Library Collection Policy

Mission Statement

Our mission is to equip students to serve Japan and the world for Christ by collaborating, instructing and providing resources to meet the educational needs of the school.

Responsibility

1. Responsibility for the selection of all library materials is delegated to the professional library staff. The selection process involves open opportunity for consultation with administrators, staff, students and community members.
2. Selection is based upon evaluation
   • By the professional library staff
   • In professional library tools and other review media
   • By other responsible professionals
3. In selecting materials, library staff are guided by CAJ’s mission statement and student objectives.
4. The collection will be developed systematically from both Christian and secular perspectives, representing differing viewpoints and presenting a well-balanced coverage of subjects and opinions. The collection will include a variety of formats (print, electronic, multimedia, etc.) and a wide range of current materials on various levels of difficulty supporting the diverse interests, learning styles, and viewpoints of the learning community. When possible, the library will also serve the needs of the CAJ community.

Criteria for Selection

1. Materials should support and be consistent with CAJ’s mission statement and student objectives. CAJ’s mission statement is as follows:
   • Equipping students to serve Japan and the world for Christ.
2. Materials should be selected to enrich and support both the curriculum and the personal needs of our students, staff, and community, taking into consideration diverse interests, abilities, maturity levels, and students’ extracurricular interests. Materials selected should encourage an appreciation for both informational and recreational reading, viewing, or listening.
3. Care will be taken to select materials of educational significance meeting standards of high quality in presentation, aesthetic character, artistic quality, literary style, factual content, authenticity, readability, accuracy, durability, and technical production.
4. Materials should be considered relating to their overall purpose and their direct relationship to the curriculum. Selected materials should support needs in the content areas and be appropriate to the variety of ages, developmental stages, ability levels, and learning styles represented by the student body.
5. Materials should be selected representing both Christian and secular perspectives on a variety of issues in order to challenge and enlarge a student’s vision to better equip them to minister to a needy world.
6. The literary style of a work should be appropriate and effective for the subject matter and its intended readers or viewers.
7. The value of any work must be examined as a whole. The impact of an entire work will be considered, transcending individual words, phrases and incidents. However, materials that use profanity, obscenity, or violence gratuitously will not be selected.
8. Resource sharing will be considered in purchasing decisions.
9. Materials will be purchased in a variety of formats with efforts made to incorporate emerging technology when they meet the criteria outlined above.
10. Gift materials will be evaluated by the criteria outlined above and shall be accepted or rejected in accordance with those criteria.

Procedures for Selection

The library staff will be responsible for the selection of materials. In this process, the library staff will do the following:

1. Use reputable, unbiased and professionally prepared selection aids. Among the sources to be consulted are:
   • ALA’s Award Winning book lists: Newbery, Printz, Coretta Scott King, Caldecott, Alex, Batchelder etc.
   • The Best in Children’s Books
   • Booklist
   • Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
   • Christian Home and School
   • Horn Book
   • Library Materials Guide - CSI
   • New York Times Book Review
   • Publisher’s Weekly
   • Reference Books for School Libraries
   • School Library Journal
   • VOYA
   • Such core collection tools as the Wilson Catalog series: Children’s Catalog, Junior High School Catalog, Senior High School Catalog
2. Generally acquire award-winning and noteworthy works in all fields.
3. Give preference to books recently published. Classic works in all fields of interest will be sought regardless of their publication date.
4. Consider the recommendations of staff, students, and community members.
5. Generally acquire, using the criteria outlined above, books selected by the international school librarians in Japan for the Sakura Reading Program.
6. Judge gift items by standard selection criteria and, upon acceptance of such items, reserve the right to incorporate into the collection only those meeting the above criteria.
7. Purchase duplicates of extensively used material.
8. Purchase replacements for worn, damaged, or missing materials basic to the collection.
9. Determine a procedure for preventative maintenance and repair of material.
10. The library collection will be governed by the following fundamental principles: appropriateness, educational potential, moral integrity, aesthetic excellence, and prudence.
    • Appropriateness: Christian standards – such as can be derived from the Bible (e.g., Philippians 4:8; Ephesians 5:4; I Peter 3:15-16; etc.) – shall be placed above personal opinion in selecting materials that are an honor to God and useful to His people.
    • Educational potential: Materials that have potential for enlarging a student’s vision, deepening his/her faith, and sharpening his/her sensitivity as a Christian human being shall be sought over those that are superficial or narrow in their scope or point of view.
    • Moral integrity: Reason and fairness shall be placed above ignorance and prejudice in selecting materials which fairly represent the current state of affairs in the world which God has made. Materials which present an honest, penetrating view of life, even though they may challenge or shock, will be considered if they meet the criteria outlined in this document.
    • Aesthetic excellence: Artistic excellence, engaging the student’s imagination and emotions, will be sought in materials which provide enjoyment and inspiration suitable to Christians.
    • Prudence: Wise care and foresight shall govern the purchase of materials which will retain value for our present and future educational needs.
      

Weeding

The collection of the library will be continually reevaluated in relation to evolving curriculum, new material formats, new instructional methods, and the current needs of its users. Materials no longer appropriate should be removed. Lost and worn materials of lasting value should be replaced. Weeding is essential to maintaining a relevant, attractive collection. Materials considered for weeding should include items:

• In poor physical condition.
• Containing obsolete subject matter.
• No longer needed to support the curriculum or student/faculty interests.
• Superseded by more current information.
• Containing inaccurate information.

Procedure for Reconsideration of Material

Guidelines

1. Any library patron may request reconsideration for the inclusion of any material in the CAJ library.
2. While under reconsideration, the material must remain available for general use until the entire reconsideration procedure has been completed.
3. If reconsideration procedures result in retaining the material, that material may not be reconsidered again for another two complete school years following the year in which it was originally evaluated. After that time, a new reconsideration request may be initiated.
4. If reconsideration procedures result in the withdrawal of a material, that material may not be reinstated into the collection for two complete school years following the year in which it was originally evaluated. After that time, with great discretion and consultation with the headmaster, the head librarian may reinstate the material into the collection if there is adequate need and rationale.

Procedures

Since a great variety of materials are used in the library, selections may occasionally cause concern or distress to some individuals. The CAJ library encourages free and informal discussions regarding any materials. In the event that a formal reconsideration is desired, this procedure should be followed.

1. The complainant should request a reconsideration form from the library staff.
2. A copy of the CAJ Library Collection Development Policy will be attached.
3. One copy of the reconsideration form should be submitted to the head librarian and one copy to the headmaster.
4. The material in question must be read, viewed, or listened to in its entirety in order to be reconsidered.

Request for Reconsideration of Materials Form

Request for Reconsideration of Materials

Adapted from Power Tools Recharged by Joyce Kasman Valenza 2004 and the Collection Development Policy of Faith Academy 1986.