Policy No. 4200: Library Materials

The school library media centers of the Cache School District exist to provide informational resources for teachers and students, to assist students in developing information literacy, research skills, digital citizenship, and to provide recreational reading opportunities. 

Collection Development 
School library collection development is the ongoing process of identifying strengths and needs of the school library’s collection of print, non-print, electronic resources, and equipment in relation to student and staff needs. School library media centers shall provide a broad range of educational, informational, and recreational reading resources. 

1. The selection of library resources and materials shall be done by library professionals at each school site using guidelines and criteria developed under the direction of the District Supervisor and approved by the District Director over Curriculum and Instruction. The criteria shall include at a minimum: 
   1. relationship to or support of curriculum; 
   2. developmental/maturity level of students; 
   3. format; 
   4. accuracy; 
   5. timeliness;
   6. reliability; 
   7. provision of a balanced collection; 
   8. recreation needs of students; 
   9. representation of diverse cultures, languages, traditions, values, needs, and lived experiences; 
   10. overall literary quality; 
   11. quality of illustrations; and 
   12. legality 
2. Requests and suggestions of students, parents, and faculty which fit these criteria may also be considered. 
3. Deselection is essential to maintain a current, relevant, up-to-date collection. The school's professional library staff should periodically review its collection to determine which materials should be removed or replaced. Materials to consider for deselection should include those that are:
   1. in poor physical condition. However, literary quality, availability of replacement, and if a work is appropriate for a collection should be considered; 
   2. superseded by more current information or contain subject matter no longer needed to support the curriculum; 
   3. receiving little use; 
   4. providing wrong, inaccurate, or dated information; 
   5. encouraging stereotypes or biases; 
   6. deemed inappropriate for the school library community. 
4. Donations
   1. Organizations and individuals frequently express an interest in donating books and other resources to the District's school library media centers. 
   2. Donation of a book or material does not guarantee the book or material will be placed in a District library media center. Professional library staff must review potential library media center donations using the criteria for selection of purchased material. 
   3. Under the direction of the District Media Specialist, additional criteria may be established for consideration of donated materials. 
5. Inventory of Library Collection 
   1. The school's library professional is responsible to maintain a regular inventory materials and equipment. 
   2. A formal inventory shall be conducted at least every two years to assess the library collection and help with selection and acquisition of materials and equipment. 

Parental Restriction of Individual Student Access 
The District recognizes the right of parents under state law to restrict their child's access to materials the parent deems inappropriate. However, no parent has the right to make that decision on behalf of other students. 

Parents desiring to restrict their own child's access to specific library books or materials shall submit the request in writing to the library professional at the school their child is attending. 

