L i b r a r y   P o l i c i e s
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Statement of Purpose The Main Library at Saint Ann's School endeavors to promote critical thinking skills, problem solving strategies, intellectual curiosity, and a love of reading and literature for all students, faculty and staff. In meeting these goals the library will: Support and enhance the academic and creative arts curriculum. Maintain a collection (print, electronic and audio visual material) which attempts to stimulate the intellect and imagination of every patron. Provide an inviting, supportive and functional environment. Provide bibliographic instruction to every individual within the school community, during both scheduled classes and impromptu moments. Impart our passion for books. About the library The Main Library at Saint Ann's School serves approximately 720 students in grades 4 through 12, as well as over 200 faculty and staff. The collection includes approximately 26,000 books, as well as videos, records, subscriptions to 37 periodicals, and many electronic databases. Information about the Lower School Library (serving Kindergarten through 3rd grade) is available at: Lower School Library. Within the library, there is a Juvenile Section for books geared towards the younger members of our community. However, all students are permitted to check out any material. Librarians are available to discuss the choice with the students. Using the Library The Main Library operates an “open door” policy. High school students and faculty are free to use the library at any time during the day. Occasionally, the library will close for a period due to a particular research project, such as the 5th grade Language Structures paper. Middle school students are free to use the library during lunch and study periods; a restricting factor would be a scheduled research project or simply too many students in the library. Children through 5th grade need to be accompanied by a parent or caregiver if using the library after school. Cell phones and iPods High school students may use iPods and walkmans in the Library. However, the volume must be low and there is no sharing of headphones. Middle school students are not permitted to use iPods or walkmans in the Library. Cell phones are not to be used in the Library. Material selection policy Selecting books for the Main Library is an on-going process that occurs throughout the year. Books are selected in an effort to support the curriculum, both academic and creative arts, foster a love of reading, support the research of a particular student or faculty member, or simply to aid a student in the development of his or her passion. The librarians are responsible for selecting books. Suggestions from students and faculty are welcome. Requests are usually honored if the criteria for selection are met and the budget permits the purchase. Criteria for book selection: Accuracy and authority of resource Potential usefulness for school community Quality of material (format and physical durability) Currency of information Price of material Accessibility of information Literary quality, historical value, or artistic merit of material The Main Library at Saint Ann's supports an individual's Freedom to Read and adheres to the American Library Association's Bill of Rights. Selecting electronic databases is also a process which continues throughout the year. Subscriptions to databases are purchased on a yearly basis and their usefulness is evaluated prior to renewing the subscription. Librarians are continuously “trialing” new databases to determine their appropriateness for the Saint Ann's community. Databases are purchased, not to replace books within the library, but rather to increase the accessibility to information for students and faculty. The databases selected are varied in content and scope. Some databases, such as the Encyclopedia Britannica are broad-based, general-use resources, while others, such as ScienceDirect and JSTOR are more in-depth and academically oriented. Databases are subject to the same selection criteria as books, with the addition of: User-friendliness of web interface Availability of full-text articles It should be noted that some databases are available free through the New York State Library while others are purchased using NYSSL funds and as such are subject to vendor restrictions as dictated through the Department of Education. Resources for selection Books and databases are selected by consulting some, but not necessarily all of the following resources. In addition, selection is not limited to the information available in these resources. American Library Association Award winning titles Booklinks Horn Books Kirkus Reviews Library Journal New York Review of Books New York Times Book Review School Library Journal YALSA The Main Library makes every effort to support the authors within the Saint Ann's community (student, faculty, alumni, and parent), regardless of reviews. The Main Library accepts gifts and donations of material for both the library and the annual second-hand book sale. The librarians reserve the right to determine whether donated material will be added to the collection in the library or sold in the book sale. The librarians are happy to acknowledge the receipt of donations on school library stationary. However, the librarians will not attempt to place a value on donations. Library computer and internet use policy Within the Main Library it is understood that computers should be used in a responsible, ethical and legal fashion. The primary use of computers within the library, including the internet, is to be for research and creative purposes. This definitely includes, but is not limited to, school-related projects. Students and faculty may check e-mail, but it is understood that students doing research or schoolwork take priority. Middle school students should ask a librarian for permission before using the internet. The library does not have filters on the computers and trusts students and faculty to use the internet appropriately. It is unacceptable