Mission Statement
The DuQuoin Middle School Media Center’s goal is to provide
informational, recreational and educational materials to its
patrons, primarily grades five through eight, a large variety of
educational material on all levels of difficulty, assortment of
formats and range of request, allowing existing points of view.
Therefore, ethics must be sited above personal opinion and reason
above prejudice in the librarian’s selection of materials of top
quality and suitability.
The mission of DuQuoin Middle School Media Center is “to make
available to the students and staff a diverse collection of human
wisdom, experience, and ideas.” The library makes accessible and
promotes the use of informative and creative resources and cultural
programs by which students from grades five through eight can
pursue their educational interests.
The Middle School Media Center should be comprised of current and
classic hardbacks; paperbacks; recorded books; reference books, and
periodicals as well as up-to-date library software and technical
equipment.
Selecting material for the DuQuoin Middle School library is a talent which requires a basic knowledge of broad subject areas, condition of the present collection, and an understanding of Middle School student interests. Phase one consists of reviewing material and publishers.
The second phase of selection is based on grade level contents and circulation of the subject matter. The final level of selection is based on budget availability and student demand. Tools used in the selection of materials include catalogs, and publishers’ promotional materials, library journal reviews, workshops, and authoritative internet sites as well as student, parent or teacher requests.
Most materials are selected based on the following
guidelines:
1. Topic or author is of high interest with demonstrated demand or
need
2. Student interest
3. Reading level
4. Critic reviews
5. Reputation of publisher and/or author
7. Appropriateness of the material
8. Well bound book
9. Relationships to existing materials (continuing series or added
information missing in collection)
10. Preview material is not generally purchased.
