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Library Materials Selection Process

How are school literary materials selected?

  • Site library staff selects materials with oversight of site principal.
  • Materials are evaluated using professional selection aids and standards such as Ed Code, Board Policy (BP) and Administrative Regulation (AR).
  • Recommendations from administrators, teachers, staff, parent/guardians, and students as appropriate are considered when making selections.
  • Materials that are obsolete or no longer appropriate are removed.

What is the selection criteria when assessing the addition of school library materials?

Using professional selection aids and standards, materials should:

  • Support and enrich curriculum and/or students’ interests
  • Be age appropriate
  • Offer differing viewpoints
  • Promote diversity by including authors and illustrators from a variety of cultures, identities, beliefs, and ideologies

What are the professional selection aids and resources used to assess school library materials?

  • Junior Library Guild
  • Booklist
  • Accelerated Reader (AR) Bookfinder
  • School Library Journal
  • California Young Readers
  • Kirkus
  • Follet/ Titlewave
  • American Library Association
  • Epic Reads
  • Livermore Public Library
  • Goodreads
  • Destiny Catalogs
  • National Award Winning Book Lists
  • Scholastic Books
  • Literati
  • Publishers’ Recommendations

Process for Challenges to Library Materials

Challenges to school library materials follow our District’s Board Policy 1312.2 & Administrative Regulation 1312.2, Complaints Concerning Instructional Materials. Challenges concerning instructional materials may be taken from staff, District residents, or the parents/guardians of students enrolled in an LVJUSD school. The process for a challenge is as follows:

  • Step 1- Informal Complaint: Parents/guardians are encouraged to discuss any concerns regarding instructional materials with their child’s teacher or principal. Complainants without students at a school site, should contact the school principal.

  • Step 2- Formal Complaint: If the concern could not be resolved at the school site with a teacher or principal, a LVJUSD Citizen’s Request for Reconsideration of a Library Book Form can be completed and turned in to the site principal, who will forward to the Superintendent.
  • Step 3- Superintendent’s Determination: Upon review of the form, the Superintendent shall either issue a decision or convene a review committee. The committee would include staff members from relevant instructional and administrative areas, and may include community members.

  • Step 4- Review Committee: If a review committee is convened, it will evaluate the submitted request against established Board Policy and selection criteria (as outlined above); submit a written report of findings to the Superintendent within 30 days; and the complainant will be notified of the decision within 15 days of the report being received.

  • Step 5- Appeal to Board of Education: If unsatisfied with the decision of the review committee, the complainant can appeal the decision to the Board of Education.

LVJUSD Citizen’s Request for Reconsideration of a Library Book Form