Library

The school librarian, under the direction of the principal, selects library resource materials.  Issaquah School District is committed to maintaining a comprehensive library collection at each school.  A comprehensive library collection includes the following: 

• Range of Media: Our libraries support or provide access to print, digital, audio and video media. 

• Curricular Support: Informational printed and digital materials that support the curriculum and/or allow students to delve deeper into topics of interest. 

• Reading Levels: The collection includes texts that support the lowest and highest reading levels of students in the school.  To the extent possible access to text in the languages spoken by our students is provided.   

• Culturally Authentic Perspectives: The library should include authors that represent the range of cultural perspectives and experiences found in our schools and communities.  ISD has a strong commitment to providing diverse perspectives in our curriculum and resources.  This is articulated in Executive Limitation 16 Equity.

Why is it important to provide literature from a broad range to life experiences in the school library? 

School libraries provide choice materials for a broad range of students.  Our students come from many life experiences, cultures, backgrounds, and identities.  We want all students to have access to books that help them in the following areas: 

Understanding Self. Students should all have access, to the degree possible, to stories that reflect their personal experiences, cultures, backgrounds, and identities.  Literature provides an opportunity deepen their understanding of their self. 

Understanding Others. Students should all have access to stories that reflect the experiences, cultures, backgrounds, and identities of others around them.  Literature provides an opportunity to deepen their understanding of and empathy for others in their community. 

Issaquah School District employs professional librarians trained to review and select materials that support the district goals for the library collection at their school.  Criteria used when reviewing an individual material or set of material includes the following: 

• Factual / scientifically sound: informational materials are accurate, from authoritative sources 

• Literary / artistic value: materials meet high standards, are favorably reviewed 

• Age appropriate: the material is appropriate to the social, emotional, and intellectual development for at least one group included in the school 

• Culturally sustaining: the material provides perspectives and narratives that authentically represent cultural groups within the school or community, avoiding misrepresentation or harmful representations of groups, when possible, providing opportunities for diverse authors to tell the stories within their experiences and communities 

• Interest range: the material is likely to be of interest to some students in the school 

• Viewpoints: the range of materials provides differing viewpoints on controversial issues or topics 

• Staff may request materials that support their curriculum. 

• Students may express interest in topics, types of literature, or specific books. 

• Professional library resources provide information on new literature.  Examples include: 

  • School Library Journal (SLJ) – https://www.slj.com/section/reviews 

  • Booklist - https://www.booklistonline.com/ 

  • American Library Association (ALA) - https://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists 

  • Horn Book - https://www.hbook.com/section/bookreviews   

  • Kirkus Reviews - https://www.kirkusreviews.com/ 

  • Publishers Weekly - https://www.publishersweekly.com/ 

  • Common Sense Media - https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews 
  • Good Reads - https://www.goodreads.com/ 
  • We Need Diverse Books - https://diversebooks.org/where-to-find-diverse-books/   
  • KCLS Teens - https://kcls.org/teens/   
  • YALSA: https://www.ala.org/yalsa/best-fiction-young-adults   
  • State and National Book Award Lists (eg: Caldecott, Newbery, National Book Award, Coretta Scott King, Printz, Alex, Evergreen)  

Good is different for every individual.  Some are looking for specific types of books.  Some are looking to avoid certain types of books or content within a book.  Here are some ways to help students find the best books for their interests: 

1. Ask the librarian for help!  Your librarian is there to help each student find books, or avoid books that they don’t want to read.  The more a student can describe their interests and aversions, the more the librarian can help.  Our librarians will do their best to help your student. 

2. Choice Check.  If you know your student is sensitive to certain topics or content, ask your student to share their choices with you before they start reading.  You can use some of these resources to check out the book to make sure it is a good fit for your student: 

• Common Sense Media.  This site provides book reviews, age-recommendations, and summaries of content that may be sensitive to certain readers (such as violence or sexuality) 

• King County Library. The KCLS library catalog provides descriptions of books. 

• Good Reads.  This site offers summaries and reviews of many books. 

• The author or publisher page.  Most authors have a web page that tells you about their books.  Publishers also have information on the books they produce. 

Monitoring whether the book your student selects is a good fit. 

Books sometimes include content that make some readers uncomfortable.  Books depict a wide range of life experiences.  Additionally, most books also have a conflict-resolution structure where something unwanted happens to characters and they must work to resolve the problem. Some literature may, in being realistic, include “bad” language used in real-life (swear words) or include traumas faced by people in our society.   

Literature allows students to better understand the range of life experiences without having to live them firsthand. Literature can also help the reader process firsthand adverse experiences with some emotional distance. That doesn't mean that every story is a great fit for every student. 

It is important to know what your student is reading.  If there is language, experiences, or traumas that you do not want your student to read, you can edit your student’s choice.  Staying familiar with what your student is reading, and helping your student make good choices when coming across such content, you can help your student navigate literature. 

We do our best to make sure that each book in our libraries are selected to support the goals and to provide a comprehensive library collection.  If you find there is a book that you would like reconsidered, here is the process for reconsidering the book, consistent with ISD Regulation 2020P (see Complaint Process for any Instructional Materials – toward the end of the regulation page). Please note that books remain in circulation while requests for reconsideration are being decided. 

Step 1: Talk with the Librarian  

Reach out by email, phone or in-person with the librarian to share your concern.  The librarian will make every effort to resolve the concern.  If the librarian chooses to keep the material in circulation you would be provided an explanation as to why this book is considered appropriate for students and in line with the interests of at least some students in the school. 

Step 2: Talk with the Principal 

This step may be combined with step 1.  It is important to give the principal the opportunity to help resolve concerns before proceeding to step 3. 

Step 3: Compete the Request for Re-Evaluation of Materials 

This form may be completed if the concern is not resolved with the librarian or principal.  The superintendent or her designee will review the complaint, and work with the librarian and the family to seek a resolution.  This process is guided by timelines described in the Regulation. If you complete this form, please review Regulation 2020P in full to be aware of the timelines. 

Final Appeal: School Board Review.   

If the concern remains unresolved the complainant may request review by the school board.