Fremont High School Media Center Policies

I. Mission:

The Mission of the library media program is to enable students and staff to be effective users of ideas and information within the library. This mission is accomplished by:
1. Providing intellectual and physical access to materials in all formats.
2.  By providing instruction to foster competence reading, and information use.

II. Goals and objectives
A.    The physical layout and operations of the LMC is organized to facilitate and promote students' independent use. The major areas of the center (fiction, nonfiction, biography, reference and electronic resources) will be clearly marked.
B.      The library media specialist will assist teachers whenever possible in using the media center in conjunction with classroom research projects.
C.      The library media specialist will encourage teachers to use the library media center for their classes.
D.     Educate the school staff and school community about the library media center.
     1. Display student work in the library to help foster support for various disciplines. 
     2. Use book display space for special events and themes to show what the collection has to offer

III. Specific objectives:
A. to provide physical access to information
B. to provide learning experiences that encourage users to become discriminating consumers and skilled creators of information through introduction to the full range of communications media and use of the new and emerging information technologies.

IV. Program of Services:

The Media Center will be open for students and staff at 7:15 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. daily. All access to OPAC, information materials and the single CD collection.

Internet Access in the Media Center

Internet access is available during any period that a Teacher has their class in the Media Center , which requires that the teacher be physically present to provide direct supervision and assistance to students. Internet Access is not available during Edvisory.

A.    Students:
1. Provide books and magazines relevant to the curriculum and for recreational needs of students to use in school and at home.
2. Assist individual students with book selection and school assignments involving use of library materials.
3. Teach library skills in the context of class assignments and students' needs.
4. Access to Internet is based upon receiving WSD AUP being signed by user. 
5. Student access during class time on an unscheduled basis will require the teacher to provide a note with the following information

1.      Student Name

2.      Purpose (get a book etc, or do research on a topic)

3.      Student may  use the Internet for there project

4.      How long student may be at Media Center to Work.

            6.  When students are sent to the Media Center on an unscheduled bases, limit the number of students to two (2) students. If you have more than two students then send two students with instructions that they have a certain amount of time to do their work. When they have completed their work or the time is up, then sent another two students to do their work. Please check the media center to see if a class is already scheduled. If a class is in the media center then I will not take ad hoc students from other classes.


B. Faculty:
1. Provide books, magazines, filmstrips, cassettes, and videos for teachers to check out to their classrooms.
2. Maintain and expand a collection of curriculum-related books and other professional materials for teachers.
3. Select collection of books from the school collection for teachers to check out for any particular classroom need.
4. The Media Center will not be used for classroom testing or makeup testing for teachers.

V. Circulation policy

A. Circulation: The following items are available for circulation:
1. Books: Books are circulated for a 15-day period.
2. Magazines: Magazines that are past month issues are available for a five-day checkout.
3. CD’s are available for check out except those on the reference status.

B. Renewals: Any information source can be renewed as long as it is not overdue. In order to renew the item it must be physically brought back to the media center.
C. Holds: Books may be put on “Hold” upon student request. Students requesting books that are out will be notified when the book is returned. Students who have books that are placed on “Hold” can check the book out one additional time then the book must be turned in when the check out period is over.
D. Over dues: Students are charged 10 cents a day for overdue books, additional information sources will not be checked out to students until over dues are paid.
E. Lost or damaged: Students and staff will be charged for lost books (replacement costs plus 2 dollars processing, shipping, and handling) damaged books will be assessed for value loss and charged to the user.

VI. Selection

A.  The responsibility for the selection of instructional materials is delegated to the professionally trained employees of the school. Selection of materials involves many people: administrators, teachers, supervisors, school library media advisory committees and the school library media specialist. The responsibility for coordinating the selection of the instructional materials and making recommendations for purchase rests with the school principal and/or the media specialist. The primary goal of each school's library media program is to enrich and support the instructional program of the school. The school library media program makes available, through the school library media collection, a wide range of materials on varying levels of difficulty with a diversity of appeal compatible with different needs, interests, and viewpoints of students and teachers. To this end, the Media Specialist is responsible to keep with the ideas expressed in the Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read statement.


VII. Criteria for selection

Individual learning styles, the curriculum, and the existing collection are given consideration in determining the needs for material. Materials considered for purchase are judged on the basis of the following criteria:

A. Purpose - overall purpose and its direct relationship to instructional objectives and/or the curriculum. Reliability - accuracy, authenticity Quality - writing and/or production of merit Treatment - clear, comprehensible, skillful, convincing, well-organized, unbiased Technical production - audio and/or visual clear and well-crafted Construction - durable, manageable, attractive Special features - useful illustrations, photographs, maps, charts, graphs, etc. Possible uses - individual, small group, large group instruction, in-depth study.
 
B. Procedures for maintaining the school library media collection. The school library media professional, in conjunction with teacher, administrators, will be responsible for the selection of materials.
1. Consider recommendations from faculty, students and parents. Judge gift items by standard selection criteria and, upon acceptance of such items, reserve the right to incorporate into the collection.
2. Weed continuously from the collection worn, obsolete and inoperable items when an adequate replacement can be made, when information is inaccurate or material is too damaged for use.

C. Procedures for selecting and maintaining the school library media collection:
Teachers will request materials to meet their research information needs anytime during the school year. However, to maximize effectiveness for research requests should be made early during the school year during the beginning of the budget cycle. Students may request materials anytime during the school year and materials will be purchased upon a funds available basis.
 
D. Procedures for reconsideration of materials is based upon Weber School District Policies.

VIII. Book ordering

A. Specifications:
Requests from teachers must indicate the purpose for which the books will be used.
B. Periodicals:
Periodicals will be purchased to balance the information and recreational needs of students. 

IX. Inventory:

Inventory will be completed once each year. With a report to the principal concerning final disposition of materials.
All cataloging will incorporate MARC format in accordance with AACR2 standards and follow classification based upon the Dewey Classification system as provided by the media specialist. Integration of books donated to the school: All books donated to the school will be evaluated by the media specialist to determine educational appropriateness to meet information, recreational, cultural, and archival value before being retained in the collection.

XI. Scheduling:
Media Center Priority for Scheduling.
1.  Classes who need the center for research purposes and plan on using all resources to meet their information needs. (Priority-A)
2. Classes who need to check-out books only. . (Priority-B)

When the Media Center is scheduled by any priority other than an A priority class, another teacher can schedule that period any time prior to 12:00 noon the day before and the lower priority teacher losses the media center for use. In this situation the Media Center specialist will inform the bumped teacher prior to the end of the school day.

 

XII. Staffing:

Current staffing includes a media specialist, who is responsible for all facets of operation of the media center. A secretary who is responsible for the operation of the circulation desk responsibilities, which includes training of media student aids, to conduct daily operations. A. Student overdue notice are emailed through their student account.

XIII. Materials and Equipment.

All equipment will be returned to the Media Center at the end of the year for necessary service and cleaning.
1. Teachers who require additional equipment for instruction purposes must make a request the beginning of the school year to the Media Center Director, who will price the equipment and provide a detailed list to the Principal to determine what will be purchased.
2. When equipment requires repair, it will be brought to the Media Center for necessary disposition. When possible the Media Center will replace with a float piece of equipment until the repaired equipment is returned.

Library Bill of Rights:

1. 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.
2. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be removed because of partisan and doctrinal disapproval.
3. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.
4. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.
5. 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, 1981, June 27, 1967 and January 23, 1980. By the ALA Council.