- Library
Organization and Accelerated Reader Program
- Policy Statement
Easy and frequent access by
students to a full range of quality reading materials is a primary goal of
educators. To expedite access, library media
collections, paired with creative programming, provide resources and services
specifically targeted toward the interest, information, and enlightenment of all
students within the educational setting. Consequently, library media
specialists and library advisory boards have a professional obligation to ensure
that all students they serve have free, equal, and equitable access to the
entire range of library media resources at all times.
Ethical professional
practice requires that library media collections are arranged according to a
library classification system structure. School library media collections
traditionally use the Dewey Decimal Classification System (DDCS). In this
arrangement, each item is assigned a call number that consists of the DDCS
number and an accompanying subarrangement code (i.e., 599 SRA). Professional practices
strongly encourage all circulating print materials to be intershelved. If
specialized collections are locally requested, the DDCS should be adhered to for
these areas of the collection also.
To further facilitate
access, the online catalog, which provides the DDCS number, is searched by
author, title, subject, or key word. In some catalogs (i.e., SUNLINK)
other types of searches are available such as those based on the reading levels
associated with reading motivation programs (i.e., Accelerated Reader
or Reading Counts). Consequently, online catalogs facilitate multiple
search strategies to locate an item, meeting a curriculum or interest need, as
well as a specified reading level requirement. Therefore, the combination of
shelf organization and searchable online catalog facilitates access to
information for all curriculum areas and for personal interest needs.
Additionally, basic library
structure should be taught to students from infancy through 12th
grade, progressing from the Easy book collection organization to an awareness of
the Library of Congress Classification System. An understanding of these
organizational systems reinforces usage of school and public libraries, as well
as technical and academic institutions. President George Bush stated that “long
after students leave the formal classroom, they should continue to use public
libraries as their ‘schoolroom for lifetime learning.’” Continuous practical
application of using the DDCS and the online catalog while in school prepares
students for a lifetime of library usage and learning.
In summary, the partnership
of the classification system and the online catalog facilitate access to
information for personal and curriculum needs. By teaching students to use
these tools, educators provide the learning skills needed for them to function
flexibly and knowledgeably during the acquisition of information and reading
materials.
(This policy statement came
from the Library Media Services Department of the Florida Department of
Education.)
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