PURPOSE 

This book review policy (also known as the selection and reconsideration policy) aims to proactively protect school libraries against censorship efforts. Book review policies are used by libraries to explain how school library professionals make decisions about what materials should be added to its collection; then procedures for when a resource is requested to be reconsidered. An effective policy helps protect the collection from individual biases and allows for accountability in decision-making. The school library professionals take leadership in working cooperatively with school community members to interpret and guide the application of this policy, as appropriate. Each parent/guardian has the right to determine the appropriateness of library resources for their children and should accord the same right to other families.   

Equitable access to the school library program services and age-relevant resources for all learner needs and abilities must be ensured, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or identity, disability, nationality, language, professional, economic, or social status. 

THE RIGHT TO READ 

Access to school library program services and resources should be based on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and should not be subject to any form of ideological, political, or religious censorship, or to commercial pressures. 

Libraries are an entry point to a whole universe of ideas. Maintaining the breadth of available books from varying viewpoints and backgrounds is essential to preserving our First Amendment rights to read, receive and share ideas. The books on library shelves offer access to the entire spectrum of human knowledge, art, and ideas. Through the library shelves, kids can explore ideas and learn to think of themselves. All young people deserve the right to read and learn about the history, experiences, and viewpoints of all of our communities in this country. This holds true in school libraries and public libraries too. All young people deserve to read and learn an inclusive and complete history in schools, free from censorship or discrimination. 

IMPLEMENTATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES 

The process of adopting a book review policy to adapt to the needs of a school district is as important as the text of the policy. The following guidelines are stated in the model book review policy but explicitly stated here to emphasize the importance while adapting the policy:  

  1. To ensure that a school district’s book review policy properly meets the continually changing needs of each of its communities, the policy should be revised frequently at least once every five years. 
  2. The stakeholders involved should be the ones who see the implementation of the policy. 
  3. When library policy and practice are misaligned, the default is a lack of multicultural literature as the outcome. Librarians should review awards of multicultural literature.  
  4. Ensure that all policies need to be publicly accessible. The person who maintains their district website needs to be included.  
  5. Stakeholders agree upon the definition of “diversity.” Documents that do not explicitly state “diversity” provide less protection for diverse materials and allow a more limited interpretation of what constitutes diversity.  
  6. Both the adoption date and subsequent revision dates should be clearly listed at the beginning of each document. 

BOOK REVIEW POLICY RESOURCES 

Get Started Now! Protect Libraries, Protect the Right to Read. Resources were inspired by existing American Library Association's (ALA) sample forms.  

View the Model Book Review Policy  

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