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Harris
Libraries Selection Policy
GENERAL STATEMENT
The purpose of the ASIJ Harris Library is to serve the needs of the
school. Materials are therefore selected to support the curriculum and
the mission of the school, to help each student develop his/her
potential as a human being, and to help each teacher to achieve his/her
professional goals at the American School in Japan.
The ASIJ Harris Library endorses 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.
SELECTION
AND EVALUATION OF MATERIALS
Materials will be selected by qualified personnel, relying heavily on
reviews found in standard reviewing media. Library media specialists
will try 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 works in fields covered
in the curriculum and quality works on subjects of current interest.
Librarians will select on the basis of principle and reason rather than
personal opinion and prejudice. Recommendations from the school
community are welcomed and encouraged.
Staff members involved in selection of resource materials will 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 |
| integrity |
General
Statement | Selection | Controversial
Materials | Responsibility
| Procedures | Middle
School Library | Elementary School Library
| Donations
CONTROVERSIAL
MATERIALS
The major areas of controversial materials for this school are sex,
politics, and religion. A sincere effort is made to find materials
covering contrasting points of view, especially in the area of politics
and public issues. Materials on religion are chosen to explain rather
than convince, and are selected to represent the field as widely as
possible for school purposes. In a literary work the use of profanity or
treatment of sex is not an adequate reason for eliminating the material
from the school library. In general, materials should be selected for
their strengths rather than eliminated for their weaknesses.
RESPONSIBILITY
FOR SELECTION
Responsibilities for selection will rest with appropriate professionally
trained personnel who will discharge this obligation consistent with the
ASIJ Harris Library's adopted selection criteria and procedures.
Selection procedures will involve representatives of the professional
staff directly affected by the selections, and persons qualified by
preparation to aid in wise selection
PROCEDURES
FOR SELECTION OF LEARNING RESOURCES
In selecting learning resources, professional personnel will evaluate
available resources and curriculum needs and will consult reputable,
professionally prepared aids to selection and other appropriate sources.
Among sources to be consulted are:
| Bibliographies (latest edition
available, including supplements) |
| Current reviewing media |
| Other sources will be consulted as
appropriate. Whenever possible, the actual resource will be examined. |
Selection is an ongoing
process that should include the removal of materials no longer
appropriate and the replacement of lost and worn materials still of
educational value.
General Statement | Selection
| Controversial Materials | Responsibility
| Procedures | Middle
School Library | Elementary School Library
| Donations
THE
MIDDLE SCHOOL LIBRARY
Selection for the Middle School Library differs from the general
policy only in the following ways:
| Considerable emphasis in selection is
on finding alternative and mufti-media materials to meet the
diversity of leaning styles and maturity levels of pre- and
beginning teen-age students. |
| See the Middle School
Library Donation
Plan |
THE
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LIBRARY
Selection for the Elementary School Library differs from the general
policy only in the following ways:
| Items that are likely to be used
exclusively by the Elementary students and/or faculty are stored in
the Elementary School Library. |
| The Elementary School Library will
provide guidance in terms of age- appropriate materials from other
sources on the campus as the need arises. |
THE ELC
Contact Don Maynard, the
ELC Librarian
GIFTS/DONATIONS
We reserve the right to use gifts at the discretion of the
librarians. They may be donated to a more appropriate organization
including "Nearly New," Holiday Happening, etc. Gifts which
will be useful additions to the libraries will, of course, be added to
the collection.
Students or families can also sponsor or donate hardcover books to the
libraries from the categories outlined below. Books contributed
from these categories will bear a bookplate on the inside cover with the
name of the donor and the occasion the book is honoring (such as a
birthday, graduation, etc.).
The High School Library has created a
wish list on Amazon.com from which members of the ASIJ
community may choose a title to donate (type ASIJ Main Library in the
Wish List Search Window). This list contains titles that the library has
identified as desirable additions to its collection. The library also
welcomes donations of the following types of books:
| English Books about Japan - The
libraries can always use books in English about Japan, or English
language versions of traditional Japanese tales. Purchasing locally
will allow students to participate in the selection of the book they
donate. Books purchased in this category do not require any
advance arrangement with the librarian. |
| Duplicate Copies of Popular Titles -
For people who order books over the Internet, or like to shop on
home trips, the libraries can provide lists of perennial favorites
that are always welcome. Since this list is updated
frequently, please check with the libraries prior to making your
purchase. |
| Paperbacks |
 | The High School Library will accept
paperbacks. |
| If a parent would like to donate
paperback books to the Elementary School Library, the books can be
specified for their child's classroom. The library will also work
with parents to add donation bookplates to any classroom book
donations. |
Sponsoring Books from the Library
Order - Perhaps the easiest way to make a donation to the
libraries is to sponsor a book on order. Contact one of
the libraries and select a book from the materials on order and/or
waiting for processing.
Payments can be made through the
Advancement Office designating the contribution as an Elementary,
Middle or High School Library Book Donation.
THE ELC
Contact Don Maynard, the
ELC Librarian
General
Statement | Selection | Controversial
Materials | Responsibility
| Procedures | Middle
School Library | Elementary School Library
| Donations |
