xxxx State High School Resource Centre Collection Management Policy

Context:
xxxx State High School is located on Brisbane's south side. It is a multicultural school drawing students from a wide area. There are more than 65 languages spoken in the school almost one third of students are international! and about the same number are new "ustralians. #hallenges faced b$ teachers at Sunn$bank range from assisting students to understand instructions in %nglish to ensuring students don't fall behind in their work if the$ are o&erseas during semester! as well as the usual challenges of encouraging student engagement and meeting different learning needs. The &ision of the school is' Many kinds of excellence This &ision encompasses the following' o (e &alue ")) kinds of excellence o "ll students! whate&er their backgrounds and abilities! are enabled to aspire to their maximum potential o (e support! encourage and &alue effort o (e work to foster producti&e relationships o (e all stri&e to build high standards and we are not satisfied with mediocrit$ In supporting the &ision of the school! the *esource #entre is responsible for pro&iding a resource collection that is di&erse and supporti&e of the curriculum needs of students and staff. The ultimate guideline for selection of resources is that the$ make an effecti&e and positi&e contribution to student learning outcomes and the de&elopment of information literac$. The collection will aim to enable e&er$ student to ha&e access to a &ariet$ of +ualit$! rele&ant and current information resources to facilitate the ac+uisition of factual knowledge and the de&elopment of literar$ appreciation! aesthetic &ales and ethical standards. *esources will offer a di&ersit$ of &iewpoints on &arious issues so that students ma$ de&elop their critical thinking skills and make informed ,udgments. The collection should also ser&e to enhance teacher effecti&eness b$ pro&iding access to recent curriculum and professional de&elopment materials. The collection will include a range of print! audio-&isual and electronic resources including fiction! non-fiction! reference! teacher reference! professional de&elopment! &ideotapes! ./.! audiotape and #.! periodicals! newspapers! maps! charts! posters! kits! &ertical files! #. *01 and internet sites.
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 Acquisition of Resources:
o Purchasing of resources #ollection de&elopment is funded through the *esource #entre budget. The Teacher )ibrarian is responsible for allocation of the *esource #entre budget. .epartmental budget allocations are the responsibilit$ of the rele&ant head of department. The Teacher )ibrarian ma$ offer ad&ice in the selection of departmental resources. *esources ma$ be purchased from a &ariet$ of sources' educational booksellers! publishers! mail order and online catalogues! bookshops! pri&ate authors! etc. *esources that are to be processed! catalogued and stored in the *esource #entre are ordered primaril$ through the *esource #entre. "ll resources ordered for use in the school! whether ordered through the *esource #entre or indi&idual departments are processed! catalogued and stored b$ the *esource #entre. %ach order! including onappro&al orders! must ha&e an official school order number. In&oices are matched with orders when resources arri&e. "ll in&oices are forwarded to accounts for pa$ment. o Storage of resources *esources will be stored with a &iew to protection against inclement influences! e.g. mould and securit$. Indi&idual departments ma$ choose to store resources in areas other than the *esource #entre. These resources must be borrowed b$ the Head of .epartment at the beginning of the $ear and must be a&ailable for return and stock take at the end of the $ear prior to booking out to the department head again. o Selection of resources *esponsibilit$ for selection of resources lies with the Teacher )ibrarian and Heads of .epartment. The Teacher )ibrarian is responsible for the general non-fiction and fiction collection! and selection of these resources is undertaken within a framework of knowledge of cross-curricular and sub,ect re+uirements and indi&idual needs of students and staff! as well as access to suppliers and publishers. 2urther details regarding selection of resources is a&ailable in the *esource #entre 3olicies and 3rocedures 1anual. Heads of .epartment are responsible for suggesting and re+uesting specific resources 4texts! teacher reference! audio-&isual! etc5 rele&ant to their departments. These are ordered either b$ the Heads of .epartment or the teacher-librarian and processed b$ the *esource #entre. The general criteria for collection de&elopment will be according to' rele&ance to current or future curriculum appropriateness of le&el to intended users appropriateness of ph$sical format and appearance of material cost! &alue and suitabilit$ for *esource #entre use
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accurac$ and currenc$ of content authorit$ and reputation of authors! producers or publishers scope of the work! ade+uac$ of co&erage and le&el of detail treatment of sub,ect matter! taking in to account language! bias! organi6ation and accessibilit$ of information! la$out! index! table of contents! glossar$! white space! diagrams! photos etc.

