SAINT LOUIS PRIORY SCHOOL LIBRARY
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Saint Louis Priory School Library is in line with the School’s principal mission of providing a Catholic and Benedictine education of the highest excellence. To this end, we encourage students to develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to navigate the abundance of information available to them.
We provide conditions that foster:
● An efficient library that is flexible and responsive to students’ needs
● An atmosphere of inquiry, encouraging information access
● A program consisting of the skills needed to efficiently and effectively access, extract, synthesize, and present information
● A high expectation of students’ success in using information
● A habit of lifelong learning, intellectual curiosity, and reading
THE LIBRARY COLLECTION AND ITS ONGOING DEVELOPMENT
It is evident that any library must necessarily be selective in its acquisitions. A school library will therefore base its decisions about acquisitions on some criteria of truth, value, and the common good, based on the school’s identity and declared mission. For the Priory School Library, as for the School itself, such criteria come from the Catholic tradition of engaging both faith and reason. Decisions concerning library acquisitions are based on the merits of the material, considered in relation to the overall quality of the collection and the needs of the students and faculty.
While we value the students’ freedom to engage a diversity of viewpoints, we do not seek out sensationalistic materials or those that undermine our Christian beliefs and moral standards. The presence of an item in the Library does not indicate endorsement of its specific content by Priory School or the Library, but rather its possible value in the students’ overall education.
As St. Thomas Aquinas says, “To know the truth, it is very important to see the reasons for contrary opinions” (De caelo et terra 223). St. Thomas also points out that God, who is all-powerful and supremely good, himself respects human freedom and tolerates some errors, not for their own sake, but because, without such toleration, “greater goods might be forfeited” (Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 10, art. 11). The greater good that we seek at Priory is the spiritual and intellectual maturation of our students. We are confident that the Catholic formation they have received gives our students the resources and guidance to sift truth from error in the light of faith and reason.
FACTORS CONSIDERED IN ACQUISITION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS
The following are taken into account in the selection of books and other library materials:
● Overall purpose
● Timeliness and factual accuracy of material
● Importance of the subject matter
● Quality of the writing and production
● Readability and popular appeal
● Authoritativeness
● Reputation of publishers or producers
● Reviews in selection aides or professional journals (i.e. Booklist and School Library Journal)
● Awards lists (i.e. Printz, Newbery, Pulitzer, National Book awards)
● Price
GIFTS
Donations of books and other resources that meet the selection standards and the School’s curriculum needs are welcome. The librarians reserve the right to dispose of any gift materials that are not appropriate for the collection, either by donating elsewhere or selling. It is the donor’s responsibility to establish value for tax purposes.
WEEDING THE COLLECTION
Obsolete and unused materials from the main collection are weeded periodically by the librarians in conjunction with subject matter experts on campus. This ensures that the collection is up-to-date (particularly in the sciences and social sciences) and in good physical condition. Any book that might be of value to a monk (especially those in the areas of philosophy and theology) would not be removed without consulting the librarian of the Monastery Library.
ADDRESSING OBJECTIONS AND CONCERNS REGARDING PARTICULAR BOOKS AND LIBRARY MATERIALS
The librarians are careful to follow the Library’s mission statement and acquisitions policy.
However, the librarians are not responsible for decisions about curricular materials assigned in courses. Objections and criticisms concerning curricular materials need to be addressed to the teacher of the class and, if necessary, to the proper department head or the administration.
Occasional objections to a particular item in the Library collection may be expressed by a parent or other member of the Priory community
When materials are questioned, the following procedure is followed in reconsidering the suitability of a particular item for our collection:
1. The librarian will meet with the concerned person to discuss the issues that have been raised. If the issues remain even after this initial discussion, the concerned person will be asked to fill out a brief form requesting a reconsideration of the Library material in question. Those who raise these concerns are to be treated courteously and listened to respectfully; however, at this point, no definite decision can be made about retention or withdrawal of a particular item.
2. The appropriate administrators will be informed of the complaint and will receive a copy of the form that has been submitted by the concerned person.
3. The contested material continues to be in circulation unless the appropriate administrators decide otherwise.
4. The item will be jointly reviewed by the administration and the librarians.
5. The decision regarding the retention or withdrawal of the contested material will be given by the administration and implemented accordingly by the librarians.
6. A particular item may be reconsidered once every three years.