to: Violate the privacy of anyone inside or outside the Saint Ann's community Copy materials in violation of copyright law Plagiarize someone else's work Disrupt the functioning of the computers in the library (including, but not limited to breaking into computer security software, disconnecting printers, altering the desktop, attempting to download programs, removing the mouse balls). Web link policy The Main Library maintains a website which provides information about the library, as well as access to the catalog, subscription databases, and library publications such as the Library Bulletin, Summer Reading Lists and the 4th Grade Book Review. In addition, the library provides links to other libraries, such as the New York and Brooklyn Public Library as well as other websites thought to be useful for students and faculty. The librarians select the majority of the linked websites and use the same material selection criteria that are used for books and other materials. The library encourages collaboration with other departments and welcomes links to websites submitted by faculty members. The library makes an effort to ensure that links on our webpage remain current, active, useful and appropriate for our community, however, it would be impossible to guarantee this given the nature of the web. Procedure for challenged materials We are a community which values communication; as such we hope that any objections concerning materials in the library collection can be discussed in a friendly manner and preferably resolved informally. If this is not possible, than the inquirer will be asked to complete a Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials form. The form should be given to the librarian, who will then take up the matter with the Head of School, the Faculty/Curriculum Coordinator, and the appropriate Division Head. It is imperative that everyone evaluating the material, as well as the inquirer, read the material in its entirety. A decision should be made promptly. The challenged material should remain in circulation during the process. Circulation policies All materials should be checked out using the automated circulation system. Every student and faculty/staff member has been designated a barcode ID which is stored in the library database. School ID cards may also be used. All students and faculty are permitted to check out up to 5 books for a three week period. If more books are needed for a particular project, exceptions will be made. Books may be renewed if no one else is waiting for them. Books must be brought back to the library in order to be renewed. Videos are subject to the same circulation guidelines as books. Magazines are permitted to be signed out overnight, but it is preferred that they are read in the library. Reference materials are non-circulating unless special permission is granted. A television with a VCR and DVD player is available to use either within the library or in a classroom if scheduled in advance. A portable record player and a slide projector are available to borrow if scheduled in advance. Reserve books are to be used in the library, unless a teacher gives special permission. These materials are to be signed out manually, not electronically. Overdue notices will be sent to students and faculty periodically. No fines will be collected for books returned late. At the end of the school year, students will be billed for unreturned and lost books. Library curriculum 4th grade: Middle school students become acquainted with the Main Library in 4th grade during their scheduled library class which meets once a week in small groups. During this time, students select books and are read to from a chapter book. No anecdotal reports are written, nor is any homework expected. In addition, history teachers often schedule classes in the library to research various countries or Native American tribes. 5th grade Students spend a week in the library with their Language Structures class learning how to use the library to do research for a paper on New York City. Students work in groups of 3 or 4 with a librarian or teacher and receive individualized attention and instruction. In addition, history teachers often assign short papers where students are expected to research in the library. 6th and 7th grade History and science teachers often schedule classes in the library to research topics for numerous small papers and projects. 8th grade Students are expected to complete a lengthy paper with their Humanities classes on a topic of their choice. Students are given extensive bibliographic instruction in the library. In addition, 8th grade science classes use the library to conduct research for a project about diseases. 9th grade Bibliographic instruction continues with the 9th grade history research paper (or several shorter papers). 10th, 11th, 12th grade Research projects conducted in the library vary depending on the electives the students have chosen. However, English, history and science classes make use of the materials available, as well as the help offered by the librarians on a continuous basis. The Book sale and donations The Main Library contains about 26,000 volumes, many of which have been donated by members of the Saint Ann's community. We welcome donations with the understanding that items not put into the collection will be sold at the annual second-hand book sale. Due to space limitations at the school we would prefer to accept donations only in the 2 months preceding the June book sale. Letters acknowledging donations will be written for tax purposes; however, the librarians will not estimate value of donated items. Special Collections The library has a few special collections, designed to facilitate research in areas often intriguing to our students. They are as follows: The New York City Collection, the Indian Studies Collection, The Black Studies Collection, The Holocaust Studies Collection, The World War I and II Collections, and the Sports Collection. We also have an extensive video and LP collection.

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