Library

The libraries in all three schools will be open on days that school is in session. Students are not allowed to be in the library without a district employee present.

Elementary School

The Elementary School library will be open at the first bell and closed immediately after school and for 45 minutes during lunch. Open checkout is available to two students per class with library passes. All classes will be offered the opportunity to have weekly assigned class visits to the library for checkout.

Middle School

The Middle School library will be open for at least 10 minutes before school and will be closed immediately after school and for 30 minutes during lunch. The Middle School library is available for students during the school day for checkout at any time with a pass from their teacher or for classes to visit and check out books as a group.

High School

The High School library will be open for at least 10 minutes before and after school and will be closed for 30 minutes during lunch. The High School library is available for students who need a place to study during all periods of the school day. Students with free periods are welcome in the library. If a student is assigned to be in a class, he/she must bring a pass from a teacher and sign in on the log in order to be admitted to the library.

Students may be assigned to the library when independent study is necessary in their schedule. They are expected to abide by the library rules during their independent study class.

Students in the school libraries utilize the space for various purposes. From checkout at the Elementary to research at the High School, students are engaged in learning in many ways. Above all, respect for other patrons is expected.

Students who are not acting in a safe, respectful way will be reminded of the need for courteous, studious behavior. Students who cannot conduct themselves in this manner will be asked to leave the library.

Students will be charged the replacement cost for lost or damaged materials. An item will be pronounced lost when a student declares it or it is not returned at the end of the school year. At the latest, all fees are due by the end of the school year in which they were incurred. Check out may be limited until a portion of the fee is paid at the discretion of the librarian.

Refunds

If a student pays for a lost book and returns it, they are entitled to a refund upon request only. They should communicate with library staff and their school office to request the refund.

Please note: Any materials may be checked out from the public library by any patron. Books that are requested through inter-library loan from the public library and are delivered to the schools will have the same oversight as a book from that school library. Books that are checked out using a school district account at the public library or are delivered to the Twig or other sites are checked out at the discretion of the student and their families. Students are encouraged to return materials in a timely manner. Books checked out through interlibrary loan will follow the check-out policy of its originating library (school or public).

Elementary School

Kindergarten students may check out one book, and 1st-5th grades may check out two books. Items may be renewed unless a request has been made for that book by another patron. If a book is rated Middle Grade Plus or Young Adult, students below 5th grade need to provide parent permission for checkout. These books are shelved separately with a label that says 5th Grade Only. Loan period is 2 weeks. Overdue notices will be sent on a weekly basis to students in their homerooms.

Middle and High Schools

Middle School may check out 3 items at a time. High School students may check out 99 items. Items for both the Middle School and High School may be renewed an unlimited number of times, unless another patron has requested the item. Loan period is 3 weeks unless pre-arranged by the teacher for a class book study. Overdue notices will be communicated through English teachers and/or email.

Interlibrary Loan

Students may request a book from an in-district library at any time. All books borrowed through interlibrary loan are subject to the guidelines of the Estes Valley Library.

Adult patrons

Adults who volunteer at the schools, other adults employed by the district, and Options students and teachers may check out books as well. In general, the school’s loan terms apply to all items. All district teachers may check out books with no limit. All books are due by the end of the school year. All employees are offered a public library card as a benefit of their employment despite their residency. Employees should contact their school library to get their account access.

Non-circulating materials

Some library materials are for in-library use, such as yearbooks. There is no loan period for these items.

The Estes Park School District libraries believe in the freedom of information. Every effort is made to provide books in each library that are appropriate for its patrons. Sometimes a topic may be particularly sensitive or offensive to some readers. Librarians will work with students and families to ensure that students are making decisions in their best interests regarding content. Not all library circulation passes through the school library doors; materials borrowed through the public library site, Hoopla, OverDrive, or other online sources are completed through a student’s own account and with the parents’ permission.

Patrons and parents may request reconsideration of materials in the school libraries by discussing it with the librarian and the administrator at the building level. The material will not be removed from the collection until a final decision is reached.

The Estes Park School District libraries will protect the privacy and personal information of students in the same way it is protected in all other manners at school. The library will never provide student personally identifiable information to third parties without parental permission.

Each building strives to maintain a collection with age-appropriate, timely, academic, accurate content. Librarians work diligently to procure materials that will be of interest to students and help them grow academically and/or personally.

General Collection

Following are general criteria for evaluating prospective acquisitions, including donated books. An item need not meet all criteria to be acceptable, nor will any single criterion be decisive:

• Age-appropriateness. As a school library, it is necessary to present topics in ways that are appropriate for the age of the patrons. Every effort will be made to choose materials that meet the needs of the school’s population.
• Popularity with patrons (requests, circulation statistics, etc). Every effort is made to honor requests for books from students and teachers.
• Publication Date. The material is current.
• Budget. 
• Insufficient materials available on the same subject.
• Enhances a specific collection within the library. This includes collections that are used for in-class projects.
• Literary and artistic merit, recommendation through appropriate journals/experts.
• Local author, producer, illustrator or subject.
• Accuracy of content.

Textbooks

Textbooks are available for student checkout at the Middle and High School libraries. No requests for textbooks will be honored. While they are housed in the library, they are paid for through funds earmarked for curriculum.

Collection maintenance

All three school libraries weed yearly. To determine retention or withdrawal, staff uses the following criteria based on standard library weeding philosophy:

• Circulation Statistics.
• Current demand and frequency of use.
• Condition: worn, water damaged, ripped, mildewed, defaced, etc.
• Information: up-to-date, accurate, availability of item/information in other libraries/online.
• Number of copies in the collection.

Withdrawn materials in good condition will be made available first to classroom teachers and then to students to take home for free. Materials in poor condition or books not taken by teachers or students will be recycled.

Books at the Elementary School are cataloged into fiction and non-fiction sections. Fiction categories include: Everybody books, Early Readers, Fiction Chapter Books, Graphic Novels, Spanish & Holiday.  Non-fiction are divided into Topic Tubs following the Dewey Decimal order. 

Books at the Middle and High School are divided into fiction and non-fiction. Fiction is sub-divided into genres, including: Adventure, Classics (HS only), Dystopian (HS only), Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction, Horror, Humor, Fantasy, Mystery, Realistic Fiction, Sci-Fi, Romance, Sports, Spanish, and Story Collections. Within each genre, books are labeled and alphabetized by the author’s last name. Non-fiction is identified by the Dewey Decimal System. Books are labeled and sorted by the Dewey number and the author’s last name.

General funds are made available from the Estes Park School District. These funds must be spent within the regular school year. This information is available upon request from the Estes Park School District office.

Grant funds may be applied for on an as-needed basis, determined by library staff. These funds are spent according to the terms of the granting agency.

An annual Book Fair is held as a fundraiser at the Elementary School to provide books and databases for the library and classroom libraries. A book fair is held every other year at the Middle School library to supplement budget funds for book purchases.