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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023)
SENATE BILL 344 By: Floyd
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to schools; directing each school
district library to provide certain media program;
directing each school district board of education to
adopt certain policy regarding the criteria for
evaluating and selecting certain materials ; providing
contents of policy; dire cting a library, materials,
equipment, and staff to be avai lable during school
day; directing certain staff t o provide certain
assistance and instruction; providing for
codification; providing an effective date; and
declaring an emergency .
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 11-203 of Title 70, unless there
is created a duplication in numb ering, reads as follows:
A. Each school district library in this state shall provide an
effective library media program through the acquisition of library
media materials sufficient to meet the instructional needs of
students enrolled in the school district. The library media progra m
shall include a balanced collection o f print materials, nonprint
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materials, multimedia resources, and e quipment and supplies to meet
the needs of students and staff .
B. Each school district board of education shall adopt and post
on the school district 's website a comprehensive written policy that
guides the selection, deselection, and reconsideration of l ibrary
media materials. The policy shall:
1. Ensure that the selection of library medi a materials
reflects the school district 's philosophy, mission, g uiding
principles, or other foundatio nal documents;
2. Provide a framework for the consistent selectio n and
acquisition of library resources in all formats using a standard set
of criteria;
3. Avoid haphazard patterns of acquisition that would result in
waste or overlap of content;
4. Designate the staff person or persons responsible for
selecting materials and the parameters for selection decisions;
provided, however, the policy shall allo w for the use of
professional judgment;
5. Ensure a diversity of viewpoints on all topics including
those that may be considered controversial;
6. Identify cooperativ e collection development arrangements
such as resource sharing including interlibrary lo ans, agreements to
purchase or lease electronic content, and reso urce retention
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commitments for materials such as government documents, archival
materials, and local au thor materials;
7. Provide standards for collection maintenance and the removal
of library resources for which the library has excess copies or that
are out of date, inaccurate , no longer reflecting the consensus of
the relevant field of study, in poor con dition, rarely used, in an
obsolete format, or not meeting the needs of library patrons;
8. Supply guidelines for consideration of gifts and donations
of library media materials;
9. Establish a process by which individuals may share their
concerns about library media materials or resources in a discussion
with a certified library media specia list if one is available or
other staff person designated pursuant to paragraph 4 of this
subsection. If an individual's concerns are not resolved, he or she
may request a formal reconsideration on a form provided by the
school district; and
10. Affirm the importance of intellectual freedom, referencing
key documents such as the First Amendme nt to the U.S. Constitution,
the Library Bill of Rights, and the Freedom to Read Statement.
C. The school district library, media center, media materials,
equipment, and related school staff shall be available to students
and staff throughout the school da y. Staff shall assist students
and teachers in becoming effective user s of ideas and information
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and provide instruction in the use of m edia materials and other
resources available in the school district library .
SECTION 2. This act shall become eff ective July 1, 2023.
SECTION 3. It being immediatel y necessary for the preservation
of the public peace, health , or safety, an emergency is hereby
declared to exist, by reason whereof thi s act shall take effect and
be in full force from an d after its passage and approval.
59-1-1287 EB 1/13/2023 3:31:03 PM