1. Collection Development Policy
Leal Elementary School Library Media Center
Urbana School District 116
Urbana, Illinois
I. Philosophy
This Collection Development Policy is intended to address the information needs of teachers and
students at Leal Elementary School in Urbana, Illinois.
A. Mission: The Mission of the Leal Elementary School Library Media Center (LMC) is to
provide a collection of materials that support and enrich the curriculum and help students
develop an appreciation for books, reading, and learning and become effective users and
producers of information
B. School Description: Leal Elementary School serves a diverse population of 392 students in
kindergarten through fifth grade including approximately 115 Spanish-speaking students
enrolled in the school’s bilingual program.
C. Library Description: The current Library Media Center was constructed in 2001 during the
renovation and expansion of the school building. It currently houses a collection of more than
17,000 books and other resources that can be accessed through an online catalog. The LMC is
staffed by one full-time Library Information Specialist.
II. Selection of Materials
A. Objectives of Selection Policy: The objectives of this selection policy are to provide
guidelines to staff for developing a collection that will support the curriculum of Leal
Elementary School and provide the materials necessary to ensure students academic and personal
growth needs are met. The collection should consist of a wide variety of materials (including
print and digital formats) that provide multiple perspectives, cater to a range of interests and vary
in difficulty so as to provide for beginning to more advanced readers.
B. Responsibility for Selection: While the ultimate responsibility for maintaining and adding to
the collection is that of the Library Media Specialist, input from other members of the school
community, including teachers, administrators and students will be accepted and considered
when making decisions about the collection.
C. Criteria for Selection: Materials that are selected for the Leal Elementary LMC will meet the
following criteria (as applicable).
 Materials will be aligned with the curricula and educational objectives of the school and
district and support and enrich student learning and personal development.
 Materials will be appropriate for the subject matter and for the age and developmental
levels present in a K-5 school.
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2.  Materials will meet standards of high quality in areas such as accuracy and currency of
information, presentation and organization, literary merit and artistic quality.
 Materials will represent a range of viewpoints and opinions, especially on controversial
topics, so that students will have access to all sides of an issue and form their own ideas
through critical analysis.
D. Selection Tools: The following publications, and any additional professional resources
deemed appropriate, will be used to assist the Library Media Specialist in the selection of
materials.
Reviewing Media:
 Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
 Horn Book
 Kirkus Reviews
 Booklist
 School Library Journal
Bibliographies (most recent editions of the following items):
Children’s Catalog. 19th edition, with supplements through 2009. New York: H. W. Wilson
Co., 2006.
Barr, Catherine, and John Gillespie eds. Best Books for Children: Preschool Through Grade
6. 8th ed. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2005.
McClure, Amy and Janice Kristo eds. Adventuring with Books. 13th ed. Urbana, IL, National
Council of Teachers of English, 2002.
Hansen-Krening, Nancy, Elaine Aoki, and Donald Mizokawa, eds. Kaleidoscope: A
Multicultural Booklist for Grades K-8. 4th ed. Urbana, IL, National Council of Teachers
of English, 2003.
Lima, Carolyn and John Lima. A to Zoo: Subject Access to Children’s Picture Books. 7th ed..
Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2005.
Hysell, Shannon Graff, ed. Recommended Reference Books for Small and Medium-Sized
Libraries and Media Centers. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. Published annually.
E. Electronic Information: To augment our print and media collection, the library does
maintain a collection of recommended Web resources for student use bookmarked on the lab
computers and available as links on our library Web site. These Web resources have undergone a
review for quality, accuracy, age-appropriateness and enrichment of academic learning or
personal development similar to that which is performed when selecting print or media items for
our collection.
F. AV Materials: The library maintains a collection of AV materials, consisting mainly of
DVDs, videos, CDs and some audio books to enrich and supplement the Leal Elementary
curriculum and to meet the educational, social and recreational needs of students and staff.
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3. III. Gifts
The Leal Elementary LMC welcomes gifts or donations of materials suitable for inclusion in an
elementary school library. Donated or gifted materials will be evaluated using the criteria
detailed above. Any materials not selected for addition to the Leal Elementary LMC collection
will be placed in the Leal Book Swap area which is available to students, parents and staff.
IV. Weeding
In order for the Leal Elementary LMC to maintain a collection of current, appropriate materials
in good repair, it is necessary to periodically evaluate the collection to remove or replace items
that are no longer useful. A brief summary of weeding guidelines is included below. Full
guidelines can be found in the Leal Elementary Library Media Center Weeding Policy dated
January 2008.
Appearance: worn out, irreparable, badly bound, or incomplete print materials or AV materials
that no longer play or are broken or missing pieces.
Unnecessary or Duplicate Materials: unneeded duplicate items, items of little interest to the
school community, or highly-specialized books that are no longer relevant to the curriculum.
Poor Content: materials that contain information that is outdated, inaccurate, or stereotypical or
poorly written/produced materials.
Use: materials that have not circulated in the last 8 years (for nonfiction) or 5 years (for fiction)
as a general recommendation. This guideline excludes “classic works”.
V. Reconsideration of Materials
The Leal Elementary LMC adheres to the principles and philosophies contained in the American
Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights and the American Association of School Librarians’
Access to Resources and Services in the School Library Media Program. However, there may be
occasions when materials selected for the LMC collection after careful consideration and
evaluation according to the Collection Development Policy outlined above may be questioned or
challenged. To address such an event, a formal policy outlining the processing and responding to
material challenges has been developed. Please refer to the Leal Elementary Library Media
Center Reconsideration of Materials Policy, dated March 2008 for full details of the procedures
for accepting, reviewing and responding to materials challenges.
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4. VI. Policy Review and Record of Adoption
Although this policy has been carefully written and deliberated, the Leal Elementary LMC
recognizes that there may be future events or condition that would merit additions or alterations
to this policy. As such, the Leal Elementary Library Media Center Collection Development
Policy will undergo a review and re-approval no later than two years from the date of approval
and adoption and will continue at 2-year intervals until such time as the School Board changes
the review interval.
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5. Appendix A
Sources Consulted in Preparing Collection Development Policy
American Association of School Librarians. AASL Resource Guides for School Library Media
Program Development: Collection Development. (n.d.). . Retrieved May 14, 2010, from
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslarchive/resourceguides/collectiondevelopment
.cfm#Standard%20Catalogs%20and%20Bibliographies.
Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. About Collection Development Policies.
(n.d.). Retrieved May 14, 2010, from http://www.lib.az.us/cdt/colldev.aspx.
Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association. Workbook for Selection Policy
Writing. (October 1999). . Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/essentialprepar
ation/workbookslctn/index.cfm
University Laboratory High School Library. Collection Development Policy. (March 19, 2009).
Retrieved May 14, 2010, from
http://www.uni.illinois.edu/library/policies/collectiondevelopment.php
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