School Library Collection Policies Analyzed in New Research

CHICAGO – Newly published research from the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) peer-reviewed online journal, School Library Research (SLR), analyzes the status of selection policies in school libraries and whether the policies reflect the recommendations of professional literature. Articles can be accessed for free at www.ala.org/aasl/slr.

April M. Dawkins and Emily Eidson’s research examined policies from 80 school districts across the United States to determine the status of selection policies in school libraries and whether the policies contain components recommended by the “Selection & Reconsideration Policy Toolkit for Public, School, & Academic Libraries” published by the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom in 2018. The research team also sought to determine the overall effectiveness of policies by discussing the discrepancies between the toolkit and the sample selection policies.

Dawkins and Eidson share their results in the article “A Content Analysis of District School Library Selection Policies in the United States.” The research team determined that most of the school library selection policies included at least half of the expected key components. However, they state a need for school librarians to advocate for revision of policies to keep them current and provide effective guidance for school librarians as they make selections for their collections.

School Library Research (ISSN: 2165-1019) is the successor to School Library Media Research (ISSN: 1523-4320) and School Library Media Quarterly Online. The journal is peer-reviewed and indexed by H. W. Wilson’s Library Literature and by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology. It welcomes manuscripts that focus on high-quality original research concerning the management, implementation, and evaluation of school libraries.

The American Association of School Librarians, www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning.