Specific Evaluative Criteria

Specific Evaluative Criteria

Evaluative Criteria

This section, sometimes referred to as Selection Criteria, represents the core of the collection development policy. It provides a blueprint as to why certain information resources are chosen over others for library holdings. Therefore, listing criteria employed by collection developers informs an institution’s constituency regarding the title-by-title decision-making process and expenditure of funds.

Policies vary to a considerable degree in the presentation of this information. Most notably, libraries do not always clearly differentiate between general and specific criteria, choosing instead to provide an inventory of points for consideration during the evaluation process. Libraries offering a more segmented layout may have contrasting perceptions of exactly what constitutes “general” criteria. Some institutions equate them with collection building objectives (see the “Objectives” sections below for the Atwater Elementary School District and Rogers High School, under Sample Policies); that is, a mechanism for outlining the purpose of the overall process. Other libraries apply them as a device that facilitates viewing holdings as a single entity, whereas specific criteria are applied on a title-by-title basis. In other words, such general criteria serve as a corrective mechanism to ensure that collections remain focused on overriding institutional goals and objectives. Typical examples of these general criteria would include:

  • The collection will attempt to provide a balance of viewpoints on all controversial issues.
  • The collection will attempt to include a cross-section of media formats, topics, and viewpoints representative of patron needs and interests.
  • The library will attempt to meet all relevant collection standards, whether issued by governmental agencies, professional associations, or regional accrediting bodies.

Many libraries simply view general criteria as possessing the broadest possible application, whereas specific criteria are employed with particular media, categories, etc., and separate as such. Specific criteria may also be organized by age levels, subject areas, and special collections. (1) In some cases, libraries incorporate both concepts into one all-conclusive listing. The Scecina Memorial High School policy reflects this approach.

Collection policies cab include additional irregularities worthy of note. Evaluative criteria are occasionally found in other portions of the document; e.g., the format statement, gifts, and weeding guidelines. In other instances, the library will apply the same set of criteria for both the selection and weeding functions. Elizabeth Futas provides the following justification for such a strategy:

What differs, after all, is the community for which it was selected versus the community for which it will be rejected, and the time it was selected versus the time it will be discarded. The process and the criteria remain the same. (2)

Sample Policies

The varied approached noted above—use of general vs. specific criteria, the integrated presentation of criteria, etc.—are reflected in the following policy examples.

Atwater Elementary School District

Selection Policy for Books and Materials

Objectives

The school library/instructional media centers function to implement, enrich and supplement the instructional program of the school as well as to provide for the independent study and personal reading of the students. In order to ensure that the school media program is an integral part of the educational program of the schools, the following selection objectives are supported:

  • Learning resources, including textbooks, will support and be consistent with the general educational goals of the state and district and the aims and objectives of individual schools and specific courses.
  • Learning resources will meet high standards of quality in factual content and presentation.
  • Learning resources will be designed to help students gain an awareness of our pluralistic society.
  • Learning resources will be selected for their strengths rather than rejected for their weaknesses.

Criteria

Criteria for selection of textbooks will follow district textbook adoption policy.

In developing the library media collection, consideration should be given to the educational goals of the district, individual student learning modes, teaching styles, curricular needs, faculty and student needs, existing materials and networking arrangements. The following points should be taken into account in the purchase of materials:

  • Overall purpose
  • Timeliness or permanence
  • Importance of subject matter in relation to the curriculum
  • Overall Quality
  • Integrity
  • Favorable reviews found in standard selection sources
  • High degree of potential user appeal
  • Reputation of author, publisher or producer
  • Quality and variety of format
  • Value commensurate with cost and/or need

Specific Criteria

Specific areas which have frequently been subject to criticism will be handled in the following ways:

