Check-Out Limits:

• Kindergarten students will start out the year checking out one book at a time until the end of December.  In January, kindergarten students will be free to check out as many books at a time as they desire.
• Grades 1 through 5 students are free to check out as many books at a time as they desire.  We aim to promote literacy, and we understand that all our students read at a variety of levels and speeds.  We want them to pick out as many books as they feel comfortable reading until they are able to visit the library again. 
• Teachers are permitted to check out as many books at a time as they need to support the learning experiences in their classrooms. 

Renewing Materials

• Students and teachers may renew their books as many times as needed, as long as no one is on-hold for the book.

If a student brings in a damaged library book, please send the student and the book to Miss Lough, our library media specialist. We might be able to repair the damage.  If the item cannot be repaired, the person who checked out the book is responsible to replace the book or pay for the damage:

Miss Lough May Be Able to Repair...

• A few torn pages, provided the torn pages are not lost.
• Loose spine or bindings
• Torn mylar cover (the clear plastic that protects the dust jacket)

Miss Lough Cannot Usually Repair...

• Writing, drawing, or scribbles in or on the book
• Pet damage (chewed pages, urine, fecal matter)
• Food or liquid damage 

Family members of RBES students are allowed to visit the library during the school day and before and after school. Parents should adhere to the RBES visitor policy and sign in at the office before coming to the library. All outside library visitors must wear a guest pass at all times.  Parents, younger siblings, and other library guests must not cause a disruption in library activities or divide the librarian’s attention away from the students in the library.

Can Parents Use Library Technology?

Library computers are generally only available to current RBES students; however, exceptions may be made for short periods of time. Parents requesting the use of school computers or other technology should make prior arrangements with the school librarian.

Students may not eat or drink in the library at any time, unless there is a medical exception. Adults may have drinks in the library, but please make sure drinks have a lid or cap to prevent splashes and spills.

River Bend Elementary School Library will gratefully accept physical text donations for consideration to be added to the collection. However, once donated, materials are the property of the River Bend Elementary School Library.  The library media specialist reserves the right to use materials in the way she or he sees fit.  Furthermore, outdated, or unusable, materials will be recycled.

Teachers are welcome to send students in Grades 2-5 to use laptops on their own in the library. Please note that Miss Lough is unable to monitor students’ computer activity or make sure they are on-task. If you are concerned about a particular student’s ability to stay focused in the library, do not send them without an adult to supervise.

If you or a student thinks a book is lost, don’t panic! The vast majority of the time, lost materials turn up eventually.  If you think you have lost a library item, please come tell Miss Lough. She will double-check the shelves and, if necessary, mark it as lost in the catalog. 

Common Places Books Hide:

• ​At home - check bookshelves, under beds, in desks, under sofa, pushed between sofa cushions, crevice between the bed and wall, inside piano bench, hamper, or toy chest
• At school - check the student’s locker or cubby, desk, backpack, classroom library
• In a car - under seats, between crevices, in trunk
• Someone else’s house - babysitter, relative, neighbor
• Day care center
• Turned in to the public library or another school’s library

Books are due two weeks after the book is checked out by the patron.  Materials are considered overdue the day after their due date has passed.  Once a library item is overdue, the patron may continue to check out materials.  Remember that other students may be waiting to read the book you have checked out.  Please be kind and return your books when you are done with them, so others can enjoy them too!

• Students in Grades K-5: two weeks
• Teachers: two weeks

Policy Code: 1742/5060 Responding to Complaints

Policy Code: 3200 Selection of Instructional Materials

Policy Code: 3210 Parental Inspection of and Objection to Instructional Materials

Staff members in the River Bend Elementary School Library will be aware of and follow these guidelines regarding the use of social media platforms.  Social media is a useful tool to promote our library, as well as activities and resources we can provide.  However, we must use it with caution to preserve the professionalism of our workplace. 

