Each school shall provide a library/media program which shall, as a minimum, meet the applicable state and/or regional standards, but shall not be limited to these, and shall include the following:
A written set of instructional and service objectives shall be established that is integrated and consistent with the school's educational goals and philosophy. The librarian or educational media specialist, with students and staff, shall set objectives based on assessed academic and residential needs. The program and services will be evaluated yearly by the principal and the librarian or educational media specialist to determine the degree to which all objectives have been met.
A written policy for the selection of materials and equipment shall be developed by a library committee in collaboration with the librarian and be approved by the school board. The collection of materials shall include as a minimum the following:
A collection of books suitable for the range of student abilities and interests being served in the following ADM ratios.
Elementary K-6, 15 books per student
Middle 7-8, 12 books per student
Secondary 9-12, 10 books per student
Eight (8) to 12 percent of the basic collection must be composed of reference books, currently relevant and in a state of good physical condition, for practical use. Single copies of the principal textbooks used to complement instruction shall be in the collection, but textbooks cannot be counted toward this standard.
A periodical collection, suitable for the range of student abilities and interests being served, consisting of one (1) periodical for every ten (10) students, shall be maintained. Schools of over 200 will have a base collection of 20 periodicals.
A professional collection for the school staff shall be developed and maintained by the librarian in cooperation with a faculty committee.
A variety of audio-visual materials, suitable for the range of instruction being provided, of at least 750 items or five (5) items for each student, whichever is larger, and inclusive of materials located in the classrooms shall be maintained. This category includes some of each of the following: Tactile objects, globes, models, maps, films, film-strips, microforms, slides, audio and video tapes, recordings, transparencies and graphics, and the equipment to use all of these. Multiple items within a specific set of materials will be counted as separate items.
There shall be a library media center serviced by a librarian. Schools with fewer than 200 students are encouraged, wherever feasible, to cooperate in sharing librarian resources. Schools within an Agency and/or Area may cooperatively share the costs and services of a librarian who shall facilitate sharing of the combined available resources among the cooperating schools in accordance with the following ratios:
All libraries must conduct an annual inventory of available books, materials, and equipment in accordance with the acquisitions and selection policies.