  1. Sex Instruction: Materials will be selected on the basis of sound factual authority considering the practical need for information of the young people who use the material.
  2. Religion: Representative materials will be available for students studying comparative religions. An attempt will be made to provide factual, unbiased materials representative of all major religions.
  3. Ideologies: Information and/or literary treatment on the philosophies of any group and all points of view on the issues of our times shall be represented according to the interests of our curriculum. Such information will be selected on the basis of its sound factual authority and/or literary merit.
  4. Obscenity in materials of literary value: The use of profanity or sexual incidents shall not in itself disqualify material from selection. Decision to include such materials shall rest entirely upon stern tests of literary merit, whether the material presents life in its true porportions, in an artistic way, and in a manner which would allow the individual to form sound, ethical judgments.
  5. Science: Material shall be selected according to its unbiased, objective and authoritative treatment of fact or theory. It will not be considered in relation to apparent agreement or conflict with moral or ethical judgments of ideological groups.
  6. Discrimination: Materials will portray sexual, racial, religious, ethnic, or other social groupings in our society in such a way as to build positive images while supplying an accurate and sound balance in the matter of historical perspective.

(adopted 1990;

Rogers [Arizona] High School

District Instructional Materials Selection Policy

OBJECTIVES OF SELECTION

The primary objective of instructional materials is to implement, enrich, and support the educational program of the school. It is the duty of the schools to provide a wide range of materials on all levels of difficulty, with diversity of appeal, and presentation of different points of view.

To this end, the Board of Education of the Rogers Public School System adopts the statement of philosophy expressed by the American Association of School Librarians and the Association for Better Communication and Technology. The American Association of School Librarians reaffirms its belief in the Library Bill of Rights of the American Library Association. Media Specialists are concerned with generating understanding of American freedoms through the development of informed and responsible citizens. To this end the American Association of School Librarians asserts that the responsibility of the school library media center is:

  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.
  2. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan and doctrinal disapproval.
  3. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.
  4. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.
  5. A persons’ tight to use a library should to not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.
  6. 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.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

Needs of the individual school are based on:

  1. requests of faculty and students
  2. knowledge and support of curriculum
  3. consideration the existing collection

Materials for purchase are considered on the basis of the following criteria:

  1. overall purpose
  2. timeliness or permanence
  3. importance of subject matter
  4. quality of writing/production/binding
  5. readability
  6. popular appeal
  7. accuracy
  8. reputation of publisher/producer
  9. reputation and significance of the author/composer/producer, etc.
  10. format and price

(

Scecina Memorial High School

Collection Development Policy

CRITERIA FOR COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT

The major criteria for the selection of resources is the educational suitability of the resource for its intended use. Media specialists use educational criteria and professional judgment rather than personal opinions, values, or beliefs in the selection of resources. All materials purchased or accepted as gifts for use in the Scecina Media Center will be evaluated according to the following criteria. Specific criteria are used as they apply:

  1. Resources are consistent with the educational goals of Scecina and the goals and objectives of specific courses.
  2. Resources are appropriate for the age, interests, abilities, learning styles, social development, and maturity levels of the students.
  3. Resources provide information which will motivate students and staff to examine their own attitudes and behavior, to comprehend their duties, responsibilities, rights and privileges as participating citizens in our society, and to make informed judgments in their daily lives.
  4. Resources represent the diversity of religious, ethnic, political and cultural values held in a pluralistic society.
  5. Resources illustrate the contributions to our national heritage and the world made by various groups in our society.
  6. Resources illustrate historical and contemporary forces in society to enable users to recognize and understand social, economic and personal problems.
  7. Resources provide a variety of points of view about issues, including those considered by some to be controversial.
  8. Resources are selected for all student ability levels.
  9. Resources are judged as a whole.
  10. Resources meet standards of technical quality and physical condition appropriate to the format and their intended use.
  11. Resources are judged according to the scope, arrangement and organization, relevance of information, special features, and overall value to the collection.

Selection of materials will be made on the merits of the material and its value to the collection and to patrons.

(copyright 2001;

Notes

  1. “Selection Criteria,” Collection Development Policies, 3-4;
  1. Elizabeth Futas, ed., Collection Development Policies and Procedures. 3rd ed. (Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx, 1995), 222.
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