SERIES 1000 Community Relations
1312.4 Library Collection Development and Maintenance Policy
P6161.13
1312.4
Instruction/Community Relations
Library Collection Development and Maintenance Policy
The Board of Education recognizes that library and other educational materials should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all students, and that the collection as a whole should represent a wide range of varied and divergent viewpoints.
Students shall have access to the library and other educational materials that are relevant to their research, independent reading interests, and educational needs, based on their age, development, or grade level.
The library media center is an important place for voluntary inquiry, the dissemination of information and ideas, and the promotion of free expression and free access to ideas by students.
A school library media specialist is professionally trained to curate and develop a collection that provides students with access to the widest array of age-appropriate and grade-level-appropriate library and other educational materials.
Through this policy, the Board of Education ensures that all library materials shall be evaluated and made accessible in accordance with the protections against discrimination set forth in section 10-15c of the general statutes, including, but not limited to, discrimination based on race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability. The Board shall review and update this policy as necessary every five years.
The Thomaston Board of Education directs the Superintendent to create an administrative regulation that establishes a procedure for a certified school library media specialist to continually review library and other educational material within a school library media center using professionally accepted standards which shall include, but need not be limited to: the material's relevance, physical condition of the material, availability of duplicates or copies of the material, availability of more recent age-appropriate or grade-level appropriate material and continued demand for the material.
Legal Reference: Public Act 25-168 An Act Concerning the State Budget for the Biennium Ending June 30, 2027, and Making Appropriations Therefore, and Provisions Related to Revenue and Other Items Implementing the State Budget
Connecticut General Statutes
R6161.13(a)
1312.4
Instruction/Community Relations
Library Collection Development and Maintenance
Purpose:
This regulation establishes a procedure for certified school library media specialists to continually review library and other educational materials within a school library media center to ensure that they are relevant, in good condition, and age- or grade-level-appropriate.
General Procedure:
Using the criteria identified below and their professional judgment, the school library media specialist shall conduct a systematic review of the library’s collection:
- Material relevance
- Consult with instructional staff to determine whether the material is still useful and has up-to-date information.
- Evaluate usage data to assess the material’s relevance to student interests and research needs.
- Physical condition of the material
- Assess whether the material is damaged or worn beyond reasonable use.
- Availability of duplicates or copies of the material
- Determine whether the availability of duplicates or multiple copies is justified based on usage statistics to avoid redundancy.
- Availability of more recent age-appropriate or grade-level appropriate material
- Investigate the availability of newer editions or versions that offer more current and accurate information by considering awards and recommended lists for recently recognized literature.
- Ensure that any new material uses language that is appropriate for the reading level of students in the targeted grade range and developmental levels.
- Evaluate whether the new material’s treatment of difficult or sensitive subjects (e.g., death, mental health, violence, sexuality) is in a developmentally appropriate way for the intended student audience.
- Continued demand for the material
- Consult with instructional staff to determine whether the material continues to be cited or referred to for classroom instruction.
- Review usage data to determine whether the material is still being sought by students or teachers.
R6161.13(b)
1312.4
Instruction/Community Relations
Library Collection Development and Maintenance
(continued)
Library Collection Development
Objectives of Materials Selection
- To provide faculty and students with materials that enrich and support the curriculum and meet the recreational reading needs of the students served.
- To provide students with a wide range of age and grade appropriate 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.
- To select materials in all formats, including up-to-date, high quality, varied literature to develop and strengthen a love of reading.
All library materials are evaluated and made accessible in accordance with the protections against discrimination set forth in section 46a-64 of the Connecticut General Statutes, including, but not limited to, discrimination based on race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability.
General Selection Criteria
In selecting what materials to purchase for the School Library, professionally trained library personnel shall evaluate materials using the following general selection criteria. Not all criteria may be applicable in every selection.
- Curriculum Support: Resources that support and enrich the curriculum and/or students' personal interests and learning.
- Quality and Standards: Works that meet high standards in literary, artistic, and aesthetic quality, as well as technical aspects and physical format.
- Appropriateness: Materials suited to the subject area, and to the age, emotional development, ability level, and social, emotional, and intellectual development of the students served.
- Accuracy and Authority: Resources incorporating accurate and authentic factual content from authoritative sources.
- Professional Reviews: Titles earning favorable reviews in standard reviewing sources and/or recommended by professional personnel following preview and examination.
- User Appeal: Materials with a high degree of potential interest and appeal to students.
- Viewpoint Representation: Resources that present differing perspectives on controversial or complex issues.
- Format Variety: A range of physical and virtual resources, including print, electronic, multimedia, subscription databases, e-books, educational games, and other emerging technologies.
R6161.13(c)
1312.4
Instruction/Community Relations
Library Collection Development and Maintenance
General Selection Criteria
- Durability and Design: Physical format, appearance, and durability appropriate to the material’s intended use.
- Collection Gaps: Materials that fill a substantial gap in the collection on a particular topic or subject area.
- Cost Effectiveness: Balance between the cost of materials and the demonstrated need or value to the collection.
In selecting library materials, library personnel will evaluate available resources and curriculum needs and will consult reputable, professionally prepared aids to selection, and other appropriate sources. The actual resource will be examined whenever possible.
Recommendations for purchase or gift materials shall be judged by the selection criteria and shall be accepted or rejected by those criteria.
Library Collection Maintenance
Withdrawing materials from the School Library ensures the library collection remains current, accurate, and relevant so that students and staff can easily find high quality resources that support learning and engagement.
In selecting what materials to withdraw from the School Library, professionally trained library personnel shall evaluate materials using the following general selection criteria. Not all criteria may be applicable in every selection.
1. Physical Condition:
Items that are damaged, worn, or in poor condition and cannot be feasibly repaired.
2. Accuracy and Currency: Materials outdated or inaccurate information, particularly in fields where current knowledge is critical.
3. Relevance and Demand: Titles that have not circulated for a significant period of time, or that no longer support the library’s mission, curriculum, or community interests.
4. Duplication: Excessive copies of titles where demand no longer justifies multiple holdings.
5. Format Obsolescence: Materials in formats no longer supported by current technology or no longer used by the community.
R6161.13(d)
1312.4
Instruction/Community Relations
Library Collection Development and Maintenance
Library Collection Maintenance
(continued)
6. Incompleteness of Series:
In cases where a series is substantially incomplete and replacement volumes are unavailable or cannot be obtained at a reasonable cost, the remaining titles may be withdrawn to maintain the collection’s overall usefulness, consistency, and appeal.
7. Space Considerations: Items may be withdrawn when necessary to manage shelf space and maintain an accessible, browsable collection.
Policy and Regulation Approved: May 11, 2026 THOMASTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Thomaston, Connecticut