view.
The objective of the media center is to make available to faculty and students a collection of materials that will enrich and support the curriculum and meet the needs of the students and faculty served.
Media staff members involved in selection of resource materials shall use the following criteria as a guide:
- educational significance
- contribution the subject matter makes to the curriculum and to the interests of the students
- favorable reviews found in standard selection sources
- favorable recommendations based on preview and examination of materials by professional personnel
- reputation and significance of the author, producer, and publisher
- validity, currency, and appropriateness of material
- contribution the material makes to breadth of representative viewpoints on controversial issues
- high degree of potential user appeal
- high artistic quality and/or literary style
- quality and variety of format
- value commensurate with cost and/or need
- timeliness or permanence
The following criteria will be used as they apply:
- Learning resources shall support and be consistent with the general educational goals of the state and district and the aims and objectives of individual schools and specific courses.
- Learning resources shall meet high standards of quality in factual content and presentation.
- Learning resources shall be appropriate for the subject area and for the age, emotional development, ability level, learning styles, and social development of the students for whom the materials are selected.
- Physical format and appearance of learning resources shall be suitable for their intended use.
- Learning resources shall be designed to help students gain an awareness of our pluralistic society.
- Learning resources shall be designed to motivate students and staff to examine their own duties, responsibilities, rights, and privileges as participating citizens in our society, and to make informed judgments in their daily lives.
- Learning resources shall be selected for their strengths rather than rejected for their weaknesses.
- The selection of learning resources on controversial issues will be directed toward maintaining a diverse collection representing various views.
- Learning resources shall clarify historical and contemporary forces by presenting and analyzing intergroup tension and conflict objectively, placing emphasis on recognizing and understanding social and economic problems.