.etailed! specific selection criteria for non-fiction and fiction print resources! audio&isual and electronic resources are a&ailable on the (" %d. .ept #1IS website at http://www.e ept.wa.e u.au/cmis/e!al/Resource Centre/selection/sel"#.htm *eputable ,ournals and selection aids will be consulted to identif$ potential additions to the collection! such as' resource re&iews on the %7 website re&iewing ,ournals recommendations from colleagues and listser&s booksellers staff

Students8 suggestions will also be carefull$ considered for addition to the collection.

Management of e$Resources:
e*esources! such as ebook readers will be protected as much as possible regarding financial liabilit$ to the *esource #entre and the school generall$. " back-up of all data stored on the de&ice will be kept so that the de&ice can be re-set at an$ time it is deemed necessar$. This might occur when students ha&e created clippings from annotation of &arious books! deleted books or added books to the de&ice.

%onate Resources:
.onated resources are accepted pro&iding the$ meet the standard selection criteria. Inclusion in the collection is at the discretion of the teacher-librarian.

Culling of Resources:
In order to ensure that the collection is functional! rele&ant and up-to-date it is necessar$ to constantl$ monitor the condition and suitabilit$ of the resources and cull those that no longer meet the needs of the users or the selection criteria. #ulling 4or weeding5 of resources is the on-going responsibilit$ of the teacher-librarian who has speciali6ed knowledge of the curriculum! collection de&elopment! culling criteria and the a&ailabilit$ and cost of replacement resources. *esources to be culled will be offered to staff in rele&ant departments before being disposed of. Books still in good condition but no longer needed b$ the School will be sent for distribution to charit$ organi6ations once barcodes! labels and other identifiers are remo&ed. *esources ma$ be culled because the$ meet one or more of the following criteria'
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are in poor ph$sical condition and be$ond repair are sexist! racist! or otherwise culturall$ or religiousl$ offensi&e are outdated or inaccurate are mediocre or of poor +ualit$ are unattracti&e portra$ stereot$pes or show bias duplicate information which is no longer in hea&$ demand ha&e been superseded b$ new or re&ised information are inaccessible because the$ lack a table of contents! inade+uate indexing! or searching capabilities are outside current selection criteria are no longer of use to the students and ha&e not been borrowed in the pre&ious three $ears are incompatible with technolog$ currentl$ in use no longer reflect the philosoph$! aims or nature of the school are more than 9: $ears old present theories or concepts which ha&e been dispro&ed or altered significantl$ ha&e been superseded b$ newer technolog$ materials were ac+uired to meet the needs of a specific group of students and these needs no longer exist! e.g. materials in another language which is no longer studied in the school

