Northwest Accreditation
STANDARD IV - Library Media Program
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PRINCIPLE :
The school library media program is a primary resource for literacy, information and curriculum support. The school library media program, through the coordination efforts of a certified library media specialist, contributes to the achievement of the desired results for student learning by providing instruction, resources, and activities that enable students and staff to become effective, independent users of ideas and information for lifelong learning.

A. Desired Results for Student Learning

1. Students demonstrate the ability to locate, evaluate, interpret, and communicate information and ideas for intellectual development, personal enjoyment, and lifelong learning.
   
2. Students demonstrate media literacy skills including ethical use of information and information technology.
3. Students demonstrate the ability to learn independently and adopt habits and attitudes of lifelong learning.
   
4. Students demonstrate the ability to recognize and identify their information needs and show self-confidence in solving information problems.
5. Students develop media literacy skills and critical thinking processes necessary to analyze information and opinions in order to develop new understandings and make informed decisions.
   
6. Students demonstrate the ability to explore the ideas and creative achievements of a variety of people from many cultures and times.

B. Access
The library media program is available to individual students and class groups throughout the day.

C. Staffing
The library media program is supervised by a certified library media specialist.

1. Schools with an enrollment exceeding 250 have a full-time certified library media specialist.
   
2. Schools with more than 500 students have additional library media personnel.
   
3. Library staff in schools of fewer than 251 students need not be certified, but are under the supervision of a certified library media specialist.
   
4. Non-certified personnel are under the supervision of a certified library media specialist.

D. Facilities

1. The library media facility provides an inviting environment that is conducive to student learning.
   
2. The library media facility is of sufficient size and flexibility to accommodate a variety of functions simultaneously.

E. Resources

1. Sufficient financial resources are available on an annual basis to provide space, time, materials, equipment, and media access to maximize potential for all students.
   
2. The collection is renewed annually at a minimum rate of five percent of the total collection.
   
3. The library media program provides print, non-print, and electronic materials that directly support school goals and curriculum reflecting a diversity of learning styles, levels of skill, and cultural differences.
   
4. The library media program provides a quality fiction and non-fiction collection that reflects students' individual reading levels and interests.
   
5. The collection is augmented by the use of community and global resources.
   
6. Electronic resources are available to provide technical access in proportion to the number of students being simultaneously served.
   
7. A written selection policy, including a challenged material's statement, is used to continually evaluate the quality, depth, and breadth of the collection.
   
8. All library media materials are cataloged and accessible.
   
9. The school has a minimum number of volumes, exclusive of government documents and textbooks as follows:
   
   1. Middle level and high schools with enrollments of fewer than 200 students have a minimum of 2,500 volumes.
      
   2. Middle level and high schools with enrollment equal to or greater than 200 must have a minimum of 10 volumes per student, but need not exceed 12,500 volumes.
      
   3. Elementary, K-12, and special purpose schools have a minimum of 15 volumes per student or 3,000 volumes, whichever is greater.

NOTE: A variance of up to 50% shall be allowed for schools supplementing their nonficition collection with equivalent volumes using electronic access and/or microfiche.

F. Alternative Resources
If outside resources are used to meet standards, those resources are listed and a description of how they are used is provided.

Contact: State Library Media Specialist Georgia Loutensock at
Georgia.Loutensock@schools.utah.gov or Telephone (801)538-7789

This page was last updated August 3, 2006