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• Guidelines
• Resource Evaluation
  • CRR catalogue
  • Ratings explanation
  • Criteria
    • Core selection
    • Audiovisual
    • Fiction
    • World Wide Web sites
    • Nonfiction
    • Series
    • Software
  • Guidelines
  • Children's Literature Awards and Reading Challenges
• Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS)
• School Resource Centres

Topic lists

• Curriculum topics
• Professional topics
• TESOL topics

Core selection criteria

The core selection criteria are applicable to all resources including fiction, nonfiction, software, audio, audio-visual and World Wide Web sites. In addition to the specific criteria for each genre consider the following:

1. Is the resource appropriate for the target audience?
   The following need to be considered:
   
   • General Analysis:
     • style
     • pace
     • point of view
     • illustrations
     • relevance
   • Use of language in terms of:
     • school community guidelines
     • the level of student
     • value-laden terms
     • clarity of presentation
   • Structures in text:
     • are they narrative, expository?
     • do they help or hinder the reader?
     • are they appropriate for the subject matter?
   • Issues (especially if controversial) in terms of:
     • Departmental policies especially the Social Justice and Equity policies
     • the treatment/approach
     • the potential to offend*
     • discriminatory remarks

   *NOTE: Departmental social justice policy and equity statements, guidelines and programs require that resources used in schools reflect cultural diversity and non-stereotypical gender roles through the inclusion of appropriate knowledge, language, learning experiences, values and images.

   Where material included is likely to offend, for example, explicit sex, obscene language, violence, etc. the review should assess if this is appropriate/justified/gratuitous. Look for both integrity of purpose and integrity of implementation.

   If any resource is likely to offend or is not within Departmental policy guidelines the following statement must be added:

   'Due to the nature of the content of this work it must be previewed before purchase is considered.'

   • Potential for encouraging divergent thinking and developing analytical skills.
   • Physical Appearance and Presentation:
     • gutters
     • binding
     • appropriateness of illustrations
2. Are the details accurate?
   • is the information correct?
   • is the information relevant?
   • is the information current?
3. Final considerations are:
   • how close is the curriculum match?
   • how wide is its application and appeal?
   • for how many years will its content be relevant?
4. Review preparation
   • a review must be in the third person
   • a review should be concise (approximately 200 words)
   • avoid repetition
   • prepare an objective summary - avoid using subjective statements where possible
   • direct the review at the trade audience, teacher-librarians, teachers, booksellers and to a lesser extent publishers, authors.

NOTE: The preparation of an evaluation/review of any resource must be compiled following extensive examination of that particular resource. It is NOT an acceptable practice to base a review on the review already provided on the dustcover of the resource.

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