#ollection e&aluation and weeding will occur on an on-going basis howe&er! a concerted effort in this area will precede the annual stocktake. The following guidelines ma$ be helpful when weeding specific areas of the collection. %ach title needs to be considered indi&iduall$ and consideration should be gi&en to the teaching and learning programs operating in the school before remo&ing resources. o &on$'iction ::: 9:: ;:: <:: =:: 5:: 6:: >:: @:: A:: *esources in the computing area will date +uickl$. %xamine closel$ an$thing o&er fi&e $ears old. #onsider weeding outdated descriptions of ps$chological problems. *emo&e old information about sects and religions. .iscard outdated law and go&ernment resources. .iscard information on outdated social issues. #onsider the remo&al of old dictionaries. %xamine closel$ resources o&er fi&e $ears old. .iscard those with obsolete information and outdated pictorial formats. *esources o&er fi&e $ears old! particularl$ those on technolog$ and medicine need to be examined closel$. #onsider the remo&al of dated works on photograph$! music! art and sport. ?ew editions and works with superior illustrations need to be considered. %xamine closel$ older literar$ works which ha&e lost their appeal. (eed outdated geograph$ and histor$ resources! particularl$ where the title dates materials and where names of countries ha&e changed. *etain
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resources that pertain to the histor$ of the school and communit$. o Reference %xamine closel$ an$thing o&er fi&e $ears old. 0utdated multi-&olume enc$clopaedia sets ha&e limited &alue. o 'iction Stereot$ped fiction! poorl$ written fiction and unused BoldC fiction! popular man$ $ears ago! should be seriousl$ considered for weeding. B#lassicsC and award winners should not be discarded unless in poor condition. o Perio icals These need to be considered in the light of online databases such as "?D*# which pro&ide access to articles. Eeneral titles should be disposed of more regularl$ than academic titles. 3eriodicals purchased b$ departments will not be culled unless agreed to b$ the department co-ordinator. o (ther "udio&isual resources! especiall$ where e+uipment no longer supports usage! charts! maps! stud$ prints and &ertical files need to be regularl$ assessed. 2urther detail is a&ailable in the *esource #entre 3olic$ and 3rocedures 1anual.

Stoc)ta)ing of Resources:
"n annual stocktake of the whole or parts of the collection will be undertaken towards the end of Term = to ensure items are accounted for and are correctl$ shel&ed catalogue records are correct items are in good condition resource needs for the following $ear can be determined

" stocktake ensures that the *esource #entre is accountable for the mone$ spent on resources throughout the $ear from *esource #entre and departmental budgets. It is done at the end of each academic $ear as part of the collection e&aluation process! at a time when there is less demand for resources and most of the collection is a&ailable to the teacher-librarian to undertake the procedures. It will be necessar$ to close the *esource #entre for a period of time to enable stocktake to be carried out properl$. This is an essential re+uirement at the end of the $ear so that *esource #entre procedures can be managed efficientl$. Staff and students will recei&e earl$ notification of disruption to ser&ices. Through professional training! the teacher-librarian is the staff member who is best +ualified to make ,udgments about the collection according to the needs of the staff! students! curriculum deli&er$ and de&elopment and condition of the resource.
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Therefore it re+uires the teacher-librarian to see the resources so that appropriate assessments can be made. *esponsibilit$ for carr$ing out the stocktake is with the teacher-librarian! the *esource #entre aide and &olunteers. 0ne or two efficient &olunteers can enable the scanning of all resources to be achie&ed in a da$ or two. Stocktaking is carried out in accordance with the procedures of the Alice librar$ s$stem. Stocktake allows the *esource #entre to' formall$ measure and e&aluate the resources that we pro&ide for staff and students and reflect on the ser&ices that we can and do offer track purchases! losses and disposals examine each resource and determine its future based on age! rele&ance! currenc$ and condition! which ma$ include repair! replacement! disposal! or cleaning! to ensure that attracti&e! up-to-date resources are a&ailable assess the need to fill specific areas of the curriculum where gaps in resources ma$ occur prioritise future purchases and begin sourcing these ensure that all resources will be in their correct places for the beginning of the new school $ear so that staff and students can locate them easil$ identif$ and fix anomalies in cataloguing! incomplete records or errors on spine labels make decisions about the relocation of resources identif$ areas that need new signage and create this! or repair old signs so that the collection is well signposted for e&er$one to access easil$ re-arrange the shel&es or change the la$out to minimise o&ercrowding and book damage! and consider better wa$s of presentation to encourage circulation see that each resource actuall$ exists and that it is where it should be generate accurate reports based on actual data and assess the effecti&eness of borrowing procedures! securit$ measures and other circulation processes reconcile the 03"# records with our catalogue management records b$ scanning each book electronicall$ refresh our memories of the collection and specific items so that we can suggest these to users at an appropriate time ensure items flagged as o&erdue are not on the shel&es so that we can send out accounts for replacement construct a budget submission for the following $ear that is based on an accurate picture of the collection set goals to use administration time effecti&el$ including promotion! weeding! reorganising! signage and curriculum support ensure accurate management records and an attracti&e en&ironment in order to offer the le&el of ser&ice expected through a well-managed collection.

