OSAT Library-Media Specialist key terms

A written document that guides selection, acquisition, retention, and deselection of library materials, including criteria, reconsideration procedures, and statements on intellectual freedom.

The systematic removal of materials that are outdated, damaged, unused, or no longer aligned with curriculum and student needs, keeping the collection accurate and appealing.

A weeding framework evaluating materials for Misleading, Ugly, Superseded, Trivial, Irrelevant, or available Elsewhere, helping librarians make consistent deselection decisions.

The principle that library users have the right to access information and ideas without restriction, including unpopular or controversial viewpoints, protected by the Library Bill of Rights.

A statement adopted by the American Library Association asserting that libraries should provide materials presenting all points of view and resist censorship of resources.

A formal complaint asking that a library resource be removed or restricted, handled through a documented process using the collection development policy and review committee.

A systematic review of collection holdings to determine whether authors, characters, cultures, and perspectives reflect the demographics and experiences of the student population.

A visual or statistical analysis showing how library holdings are distributed across subject areas, formats, and reading levels relative to curriculum and student needs.

A readability score indicating text complexity and reader ability on the same scale, used to match students with appropriately challenging books.

Books written for and marketed to readers roughly ages twelve to eighteen, often featuring adolescent protagonists and themes of identity, independence, and social issues.

An instructional approach in which students investigate authentic questions, gather and evaluate evidence, and construct explanations rather than passively receiving information.

A structured framework with phases such as Open, Immerse, Explore, Identify, Gather, Create, Share, and Evaluate that scaffolds student research and deep learning.

The cyclical stages learners move through when investigating a question: connecting, wondering, investigating, constructing, expressing, and reflecting on new understanding.

An open-ended, thought-provoking question that frames inquiry, connects to big ideas, and cannot be answered with a single fact.

The ability to recognize an information need, locate and evaluate sources critically, use information ethically, and apply it to create new knowledge.

An evaluation checklist assessing a source's Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose to judge its credibility and usefulness.

An evaluation strategy in which readers leave a source to check what other sources say about it, verifying credibility through comparison rather than close reading alone.

The ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act on messages in various media formats, including recognizing persuasion, bias, and commercial intent.

False or inaccurate information spread regardless of intent, often through social media, requiring verification skills to detect.

An original document, artifact, recording, or firsthand account created during the period under study, such as letters, photographs, or interviews.

An interpretation or analysis of primary sources created later by someone who did not experience the events firsthand, such as textbooks or scholarly articles.

A formatted reference identifying the source of information or ideas, allowing readers to locate the original and giving credit to authors.

Presenting another person's words, ideas, or creative work as one's own without proper attribution, whether intentional or accidental.

A legal protection granting creators exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, adapt, and publicly perform or display their original works for a limited time.

A legal doctrine allowing limited use of copyrighted material without permission for purposes such as teaching, scholarship, or criticism, evaluated through four factors.

Creative works no longer protected by copyright, either because protection expired, was waived, or never applied, allowing free use by anyone.

A standardized public license letting creators grant permission for others to share, use, or adapt their work under specified conditions such as attribution or noncommercial use.

Freely available teaching and learning materials that can be reused, revised, remixed, and redistributed, often licensed under Creative Commons.

A school document outlining rules and responsibilities for using district technology and networks, including consequences for misuse and expectations for digital citizenship.

The norms of responsible, safe, legal, and ethical behavior when using technology, covering online safety, privacy, etiquette, and respect for intellectual property.

A federal law protecting the privacy of student education records, limiting disclosure of personally identifiable information without consent or a legal exception.

The gap between students who have reliable access to devices, connectivity, and digital skills and those who do not, affecting equitable learning opportunities.

Software used to catalog, circulate, and track library materials and patron records, often called an integrated library system or automation system.

An online public access catalog letting users search a library's holdings by keyword, author, title, or subject from any networked device.

A standardized machine-readable cataloging record using numbered fields and tags to describe an item's author, title, subject, and physical details.

A library scheduling model in which classes visit as needed for research and instruction rather than on a fixed weekly rotation, supporting collaboration with teachers.

Joint planning between the library media specialist and classroom teachers to integrate information literacy and resources into curriculum units and assessments.

A certified educator who manages the library program, teaches information literacy, develops collections, and collaborates with staff to support student learning.

Strategic efforts to build support for the library program by communicating its impact to administrators, staff, families, and the community through data and stories.