ASD Elementary Library: Library Policies

Vision

ASD Libraries serve to inspire and guide students. The libraries provide students with access to information and literature through dynamic virtual and physical spaces. The libraries are a center for collaboration, communication, and innovation.

Philosophy

The libraries offer a variety of resources and expertise to current ASD students, parents, and employees. The libraries encourage students to become lifelong learners by promoting a love of reading. The libraries support the curriculum, collaborate with faculty, and teach the skills necessary to meet academic and personal informational needs. 

Guiding Principles

• ASD libraries are safe spaces where the ASD community can be themselves and be welcomed.

• Patrons have the right to see themselves and discover other perspectives in library books and materials.

• Patrons follow the ASD Core Values: respect, responsibility, compassion, excellence, and integrity. 

• Patrons have the right to make responsible personal choices and respect others’ rights to choose their own materials.

• ASD libraries provide support for development of ASD attributes through resource curation, professional collaboration, and the overall library experience. 

• The ASD libraries follow the American Library Association Library Bill of Rights.

• ASD libraries follow the UAE data protection laws.

• ASD libraries and their patrons respect and practice the ethical use of information.

Please refer to the divisional handbooks for more information about the library programs in each division. 

Collection Development and Materials Selection Policy

1. Statement of Policy: The policy of The American School of Dubai Library is to provide a wide range of learning resources at varying levels of difficulty, with diversity of appeal, and different points of view to meet the needs of students and teachers.

2. Objectives of Selection: For the purposes of this statement of policy, the term “learning resources” will refer to any material with instructional content or function that is used for formal or informal teaching/learning purposes. These may include print, digital, and other media.

3. To this end, it is the responsibility of the library faculty and staff:

   • To provide materials that will enrich and support the curriculum, taking into consideration the varied interests, abilities, learning styles, and maturity levels of the students served;
   • To provide materials that will stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciation, aesthetic values, and societal standards, complex reasoning skills, and the habits of mind;
   • To provide materials on various sides of controversial issues so that young citizens may have an opportunity to develop with guidance the practice of critical analysis and to make informed judgments in their daily lives;
   • To provide materials representative of the many religious, ethnic, and cultural groups that contribute to national heritage and the world community;
   • To place principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice in the selection of materials of the highest quality in order to assure a comprehensive collection appropriate to the school community.

4. Responsibility for Selection of Learning Resources The professional librarians are responsible for the selection of learning resources, taking into consideration requests by students, faculty, staff, and the school community.

5. Criteria for Selection of Learning Resources: Learning resources shall meet high standards of quality in: artistic quality and/or literary style, educational significance, favorable reviews and/or recommendations, factual content, physical format, presentation, readability, technical quality 

6. In selecting learning resources, professional personnel will evaluate available resources and curriculum needs and will consult reputable, professionally prepared aids to selection and other appropriate sources. Among sources to be consulted are professional library journals, educational blogs, annual award lists and Follett Titlewave reviews and collection analyses.

7. Donated Materials Gift materials shall be judged by the criteria outlined in the library selection policy and shall be accepted or rejected by those criteria. Acceptance of donated materials does not imply that the materials will become part of the library collection. Donated items may be given to a teacher for classroom use or to individual students, to another institution, recycled or discarded.

Despite the quality of the selection process, occasional objections to library materials may be made. No materials shall be removed from the library pending a decision. The procedure concerning challenged materials is outlined below.

1. All complaints to staff members or administrators shall be reported to the librarians, whether received by telephone, letter, or personal conversation.

2. The librarian of the appropriate grade level shall contact the complainant to discuss the complaint and attempt to resolve it informally by explaining the library philosophies, including the materials selection, criteria, and process.

3. If the complaint is not resolved informally, the complainant will be given a Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials form to complete. If the complainant does not return the form within two weeks of receipt, the objection will be considered resolved. 

4. Upon receipt of a complete Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials form, a committee will be formed to consider the complaint. The committee will consist of the librarian(s), grade level administrator, and other staff members as deemed appropriate. Committee members will read the book and complete an Evaluation of Library Materials form.

5. The committee will meet to discuss the challenge. Using the principles of the Materials Selection Policy and professionally recognized review sources, the committee shall make a recommendation concerning the materials. The superintendent will be advised of the recommendation and the complainant notified of the decision.

Further guidance is available to the committee considering a challenge to library materials in "Challenged Materials: an Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights" at www.ala.org.