School Library Media Programs → Evaluation and Selection

Evaluation and Selection

About Evaluation and Selection of Instructional Materials and Library Books

Evaluation and Selection serves as a coordinating unit for the evaluation of instructional materials and library books by professional staff. These materials support the curriculum and instructional strategies in the schools to meet the diverse learning needs of students.

What Evaluation and Selection Does

  • Coordinates the evaluation of instructional materials and library books for school purchase.
  • Coordinates the evaluation of content area textbooks for school purchase.
  • Maintains a reading room where library media professional staff may review materials prior to selection for use in schools.
  • Maintains the 30-day shelf for examination of newly approved textbooks.
  • Maintains a collection of collection development and evaluation tools to support library media professional staff.
  • Provides guidance for weeding library collections.
  • Facilitates collection development meetings for library media professional staff for the review and evaluation of library books and instructional materials.
  • Selects initial collections for new schools.
  • Secures the appointment of an ad hoc evaluation committee to reevaluate materials whose appropriateness has been questioned by parents or staff of the school community.

Textbook review: 30-day Shelf

The following textbook is under review until June 1, 2020:

Biotechnology: a Laboratory Skills Course       Brown, J. Kirk                                  9780983239635                                              Bio-Rad Laboratories        2018  

The following textbooks are under review until  June 25, 2020:

 Learning Capitalist Culture: Deep in the Heart of Tejas, ISBN # 9780812220988, Douglas Foley, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2nd Edition, 2010

In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio, ISBN # 978052101114, Philippe Bourgois, Cambridge University Press, 2nd Edition, 2003

 Introducing Anthropology: What Makes Us Human?, ISBN # 9780745699783, Laura Pountney & Maric Tomislav, Polity, 2015

 Give Me Liberty! AP 6th Edition, ISBN# 9781324012085, Eric Foner, W.W. Norton, 2020 

The following textbooks are under review until  June 27, 2020:

 Working the Night Shift: Women in India’s Call Center Industry -  Reena Patel, ISBN # 9780804769136, Stanford University Press, 2010

White Teeth - Zadie Smith, ISBN # 9780375703867, Vintage Books, 2000

 Newly approved textbooks will remain in the Evaluation and Selection Unit for 30 calendar days to permit examination by professional staff and parents before school orders will be honored.