To begin the process of establishing collection development procedures and policies, I would:

 

Communicate – Communicate with the school executive, teachers, students and library staff to understand the needs of the library users within the school.  As well as the physical materials within the library space, the electronic/online needs of the users also need to be considered (Newsum, 2016).  The policy statement, library goals and library priorities could be drafted in consultation with these stakeholders (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, 2015, p.34).

Assess – Assess the procedures and policies that are already in place within the library and identify areas that still need to be considered.

Draft – Draft a basic selection criteria, source an already existing rubric or use an already established template.  In contrast, a deselection criteria should also be created or sought.  Procedures for challenged materials should also be drafted and accounted for within the collection development policy.

Communicate – Once the procedures and policies have been drafted, the documents should be communicated with the school executive, staff and school community to ensure that it meets the needs of the school and is clearly understood.

Review – The policies and procedures should be reviewed regularly so that the collection continues to meet the needs of its users.

 

References

 

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. (2015). IFLA School library guidelines (2nd ed.). Netherlands: ILFA.

 

Newsum, J. M. (2016). School collection development and resource management in digitally rich environments: An initial literature review. School Libraries Worldwide, 22(1), 97-108.