Frequently Asked Questions

Library media selection is dictated by policies IIAC & IIAC-R1 and Kirkwood’s Library Media Procedures Manual.  The selection process involves regular input from a range of individuals, including students, teachers, principals, parents, and community members.  The ultimate responsibility for identification and purchase of resources rests with library media specialists, who place principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice in the selection of high quality materials.  Library media center resources include, but are not limited to, books, magazines, online databases, and digital materials.

Library media specialists are required, through our selection procedures, to evaluate resource options and consult multiple professionally-recognized reviews and reference aids.  These reviews typically include recommended age spans of readers, used as a guide in considering the varied interests, needs, abilities, and maturity levels of students served.  Our librarians regularly consult reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus Review, Horn Book Guide, Booklist, and/or Publisher's Weekly.  Websites such as Common Sense Media and GoodReads may also be used, typically in support of the journals listed.  It is important to note that books that have been reviewed for library purchase, and thus for voluntary checkout by readers, may not be equally suitable for instructional use by all students in a classroom or school.

As mentioned above, we always encourage families to discuss concerns with teachers and/or their school’s librarian.  If concerns cannot be resolved, the procedures outlined in Policies KLB and KLB-AP(1) are also applicable to materials available in our library media centers.  Additional information about the Request for Reconsideration process can be found in Kirkwood’s Library Media Procedures Manual.