As a TL, before I started collection management, I would reflect upon the core values of librarianship that were developed by Ranganathan (1928), as they underpin all policies and practices of the library which should be evident when I develop and manage a collection.
I would start stocktaking and evaluation the collection, so I was aware what was in the collection, what was being borrowed, what was popular, what was not being popular or not being borrowed, the currency of the text, assessing if the texts were of quality or not.
The once I was aware of the collections content and I had evaluated it, I could begin the follow the collection development process.
The key considerations would I make when applying collection development steps to a school library collection would be to consider and apply the 5 Laws of Library Science (Ranganathan, 1928) together with Gorman’s (1998) additional thinkings and more modern thinkings that are considerate of the adapting and changing environments before, during and after the process as they should guide me as a TL:
- Books are for use- libraries serve humanity
- Every person his or her book- respect all forms by which knowledge is communicated
- Every book its reader- using technology intelligently to enhance service
- Save the time of the reader- protect free access to knowledge
- A library is a growing organism- honour the past and create the future
One thing that is missing or that needs to be considered in Oddone’s (2019) process is the school library’s financial resources. If funds were limited it may not be wise to cull a lot of books at once if they were unable to be replaced. A wish list may need to be created and prioritised that could be purchased as funds became available and priority would need to be given to curriculum mentor texts that would be required to be purchased. Consideration would also need to be given to appropriateness of texts, digital subscriptions to ensure they do not breach any employer policies.
There are differences between collection development and collection management processes.
Collection development involves a process that is a continual cycle that should be reviewed at certain intervals determined by a TL. Steps of collection development according to Oddone (2019) include:
- needs analysis
- selection according to criteria
- acquisition
- catologuing
- processing
- stocktaking and evaluation
- weeding
Collection management defines processes and procedures involved in maintaining a library collection. Dixon suggests that collection management ‘includes all the processes, from selection to conservation of library materials, to meet the needs of users within budgetary and resource constraints’ (Dixon, 2002 cited in Chowdhury, et al. 2007). When selecting content for acquisition it needs to be accurate and unbiased.
One of the most notable points that Oddone (2019) discusses about the role of the TL in collection development and management is that it is an important element of a TL librarian role, that TLs should uphold various rights that follow a myriad of organisations such as the United Nations, as well as The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). The diversity of the school community should be reflected in collections based on such elements as class, gender, ethnicity, religion with consideration of the ethos of school and its’ policies. Anti-censorship it important and making the collection accessible to all students while be non-judgemental.
Reference List
Chowdhury, GG., Burton, PF., McMenemy, D., Poulter, A. Collection management and collection development. In: Librarianship: An Introduction. Facet. (2007) 65-72.
Gorman, M. (1998). Our singular strengths: mediation for librarians. American Library Association, Chicago.
Oddone, K. (2019). School library collection development: It’s not as simple as you might think. Linking Learning. https://www.linkinglearning.com.au/school-library-collection-development-its-not-as-simple-as-you-might-think/
Ranganathan, S. (1928). The Five Laws of Library Sciences. The Madras Library Association, London.