What Should be Included in Collection Development Policies?
Collection development policies are essential because they describe and detail how the resource collection will be developed to meet the needs of its users, ensuring it is in line with the school's philosophical ethos, pedagogical practice and curriculum development, and ensures the collection meets the needs, interests and abilities of the its users.
It should be closely aligned to the library's Mission Statement (as an official document which will help the mission be achieved) and include information about:
* the purpose of the policy, its use and its authority
* those who will use the collection and their needs, including special or specific requirements, such as whether is it for a K-12
school; a school with a particular religious focus or ethnicity; whether it is a single-gender school and so forth
* access to the collection including online resources - if this is 24/7, some statement about password-protection should be
included
* the nature of the collection including its purpose, format and any significant collections within it such as archival records and
teachers' resources
* the goals for the collection to be achieved during the life of the policy including priorities and benchmarks/standards to be
met and the identification of priorities
* the budget, its preparation, allocation and disbursement, and who has responsibility for these tasks
* selection criteria, both general and specific for all formats, and any requirements such as having to have each resource
reviewed before purchase
* selection criteria for the selection aids used in the review process
* acquisition and purchasing policies including criteria for determining purchasing priorities, selecting suppliers, and
donations
* collection evaluation methods and timetable,
* de-selection criteria and disposal of deselected resources
* challenged materials policy and procedures
* policy review timetables
(from Barbara Braxton via LM Net Archives)
https://500hats.edublogs.org/policies/sample-collection-policy/
It should be closely aligned to the library's Mission Statement (as an official document which will help the mission be achieved) and include information about:
* the purpose of the policy, its use and its authority
* those who will use the collection and their needs, including special or specific requirements, such as whether is it for a K-12
school; a school with a particular religious focus or ethnicity; whether it is a single-gender school and so forth
* access to the collection including online resources - if this is 24/7, some statement about password-protection should be
included
* the nature of the collection including its purpose, format and any significant collections within it such as archival records and
teachers' resources
* the goals for the collection to be achieved during the life of the policy including priorities and benchmarks/standards to be
met and the identification of priorities
* the budget, its preparation, allocation and disbursement, and who has responsibility for these tasks
* selection criteria, both general and specific for all formats, and any requirements such as having to have each resource
reviewed before purchase
* selection criteria for the selection aids used in the review process
* acquisition and purchasing policies including criteria for determining purchasing priorities, selecting suppliers, and
donations
* collection evaluation methods and timetable,
* de-selection criteria and disposal of deselected resources
* challenged materials policy and procedures
* policy review timetables
(from Barbara Braxton via LM Net Archives)
https://500hats.edublogs.org/policies/sample-collection-policy/
Guides for Selection Policy Writing
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Samples of Selection Policies
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