Challenged Library Material Procedures 

1. A formal challenge of library media materials (challenge) may only be made by: 
   1. a parent desiring action beyond restricting their own child's access to a particular book or material contained in the library media center of the school his/her child attends; 
   2. a student who attends the school; or 
   3. an administrator of the school.  
2. The challenge process shall not apply to primary instructional materials used by a classroom teacher. Primary instructional material means a comprehensive basal or Core textbook or integrated instructional program for which a publisher seeks a recommendation for Core subjects designed in Utah. 
3. School Level Challenge
   1. A completed Request for Reconsideration of Library or Instructional Material Form (Reconsideration Form) must be submitted to the school’s library media professional. 
   2. Upon receipt of the completed Reconsideration Form, the library professional will notify the District Supervisor of the request and call a meeting of the Library Media Advisory School Committee (”LMA School Committee”) to introduce the request. The LMA School Committee shall consist of an odd number of voting members (not less than five) and may include:
      1. an administrator or designee, 
      2. a department chair or grade level teacher, 
      3. one or more parent representative(s) 
      4. a student representative where appropriate. 
   3. The material in question will remain in use during the challenge process. 
   4. The school library professional will provide the LMA School Committee members access to the challenged material as well as public written reviews of the material from professional review sources. The LMA School Committee members will be assigned to read, view, or listen to the material in its entirety as well as the reviews.
   5. If the challenge is to determine whether the material constitutes sensitive material consistent with Section 53G-10-103 and the guidance memorandum provided by the Attorney General's Office dated June 1, 2022, the LMA School Committee must:
      1. consider all elements of the definitions of pornographic or indecent materials as defined in Utah Code Sections 76-10-1235, 76-10-1201, 76-10-1203, and 76-10-1227; and
      2. whether the materials are both content and age-appropriate. 
   6. In deciding whether the material is both content and age-appropriate, the LMA School Committee must consider the material taken as a whole and consider whether it has serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors, which may include the following objective criteria:
      1. reliable, expert reviews of the material or other objective sources;
      2. committee members' experience and background; and
      3. community standards.
   7. In deciding whether the material taken as a whole has serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value as described in Subsection 6, the LMA School Committee should consider that: 
      1. serious value does not mean any value; and
      2. greater protections should exist concerning content for a library in an elementary or a middle school setting. 
   8. The LMA School Committee will determine the amount of time needed for an adequate review of material to make a thorough and thoughtful decision and inform the requestor of the determined timeline with a preference for 30 school days where possible and no longer than 60 school days. When the LMA School Committee reconvenes, the parent has the option to meet with the School Committee to present his/her views. 
   9. The LMA School Committee will deliberate the issues and reach a decision. A decision is made by a majority vote. The LMA School Committee will decide whether to retain the material in the library media center, relocate the material within the library media center, or remove the materials from the library media center. 
   10. The requestor will be notified of the LMA School Committee’s decision in writing within a reasonable time period. 
   11. The LMA School Committee Chair shall create a summary of the deliberations to keep on file for a minimum of four years. 
   12. The same material cannot be challenged at the same school for at least three years. 
   13. A school may limit the number of challenges by a single individual, if the challenges are of a similar nature with a similar resolution. 
4. District Level Appeal Process 
   1. If the requestor is not satisfied with the decision of the LMA School Committee, he/she may appeal the decision through the district level appeal process. 
   2. The requestor shall submit a written request for a district level appeal along with a copy of the original Reconsideration Form to the District Media Specialist within ten (10) school days of receiving the decision from the LMA School Committee. 
   3. The material in question will continue to be used as determined by the LMA School Committee during the district level appeal process. 
   4. The District Media Specialist will convene a District Appeal Committee and provide them with access to the original Reconsideration Form, summary of deliberations from the LMA School Committee, a copy of the challenged material, and public written reviews of the material from professional review sources. The District Appeal Committee will consist of an odd number of voting members (not less than five), and may include: a. a member of the superintendency or designee,  
      1. one or more parent representative(s), 
      2. the Director of Secondary Teaching and Learning or designee, 
      3. a school board member, 
      4. a student representative where appropriate, 
      5. an elementary and/or secondary library media professional, and 
      6. teacher(s).
   5. The District Appeal Committee members will read, view, or listen to the challenged material in its entirety as well as the reviews, summary of the deliberations, and Reconsideration Form. 
   6. The District Appeal Committee will determine the amount of time needed for an adequate review of material to make a thorough and thoughtful decision. The District Media Specialist will inform the requestor of the determined timeline with a preference for 30 school days where possible and no longer than 60 school days. The requestor will have the option to then meet with the District Appeal Committee to present his/her views. 
   7. The District Appeal Committee will deliberate the issues and reach a decision. A decision is made by a majority vote. The District Appeal Committee will decide whether to retain the material in the library media center, relocate the material within the library media center, or remove the material from the library. This decision will only apply to the library media center from which the challenge originated. 
   8. The requestor, the library professional, and the school principal from the school where the challenge originated will be notified of the District Appeal Committee’s decision in writing within a reasonable timeframe. This response shall serve as the final administrative action in the matter. 

School Level Guidelines 

1. The library media professional at each school library shall establish written guidelines for the operation of the school library media center. 
2. The District Media Specialist may develop model guidelines. 
3. The District Media Specialist and the school principal shall be responsible to approve individual school library media center guidelines. 
4. At a minimum, the guidelines shall include:
   1. procedures and timelines for circulation of materials;
   2. scheduling of library media center; 
   3. fines and replacement of lost or damaged materials; 
   4. computer access; and
   5. rules and expectations for student behavior. 

Forms and Related Policies 

1. Copyright Policy: The school’s library professional is responsible to follow the Cache District Copyright Policy (3000: General Policies Copyright ) and to educate administration, staff, and students in compliance with the policy. 
2. Educational Video/DVD/Electronic Media Policy: The school’s library professional is responsible to follow the Cache District Educational Video/DVD/Electronic Media Policy (8000: Instruction - Educational Video/DVD/Electronic Media) and to educate administration, staff and students in compliance with the policy.

Legal References:

Attorney General's Guidance Memorandum R277-628 

Administrative Code R277-700-4, 5, and 6.

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