%ealing with Challenge *tems:

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3otentiall$ contro&ersial resources will be carefull$ re&iewed with assistance from other staff members and parents. Internet sites will be catalogued from appro&ed sources 4eg S#IS5. Students will be asked to sign an "cceptable Fse "greement before using the internet. In the case of challenged materials a *e&iew #ommittee consisting of the 3rincipal 4or other member of administration5! Teacher )ibrarian! and head of the facult$ for which the resource is rele&ant! will be con&ened once the appropriate form has been completed. In accordance with the School 1ission Statement and the "ustralian School *esource #entre "ssociation8s Bill of *ights! we ha&e a responsibilit$ to pro&ide opportunities and resources which reflect a wide &ariet$ of perspecti&es which will encourage critical thinking and help our students make informed decisions. Therefore! at times! students ma$ be exposed to materials that present information! ideas or attitudes which some members of the school communit$ ma$ consider to be contro&ersial! inappropriate or offensi&e. 0b,ections to these resources are an important part of the democratic process and should be treated as legitimate a&enues of communication in education. Howe&er! challenges must be considered on the understanding that parents or carers do not ha&e the right to determine learning or recreational matter for students other than their own. To facilitate the hearing of potential ob,ections and to guide appropriate action! the following procedure will enable different points of &iew to be clearl$ and openl$ expressed while preser&ing the principles of intellectual freedom and the professional responsibilit$ and integrit$ of the school. The following procedure will be followed in the e&ent of a complaint' The 3rincipal will be informed and the complainant will be asked to complete the B*e+uest for *econsideration of *esource #entre *esourcesC form. This form must be signed and dated b$ the complainant and returned to the office before further action will be taken. 0n receipt of the completed form! a *e&iew #ommittee will be established as outlined abo&e. %ach member of the *e&iew #ommittee will recei&e a cop$ of the complainant8s re+uest and a cop$ of the *esource #entre8s #ollection .e&elopment 3olic$ and will re&iew the resource independentl$! bearing in mind the principles of the freedom to learn and to read so that a decision is made on these principles rather than on the defence of indi&idual materials. The *e&iew #ommittee will meet within a fortnight to consider their decision and subse+uent course of action. This decision will be final. The complainant will be notified in writing of the result of the re+uest and the reasons for it. The challenged resource will not be remo&ed from the *esource #entre8s collection until the result of the re&iew is known.
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Request for Reconsi eration of Resource Centre Resource

3lease complete the following re+uest form regarding a specific *esource #entre resource. The School *e&iew #ommittee will consider $our re+uest and $ou will be notified of the decision in writing within two weeks. 3lease note the resource in +uestion will not be withdrawn from circulation until the #ommittee has made its decision. ?ame' GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.. "ddress'GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG... GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.GGGGGGGGGGGG. GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG GG.. 3hone' GGGGGGGGGG #hildren 4and $ear le&el5 enrolled at xxxx State High School' ...GGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG *esource .etails 4title! author etc5' GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG *easons for reconsideration 4please use a separate page to answer these +uestions5' 9. To what do $ou ob,ect in this resourceH 43lease be specific! citing page numbers5 ;. (h$ do $ou feel this resource is unsuitable for student useH <. #an $ou pro&ide independent e&idence 4re&iews! studies etc5 which support $our concerns about the possible effects of this resourceH =. Ha&e $ou readI&iewed the resource in its entiret$H If BnoC! then to what extent ha&e $ou readI&iewed itH 5. .o $ou belie&e there to be an$thing of &alue in the resourceH 6. How would $ou like $our concern to be resol&edH 43lease tick one5 JJJ JJJ JJJ JJJ do not allow m$ child to borrow it restrict its access to students of a particular age group 4which ageHJJJJ5 restrict its access to students under direct teacher super&ision withdraw it from all students as well as from m$ child .ate' GGGGGGG.

Signed' GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.
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