Selection Principles and Criteria

UGA : COE : EPIT : SLM : MAF : 6340 : Topics : Selection Principles & Criteria

Required Readings

Bishop 4
Bishop 7
Bishop 8 (for specific format criteria)

Supplemental Readings & Materials

MAF's commentaries on Bishop 4, 7, 8: see eLC 6340 Resources.

Standards

3.3C Translates for the school the ways in which the LMP can enhance school improvement efforts

Discussion Points
Criteria first, because they're smaller:

"Criteria" - general meaning; relationship to rubrics
Selection "criteria" : what does text say?
Examples
Choosing and creating your own

Selection Criteria in practice

Overall: synthesizing an informed opinion (what if some judgments are negative and others are positive?)
What is the place of popular/social review as a Selection Tool? How do criteria (personal? corporate?) figure into this? Example: The Golden Compass (Pullman, 1996), or any controversial topic
Criteria and how they fit into selection policies (Selection Policy: Principles & Criteria Assignment)

On top of everything you have program goals, which lead in part to ...
... Annual selection targets.
Targets must have rationales.
Program philosophy influences selection principles and criteria.
General selection criteria: these apply to most items, regardless of format. These might be: currency; sturdiness; multicultural sensitivity; age appropriateness; etc.
Make sure your criteria each indicate a positive quality. Here, I differ with Bishop on certain ones - as discussed in commentaries.
Specific criteria...

The issue of meeting all versus some selection criteria: I discourage you from inferring in your SP that all of a long list of criteria be met. In the selection process, how are criteria applied? It is probably not reasonable to expect every item purchased to meet every criterion.
In your Selection Policy, you list criteria. In your Order, you demonstrate their application.
Another take: Cohort7 blog, 17Jan08

Selection Principles

These are general statements that govern how materials are selected.
They should change little over the years.
These present a fine opportunity to express many of your program values. Ideas:

Support of leisure reading
Support of personal interests of learners (which can vary significantly from the curriculum)
Support of the curriculum

Bishop, p. 42: she uses the term "Selection Objectives" for what I would call "Selection Principles." Again, it doesn't matter so much what they are called; the important thing is that they be there under some label.
At times, criteria and principles seem to overlap. This is not a big problem.
Think of principles as how we go about selecting materials, from a philosophical point of view. Think of criteria as how we judge materials. Think of procedures as how we go about selecting materials, from a pragmatic point of view.
One way to start establishing Selection Principles might be to examine your Mission Statement and Philosophy, and identify which statements therein will guide selection, generally speaking.

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References

Bishop, K. (2007). The collection program in schools: Concepts, practices, and information scources (4th ed.). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
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Morris, B.J. (2004). Administering the school library media center (4th ed.). Westport, CN: Libraries Unlimited. ISBN 1-59158-183-4.
Pullman, P. (1996). The golden compass. New York: Knopf.

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Page history: refreshed 1-28-09, 1-14-2010, 1-25-2011.