BILL NUMBER: AB 333 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Hancock
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Berg and Portantino)
FEBRUARY 13, 2007
An act to add Chapter 2.5 (commencing with Section 18210) to Part
11 Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, relating to school
libraries.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 333, as introduced, Hancock. School libraries: online
databases: subscriptions.
Existing law requires the governing board of a school district to
provide school library services for the pupils and teachers of the
district by establishing and maintaining school libraries or by
contractual arrangements with another public agency.
This bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction,
upon appropriation of funding in the annual Budget Act, to contract
with a county office of education to convene an Online Database
Advisory Committee consisting of school library professionals to
prepare requests for purchase proposals and to assist in developing
an online database selection process. The bill would also require the
Superintendent to contract with a county office of education to
purchase subscriptions to high quality online databases for use by
the school libraries of public elementary and secondary schools, and
to perform additional duties, as specified, regarding the
implementation and review of those online databases.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 2.5 (commencing with Section 18210) is added to
Part 11 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, to read:
CHAPTER 2.5. CALIFORNIA SCHOOL LIBRARY EQUITABLE ACCESS TO
DIGITAL RESOURCES AND ONLINE SCHOOL DATABASE PROGRAM
18210. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) It is critical that all pupils in the state have equitable
access to quality controlled digital resources throughout all of the
geographic areas of the state and across socioeconomic classes. All
pupils need equitable access to age and grade appropriate online
resources that span all state content standards. The current state
system of school library funding and materials purchasing does not
provide equitable access or opportunity.
(b) The best means of ensuring that all pupils in the state have
equitable access to online resources is for the state to purchase
subscriptions to a core of high quality online databases through
which every pupil, regardless of geography or economic status, is
able to access information on the Internet from the school library,
the classroom, or home. Research shows that the purchase by other
states of online database subscriptions has resulted in improved
pupil achievement in those states.
(c) In the 2003-04 school year, approximately 47 percent of public
schools in the state, including over two million pupils, did not
have access to online databases.
(d) Statewide subscriptions to online databases are cost
effective.
(e) Subscription to an online database results in savings for
school districts as compared to purchasing information products that
can be used for additional school library resources.
(f) Subscription to an online database results in all of the
following:
(1) Equitable access to high quality information resources for
every pupil in the state.
(2) Enhanced Internet safety for pupils because use of online
databases is contained and available only to subscription users.
(3) Access to authoritative, current, accurate, and high quality
resources.
(4) Access for teachers and pupils to rich content that spans all
of the state academic content standards and enhances the content of
textbooks.
(5) The availability of resources in a variety of formats,
including audio, video, photographic, and primary source documents,
that allow for individual learning opportunities.
(6) Access to information in multiple languages.
(7) Preparation of pupils to use academic databases in higher
education and in the workplace.
(8) Responsiveness to access issues pursuant to the requirements
of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.
Sec. 12101 and following).
18211. Upon appropriation of funding in the annual Budget Act for
purposes of this chapter, the Superintendent shall contract with a
county office of education to do all of the following:
(a) Convene an Online Database Advisory Committee consisting of
school library professionals and at least one current classroom
teacher to assist in developing an online database selection process.
The advisory committee shall do all of the following:
(1) Prepare requests for proposals for the purchase of
subscriptions to high quality online databases, including the
provision of vendor training for appropriate school district
employees on the use of the online databases.
(2) Develop selection criteria based on product descriptions and
the availability of training to use the products.
(3) Review the requests for proposals described in paragraph (1)
and make recommendations to the Superintendent regarding the purchase
of subscriptions to high quality online databases.
(4) Annually review the online databases for which subscriptions
are purchased pursuant to subdivision (b) and prepare and submit to
the Superintendent a report including recommendations for future
subscription purchases.
(b) Purchase subscriptions to high quality online databases, for
use by the school libraries of public elementary and secondary
schools, using the requests for proposals prepared pursuant to
subdivision (a).
(c) Inform school districts of the availability of the online
databases for which subscriptions are purchased pursuant to
subdivision (b).
(d) Assist with the implementation in school libraries of the
online databases for which subscriptions are purchased pursuant to
subdivision (b).
(e) Collect data for use in evaluating the online databases for
which subscriptions are purchased pursuant to subdivision (b).