[your library name here]

GUIDELINES

Introduction

Commissioner's Regulations 90.18 set forth the requirements for School Library Systems. One of these requirements states that at least once during the five-year period of each Plan of Service, each school district and nonpublic school, shall file with the system a plan which shows how district and building library media resources and programs meet the needs of students and teachers and describe the ways in which it proposes to make effective use of the system. Such plan shall include:

< (I) a description of existing library resources and services, in a format established by the school library; (pages 2-7)

< (II) procedures for prompt and efficient communication among school library media specialists and reporting to other members of the school community regarding system policies, procedures and services; (page 8)

< (III) provisions for periodic reporting, at least annually, to the governing body of the school district or nonpublic school and to the administration, regarding participation of the member in system services;

(pages 9-11)

< (IV) assurance by the member and its participants that adequate qualified staff is available to organize and administer the library media program and fulfill system responsibilities; (pages 12-13)

A. Goal: To have a current collection with the scope to meet the curriculum needs of students and faculty.

1. Take your school's curriculum and mentally review your collection. Rate each Dewey Classification area in the column for Librarian as to how you feel that area supports particular curriculum areas: 0=Out of Scope: The library does not collect in this area. 1=Minimal Level (Not able to support curriculum): A subject area in which few selections are made beyond very basic or introductory works. 2=Basic Information Level (Minimal support of curriculum): A collection of up-to-date general materials that serve to introduce and define a subject and to indicate the varieties of information available elsewhere. It may include dictionaries, encyclopedias, selected editions of important works, in the minimum number that will serve the purpose. (A basic information collection is not sufficiently intensive to support any courses or independent study in the subject area involved).

3=Instructional Support Level (Able to support class assignments): A collection which is adequate to support instruction and maintain knowledge of a subject required from limited or generalized purposes. It includes works of more important writers, historical surveys, bibliographies, periodicals, in the minimum number that will serve the purpose. 4=Research Level (In-depth support can be provided): A collection which includes important reference works, a selection of specialized monographs, works of major and secondary writers, collection of journals and other information useful to researchers. (This level of collecting intensity is one that maintains a "special collection". Older material is retained for historical research).

2. Ask faculty members to do the same for the part of the collection that pertains to their particular academic programs. You should have at least one teacher in each applicable area participate in this collection evaluation.

Since the Dewey categories overlap, a teacher in a specific subject area might be able to review more than one category. For example, a Science teacher would be able to review at least a portion of the 500's. Additionally, the same teacher might also be able to review portions of the 900's, possibly biographies of scientists and the history of science.