Administrative Procedure 251

LEARNING COMMONS MATERIALS SELECTION

Background

A Learning Commons space can inspire imagination, curiosity, collaboration, engagement and learning. A learning
commons is flexible. Students and staff can access and use a wide variety of learning resources to enrich and support the
Program of Studies in a way that caters to varied interests, abilities, maturity levels and learning styles.

Definition

Child means a child younger than 6 years of age who is enrolled in an early childhood services program and therefore does
not fall within the definition of “student” in the Education Act.
Classroom collection means a teacher’s collection of literary materials, including books, magazines, comics, graphic novels
or other literary or graphic materials, whether in physical or electronic form, that are selected, curated or managed by the
teacher for use by or available to children or students in the teacher’s classroom;
School authority means any Alberta public or separate school board, francophone regional authority, operator of a charter
school, person responsible for the operation of an independent school, or independent ECS operator as defined in the Early
Childhood Services Regulation (AR 210/2022);
School literary materials means any materials, including books, magazines, comics, graphic novels or other literary or
graphic materials, whether in physical or electronic form, that are accessible or available to children or students at a school;
Sexual act means an activity or action of a distinctly sexual nature
Visual depiction means a visual or graphic representation, such as a drawing or painting, an illustration, a photographic or
digital image or a video file”(Ab. Education, 2025);

Procedures

1.Under section 53(2)(b) of the Education Act, a school board may develop or acquire instructional materials for use in
programs or in schools, subject to section 18. In developing/acquiring instructional materials, the school board should
also take into account such criteria as curriculum congruency; instructional and technical design; preference for
Canadian content; and inclusion of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Perspectives throughout Curriculum.

2. Learning commons materials or supplementary learning resources may be selected by staff, and are subject to approval by the Principal.

3. Supplementary learning resources in a school’s collection are to:3.1 Enrich and support the Program of Studies in a way that caters to the varied interests, abilities, maturity levels
and learning styles of students
3.2 Provide variety for students as they seek to gain understanding of curricular outcomes
3.3 Represent a diversity of worldviews and perspectives.

4. Reputable, unbiased, professionally- prepared selection aids shall be used as guides when selecting materials.

5. Additional selections may result from firsthand knowledge of materials gained from visits to book exhibits, publisher samples, inter-library loans, texts and approved courses of studies used in other schools.
6. The Principal shall establish priorities to guide the selection of materials to assure a balanced collection. These priorities may include the following:
6.1 Does it help to implement or enrich the program of studies?
6.2 Is the content, vocabulary and format suitable for the student?
6.3 Does it appear on one (1) or more approved lists or in a professional, appropriate reviewing media?
6.4 Has some member of the staff read and/or examined the material/resource and recommended the title for purchase?
4.8 Does it contribute to a balanced collection?
4.9 Compliance with Ministerial Order (#034/2025): Standards for the Selection, Availability, and Access of School
Literary Materials .
6.6.1 The Learning Commons maintain an up-to-date library catalogue of books and resources. The inventory is
regularly reviewed and updated ensuring compliance with the standards identified in Ministerial Order
(#034/2025): Standards for the Selection, Availability, and Access of School Literary Materials . This does not
include classroom libraries.Does the value justify the cost?
6.6.2 “The school authority must ensure that school literary materials containing any explicit visual
depiction of a sexual act are not accessible or available to children or students in a school, and must ensure
that no such school literary materials are selected for inclusion in a school library, unless such materials are
for information or reference, such as technical materials, dictionaries or encyclopedias, that are not narrative
in nature”(Ab. Ed, 2025);

References: Section 3, 18, 25, 26, 33, 41, 52, 53, 55, 196, 197, 222, 225
Education Act Guide to Education ECS to Grade 12 Ministerial Order (#034/2025): Standards for the Selection, Availability, and Access of School
Literary Materials

Updated: November, 2025