• When using social media and/or blogs to state your opinions, use a disclaimer to state that the opinions presented are yours alone and do not reflect the opinions of your employer or our library.
• Do not disclose private information about our students, staff, and patrons on any site.
• If you choose to post about our library, please be honest about who you are and where you work.
• Always abide by copyright and fair use guidelines, especially when posting on social media platforms.
• Do not post any personal information about your coworkers.  Ask for their permission before posting any videos, pictures, or conversations that include them.
• Deal with differences of opinions on social media platforms in a professional manner.
• Make sure that the information you post is factual, and, whenever you are able, provide supporting evidence and sources.
• Make sure you are following the Wake County Public Schools Technology Acceptable use Policy whenever you are online.
• Be aware of the image you want to portray online for our library and use good judgment when posting on social media platforms.  What you publish online will remain there permanently.
• Seek out opportunities to engage library patrons on social media platforms and provide recommendations and resources.
• If you make a mistake, take responsibility for it and be honest.

Community engagement is valued and encouraged at River Bend Elementary School and in the Wake County Public Schools District as a whole.  The Volunteers in Education Program is an active part of connecting community members to opportunities to volunteer in public schools in our district.  Volunteers can aid in the library and help organize special events and student enrichment opportunities.  To volunteer in the Wake County Public Schools District, complete the Request to Volunteer form and return it to the school of your choice or the district office for approval.  Report to the front desk to sign in and out of a school building when volunteering.  A valid driver’s license will be required when signing in.  Volunteers will be provided a visitor’s badge and will be expected to wear it while volunteering.  The volunteers will collaborate and work under the direction of the library media specialist, and library media assistants, to plan, organize, and implement activities. 

• Volunteers are responsible for their scheduled times and must notify the school if they are not able to keep their committed time.
• Volunteers are also expected to respect the school administration and staff members.
• Volunteers are not to discuss school matters or student information outside the library.
• Volunteers are expected to dress appropriately for the task they are given.
• Volunteers are not to let their own personal feelings interfere with their work as a volunteer.

The weeding process at RBES will be based on the system established in Resource Alignment: Curriculum Support in the School Library Media Center by Karen Lowe.  Texts that reside in each topic are replaced based on the suggested guidelines presented in the textbook. 

• “Reference Materials​” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Replace after 5 years except historical materials (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).
• “Encyclopedia” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Replace after 5 years (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).
• “Computer Science” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Replace after 3 years (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).
• “Ethics and Character Education” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Use determines the value of these texts.  Replace most after 10 years (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).
• “Religion” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Use determines the value of these texts (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).  
• “Social Studies” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Use determines the value of these texts.  Make sure to represent all sides of controversial issues (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).
• “Yearbooks” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Replace after 5 years (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).
• “Politics” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Replace after 10 years. Use determines the value of these texts (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).
• “Economics” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Replace after 5 years (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).
• “Government” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Replace after 10 years (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).
• “Social Welfare” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Replace after 5 to 10 years (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).
• “Education/Commerce” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Replace after 10 years (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).
• “Customs/holidays/folklore” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Replace when books are worn out.  Discard texts published before 1970 (excluding classics) (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).
• “Languages” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Use determines the value of these texts (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).
• “Science” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Replace after 5 years (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).
• “Health/Technology” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Replace after 5 years.  Keep important historical texts (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).
• “Art/Music” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Retain basic resources but replace books about sports teams and players after 5 years (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).
• “Literature” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Retain basic resources (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).
• “History” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Replace after 20 years.  Use determines the value of the texts as well as the validity of the facts and objectivity of the perspective (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).
• “Fiction” and “Easy Fiction” (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20)
  • Replace after 20 years unless the text is a classic or award-winning book (Lowe, 2016, pp. 19-20).

Citation: ​
Lowe, K. R. (2016). Resource Alignment: Curriculum Support in the School Library Media Center (Revised Edition). Millers Creek, North Carolina: Beacon Consulting.