POLICY 6-5.

2 SCHOOL LIBRARIES/MEDIA CENTERS Library Materials Selection The Library Materials Selection Policy of Fauquier County is based on the Library Bill of Rights 1 which reads as follows: "The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services: 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. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be prescribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas. A persons right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views. 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.

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For the purposes of this policy, all reference to libraries refers to Fauquier County Public School libraries. The Library Materials Selection Policy provides for the selection of materials, which supplement the curriculum of the school, stimulate intellectual growth, promote reading as a leisure time activity, and stimulate new interest and imagination on the part of the individual student. It is the policy of the Fauquier County Public Schools libraries to: 1. Select materials of a permanent rather than a temporary value and keep balance and proportion in the collection as a whole. The goal is to provide access to sources, which will develop insight into human values, appreciation of the spiritual, and joy in the beautiful. Include materials of an intellectual nature for all religious, ethnic, and cultural groups, and for all classes and grades of learning. Materials, which present all sides of controversial issues, as far as is consistent with the moral values of the community, will be made available. Supply materials of interest to young people that are appropriate to their background and age. Select books and materials from authoritative and reliable publishers and authors, of good format, recent date, and healthy content. Teachers and principals are encouraged to give suggestions for materials. Buy books and materials only after evaluation or consultation of reliable reviews and commentaries in school and library trade publications. Conform as far as economically possible with the goal set forth in Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning, published by the American Association of School Librarians and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Buy books and materials for all students in the schools, with special attention being given to local tastes and interests. Weeding Policy Librarians will conform to the weeding policy as outlined in the current Fauquier County Public School Library Handbook.
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Reprinted by permission of the American Library Association.

Controversial Subjects2 Policies concerning the following subjects, which are sometimes controversial, are listed below: 1. 2. Religion Factual, unbiased materials, which represent major religions of the world, shall be included in the library collections. Ideologies The libraries shall, without making any effort to sway reading judgment, make available basic factual information on the level of their students any ideology or philosophy which exerts a strong force, either favorable or unfavorable, in government, current events, politics, or other phases of life. Sex and Profanity Materials with accents on sex shall be subjected to a stern test of literary merit and reality by the media specialist who shall take into consideration the community, the laws, and the accepted public moral standards. While libraries would not in any case include the sensational, overdramatic, or pornographic, the appearance of sexual incidents or profanity shall not automatically disqualify a book. Rather the decision shall be made on the basis of whether the book presents life in its true proportions, whether circumstances are realistically dealt with, and whether the book is of literary value. Factual material of an educational nature on the level of the reader shall be included in the literary collections. Race Materials representative of the many ethnic and cultural groups and their contributions to our American heritage shall be provided. Materials should be well written, objective, and when taken as a whole should not attempt to sway the emotions of the student toward or against any one group. Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco State law requires that schools teach about the harmful effects of the use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. Therefore, books and other information concerning these subjects should be provided. School Libraries/Media Centers The primary function of a schools library media center is to implement, enrich and support the educational program of the school. The center provides a wide range of materials at various levels of sophistication with a diversity of appeal and the presentation of different points of view. To this end the School Board declares that the primary responsibilities of the library media center are: 1. 2. 3. 4. To provide materials that will stimulate the acquisition of factual knowledge and the development of literary appreciation, aesthetic values and ethical standards; To provide a source of information which when consulted may enable pupils to make informed judgments; To provide materials containing a wide range of views on issues and that are representative of religious, ethnic, and cultural groups and their contribution to the American heritage; To place principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice in the selection of materials of the highest quality in order to assure a comprehensive collection appropriate for the users of the library media center; and To nurture the skills necessary to ensure that all students become lifelong learners and effective users of information.

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LEGAL REFERENCE: Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, 22.1-70, 22.1-78; Virginia Board of Education Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Schools, 8 VAC 20-131-190. Adopted: October 15, 2013

Adapted from School Library and Media Center Acquisition Policies and Procedures, by Mary M. Tyler. Copyright 1981 by The Oryx Press, 4040 N. Central at Indian School, Phoenix, AZ 85012. Use by permission by The Oryx Press.