The library media center strives to provide a warm, inviting, and safe learning environment that is open and accessible to all school patrons every school day from 7:45 am – 3:45 pm. The certified library media specialist is charged with the day-to-day operation of the library media center. 

Individual Student Passes:

Students are encouraged to visit the library media center as often as they need to before and after school, during class time, and during lunch.

Students given permission to visit during class time should have a class-related objective and a proper school-issued pass from their teacher. Teachers may send up to 5 students at a time. Each individual student should have his or her own pass. This is to insure each student has permission to visit, help monitor each student while in the library media center, and provide an individual record of each student’s arrival and departure times.

Passes to visit the library media center must be written for an academic function such as:

• research;
• recreational reading;
• circulation of materials;
• computer use;
• printing;
• specific project or assignment completion;
• small group work (1 group of 5 or less; multiple groups from one class should be scheduled by the teacher as a class)

Students can receive a lunch pass from the library media specialist so they can visit during lunch to checkout materials, read, research, or use computers.

Class Reservations:

If more than 5 students from a single class need to visit, the teacher should schedule the class to visit as a whole and reserve the needed space within the library media center with the library media specialist at least a day in advance. The library media specialist offers teacher assistance in using information resources, planning class projects and assignments, and incorporating information literacy skills into classroom curriculum.

Behavior Policy

Users are expected to act responsibly, respect the rights of others, and be productive while in the library media center.

Users are expected to adhere to the districts’ established code of conduct.

Student users must have an appropriate pass and reason for visiting the library media center such as recreational reading, checking out a book, researching information, or completing a class assignment.

Users are expected to conduct their business without disrupting others.

Students utilizing computers and the internet must have the district’s Acceptable Use Policy Form on file in the library media center that is signed by both the student and his/her parent/guardian.

Users are expected to ensure the library media center furnishings and materials are left in an orderly fashion.

• Chairs are to be pushed under the table.
• Chairs or tables moved are to be moved back to their original place.
• Books removed from shelves and used in the library media center are to be placed on the book cart at the end of the service desk.
• All trash is to be placed in the trash can.
• Tape dispensers, scissors, staplers, pens, pencils, and other items borrowed from the service desk are to be returned to the service desk.
• Prints are to be picked up from and paid for at the service desk.

Users are responsible for all items checked out to them.

Food and Drink Policy:

To protect and maintain resources, consuming food and drink in the library media center is prohibited. Users must place all open food and drink in the trash upon entering the media center. Users are not to conceal opened food and drink in bags or clothing. If caught consuming food and drink in the media center, users will be asked to leave and reported to ISS. Any unopened food or drink must be placed in bookbags and placed on the floor while users are in the library media center. 

Rules:

1. Follow directions.
2. Treat fellow students, teachers, and staff with respect.
3. Use an inside speaking voice.
4. Treat library resources and equipment with respect.
5. Put away all food and drink before entering the library media center.

Consequences of Breaking the Rules:

1. First offense will result in a warning.
2. Second offense will result in being sent back to the classroom teacher.
3. Third offense will result in losing library privileges for the week unless accompanied by the classroom teacher.
4. Fourth offense will result in losing library privileges for the remainder of the semester unless accompanied by the classroom teacher.
5. On cases of extreme actions and behaviors, students will be sent to an administrator.

Collection Development Policy

Collections:

The library media center provides access to a variety of print and electronic resources to meet the recreational reading, research, and other informational needs of the users. Collections include the following:

• Print Fiction Collection
• Print Non-fiction Collection
• Print Graphic Novel Collection
• Print Periodicals Collection
• Print Picture Book Collection
• Print Professional Collection
• Movie Collection
• Playbook Collection
• Electronic Books (E-books)
• Electronic Databases

To encourage an up-to-date age appropriate collection with volumes based on school enrollment, the library media center follows the guidelines and standards set forth by the South Carolina State Department of Education (See the South Carolina Standards for School Library Resource Collections at (http://www.scasl.net/assets/standards_school_library_resource_collections.pdf)

Materials Selection:

Materials are selected to support the curriculum and instructional program of the school as well as the needs and interests of all patrons (i.e., students, teachers, administrators, and support staff). The library media center provides materials in a wide range of difficulty, in a variety of formats, representing multiculturalism and differing points of view.

The certified library media specialist is charged with the day-to-day operation of the library media center, including the coordination and selection of all purchases of materials for the resource collection. The library media specialist is encouraged to seek assistance and advice from administrators, teachers, curriculum specialists, teaching assistants, students, parents, and others affiliated with the school when ordering materials for the library media center. However, the final decision rests with the library media specialist.

The library media specialist relies on the following to determine needs for the collection:

• collection analysis to determine if the collection aligns with the current school curriculum and covered course topics;
• faculty requests for information and resources for instruction; and
• student requests for information and resources for course completion and reading interests

Criteria for Selection:

The following criteria are recommended as a guide to selecting the best resources for the library media center:

• support of the curriculum and the educational goals of the school;
• lasting importance or significance to a field of knowledge;
• authoritative and accuracy of the information;
• literary and artistic excellence;
• favorable reviews found in standard selection sources;
• favorable recommendations by educational professionals based on preview and examination of materials;
• reputation and significance of the author, illustrator, or publisher;
• contribution to the diversity of the collection on controversial issues;
• contribution to multicultural awareness;
• timeliness or permanence of the material;
• appeal to student readers; and
• suitability for intended use.

Fiction works are selected with a goal of enriching the insight and understanding of oneself and those with whom one lives and works, representing an honest portrayal of some problem, aspect of life, experience, or point of view which broadens or increases understanding of human nature and society.

Non-fiction works are selected that present accurate, authoritative, scholarly information that support the topics being studied in the courses offered at the school and the research needs of the school population.

Materials on controversial issues shall be selected with care to insure a balanced representation of varying points of view in accordance with the American Library Association Library Bill of Rights.

Reviewing Tools:

Reviews in professional library journals, listservs, and websites are used as a basis for selection. These tools include, but are not limited to the examples below:

School Library Journal

Booklist

VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)

Book awards

Donations:

Materials given as gifts or donations which meet the standards generally employed for selection may be added to the collection. If they are not deemed suitable or useful, they may be given away or discarded. All donations will be acknowledged.

Weeding:

To maintain an up-to-date, attractive, and currently useful collection, a continuous program of discarding, replacing, and mending is conducted in accordance with current professional standards. Print materials which are outdated, superseded, discredited, in poor condition, or no longer of interest are weeded from the collection. The same selection criteria used in acquiring new materials will be applied in deciding whether or not to keep a specific item in the collection. Weeded materials may be offered to users as free books, offered to charities or other libraries, or discarded.