Ontario Library Association's
FOREST OF READING®
THE SELECTION PROCESS
Each reading program shall appoint a committee to read, review and recommend the books that meet the criteria and are deemed to be the best available for a given year in a given program.
THE TERMS OF REFERENCE
1. A selection committee is responsible for choosing a minimum of two books over the number required to fulfil the needs in any given category of nominees in an OLA reading program.
2. The books considered by a selection committee must be written by a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident (landed immigrant). They must be commercially available in Canada. In the case of anthologies, the editor should be a Canadian citizen or resident and the inclusions should be primarily by Canadian writers.
3. The books considered by a selection committee must have been published in paperback or hardback, between January 1st two years prior to the year in which the Award will be given to June 30 of the year prior to the year in which the Award is to be given. Selections passed over in one year may be reconsidered the following year as long as the date of publication for a given title falls within this definition.
4. To keep the program as accessible as possible, paperback formats are to be favoured.
COMMITTEE STRUCTURE
The Selection Committee varies from program to program, however the general guidelines are as follows:
• Two chairs, one senior, one junior, to ensure continuity.
• A core group of between 15-25; Ideally a combination of school and public libraries
• Those applying to be in the core group are expected to make a firm commitment to be a fully participating member of the committee.
• Full participation includes the expectation that all books will be read and that the final minimum selection required will be his or her responsibility in conjunction with the rest of the core group.
• A maximum size of twenty-five is suggested.
COMMITTEE SELECTION PROCESS
All potential members shall be required to submit an application, the chairs to determine the balance and makeup of the committee, considering where possible questions of:
- male/female
- urban/non-urban
- public school/Catholic school/Public Library
- ethnic balance
Applicants are expected to be:
- members of the Ontario Library Association
- having worked with the age group in which they are applying for.
- current or former facilitators of a Forest® program(s)
- aware of or connected to other reading or award programs
Committee members are expected to sign a statement agreeing to keep the results of their work together completely confidential.
The chairs of the selection committees on specified days go through the books received by the Wholesaler. Books are weeded for the qualifications required for the author and publisher, and for the year of publication. The books meeting the criteria are then sorted for the program or programs for which the age is deemed appropriate. The selection committee chairs remain in contact through the entire process to allow discussion of issues that arise. For example, if a book is being favoured by two programs, the Chairs will need to determine which program it will be considered for.
The books are routed to the selection committee members by the Wholesaler for reading and comment. Reviewers write detailed opinions in a bulletin board provided by OLA. There is a concerted effort in the last stages to have all committee members read the most supported titles and those titles for whom champions emerge.
Because books at a more senior level need more time for reading, timelines for the reading and posting of comments on the selection bulletin boards are quite different from program to program.
SELECTION CRITERIA
The following criteria are presented in order of importance:
1. Literary quality in the case of fiction including but not limited to:
• structure
• richness of language
• craft of the writer
• pace
2. Quality of presentation for non-fiction, including but not limited to:
• appeal and appropriateness of the presentation
• clarity
• layout
• format
3. Audience appeal
• appropriateness to the age group
• a range of readability
• the themes and content
4. Accuracy and relevance
5. Balance in the final list
• male and female protagonists
• male and female subject appeal
• cultural diversity
• geographical settings, e.g., rural, urban, cross-Canada locations
• genre variety
6. Curriculum connection is outside the purposes of the reading programs
• The Forest of Reading® is designed to make readers WANT to read and create lifelong readers.
INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM
All selections must respect the principles of intellectual freedom expressed in the
Ontario Library Association’s Statement on the Intellectual Rights of the Individual
Endorsed by the membership of the OLA at the 96th Annual General Meeting, 1998.
http://accessola.com/ola/bins/content_page.asp?cid=1109
Approved, OLA Board of Directors, December 2003
Reaffirmed, OLA Board of Directors, December 2005
THE EXCEPTIONS
All programs except the Golden Oak™ for adults learning to read, and the Evergreen™ Award
for adults in public libraries, and Le Prix Tamarack™, follow the above guidelines and criteria.
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