A PDF Copy of the Following Information is available at the link provided.

Standards for School Library Resource Collections, 2016

All schools regardless of enrollment or grades served should use these core collection standards for evaluating the library resource collection. The results of the evaluation should be used for long-range planning to establish goals for collection development.

• Standard selection tools and the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) collection development guidelines are used to facilitate decisions on acquisitions, weeding, and collection evaluation. (See appendix C for weeding guidelines.)
• All items available in the library resource collection are cataloged and managed with an up to date circulation system. The online card cataloguer (OPAC) is available on every school computer with local area network (LAN) connectivity. Web-based resources are available at school and beyond the school day providing 24/7 access.
• The resource collection is organized with an appropriate system, such as Dewey Decimal System, BISAC (Book Industry Study Group), etc.
• The collection, regardless of student enrollment or grades served, should have a minimum number of books per pupil? however, no school should be required to have more than 25,000 volumes.
• Completing an annual inventory is recommended as a tool to evaluate your library.
• With the adoption and implementation of the South Carolina College and Career Ready
  Standards (SCCCR Standards), school library collections should reflect:
  • the balance of fiction and nonfiction according to grade bands, and
  • levels of text complexity.
• The collection of resources is aligned with the school’s curriculum to support the instructional program of the school and district. These resources also meet the recreational reading needs of the school community. (See appendix A for Resource Alignment through Curriculum Mapping.)
• No more than five copies of the same print title may be counted to meet the standard for
  minimum number of books per student.
• Classroom sets may be cataloged in the school library resource database for inventory and accountability purposes but may not be counted to meet the standard for minimum number of books per student.
• Multi volume sets (e.g., multi volume encyclopedias) are counted as one title.

Risk

Library collections may be exemplary in some areas, but not others. In order to obtain the status of “At Risk,” “Basic,” or “Exemplary,” all boxes must be checked within that category.

At Risk

A minimum of 11 books per student that meet the At Risk age requirements, are current, aligned with the curriculum, reflect students’ interests, and are age and developmentally appropriate.

Basic

A minimum of 13 books per student that meet the Basic age requirements, are current, aligned with the curriculum, reflect students’ interests, and are age and developmentally appropriate.

Exemplary

A minimum of 15 books per student that meet the Exemplary age requirements, are current, aligned with the curriculum, reflect students’ interests, and are age and developmentally appropriate.

Collection Percentiles

To balance the collection and facilitate collection development the following percentages for the fiction and nonfiction sections are suggested.

• Periodicals available through Discus may be counted for up to 50 percent of the number of periodical subscriptions required to meet the standard for number of periodical subscriptions for both the general collection and for the professional collection. Access to Discus resources for reference and research is implied in each nonfiction category.
• eBooks, audiobooks, and other digital formats operate the same as printed copies. Unlimited access eBooks should be counted as no more than 5 copies in a library collection.
• The general library resource collection contains fiction books:
  • that are age and developmentally appropriate for the students served?
  • that are diverse and multicultural in scope?
  • that address subjects of interest to the students served?
  • that are reflective of current and classic literature? and
  • that meet the age standards found in the following grade band charts.
• The general library resource collection contains a combination of nonfiction print and non-print resources
  • that are aligned with the school’s curriculum?
  • that address subjects of interest to the students served?
  • that are age and developmentally appropriate for the students served?
  • that reflect the diversity of South Carolina (topics, authors and illustrators)? and
  • that meet the age standards found in the following grade band charts.
• The fiction collection will have an older average copyright date than the nonfiction collection? however, this collection, like the nonfiction collection, should be evaluated and renewed annually to remove items that are outdated, irrelevant, or damaged beyond repair. Specific recommendations for average age of the fiction section and for annual renewal rates are found in the following grade band charts.
• The nonfiction collection is evaluated annually to remove items containing obvious factual
  errors, outdated information, that no longer meet the current curricular needs, or are damaged beyond repair. Specific recommendations for annual renewal rates are found in the following grade band charts. Nonfiction items removed from the collection should be discarded according to district policy or SCDE guidelines, if no district policy is available. (See appendix D for SCDE guidelines for disposing of library resources.) Nonfiction items deemed too old for the library resource collection are likewise too old for general classroom use and should, therefore, be discarded.
• The following areas of the collection—print and non-print resources—have been identified as critical areas due to rapidly changing information: political science, economics, science, technology, geography, and travel. These areas should be evaluated, weeded, and renewed annually. Specific recommendations for annual renewal rates are found in grade band charts.
• All electronic resources should be available via the LAN and should be accessible on every computer that has LAN connectivity throughout the school and available during the school day and beyond through 24/7 access.

Grade Definitions

• Early Childhood (35 year olds): Standards for elementary schools were developed for pre-readers and early emerging readers. Schools that include other configurations (such as Montessori) in their population should adapt these standards accordingly to meet the needs of their students.
• Elementary School: Standards for elementary schools were developed for the traditional K5 school model. Schools that include other configurations (such as prekindergarten) in their population should adapt these standards accordingly to meet the needs of their students.
• Middle School: Standards for middle schools were developed for the traditional middle school serving grades 68. Schools with any grade combination that includes grades 6 through 8 should comply with the middle school standards with adaptations made to address the standards for other grades.
• High School: Standards for high schools were developed for the traditional high school serving grades 9 through 12. Schools with any grade combination that includes grades 9 through 12 should comply with the high school standards. 

These percentages may vary depending on an individual school’s instructional program. For example, a high school with a strong literacy initiative may need a collection that is 50% fiction and 50% nonfiction.

• Fiction: 70% of collection
• Nonfiction: 30% of collection

• Fiction: 60% of collection
• Nonfiction: 40% of collection

• Fiction: 50% of collection
• Nonfiction: 50% of collection

• Fiction: 40% of collection
• Nonfiction: 60% of collection

Standards by Grade

For additional information on the School Library Resource Collection Standards as they relate to each grade level, please refer to the PDF Documentation of the South Carolina Standards for School Library Resource Collections.