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ETL503: A Reflection On Learning

ETL503: A Reflection On Learning

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‘Mirrors and windows’ is an analogy that I first encountered during my studies in ETL503. It means students must be able to see themselves reflected in the school’s library collection (the mirrors) and be provided with opportunities to learn about the lives and experiences of others (the windows) (Adam, 2023, p. 1). This analogy has underpinned much of my thinking as I worked through this unit, further developing my understanding of the nature of school library collections and the practical applications of a collection development policy. In this blog post, I take the time to reflect upon how my learning has progressed around the topics of student-led collection development policies, censorship, advocacy and future-proofing the collection.

 

In module 2.1, I was inspired by the success of Melba Copeland Secondary School’s library incorporating a student-led collection development policy to empower students when it comes to the selection of books within the library’s collection (Jorm, 2022). I used this as a launching pad to research ways in which I could emulate their success in my own future library. Implementing strategies, such as suggestion boxes, request books, and automatic patron-driven acquisition systems, will give me the ability to tailor my collection to meet the teaching and learning needs of my school community (Wilson, 2023, March 15). In taking this approach to collection development, I hope to increase engagement and circulation statistics within my future library.

 

I have come to learn that a collection development policy can protect a collection through clearly articulated policies around censorship. My initial understanding of censorship was the active and conscious suppression of materials, but through module 4.1 I learned that censorship could come in many subtle and overt forms. One subtle form is the teacher librarian pre-emptively excluding a resource from the collection to avoid dealing with a challenge from the learning community, known as self-censorship (Johnson, 2018, p. 133). A collection development policy gives me the courage to select a diverse range of resources, knowing that my decisions are guided by the policies upholding the need for students to have free access to information without interference (Wilson, 2023, April 19).

 

Compiling an annual report articulating how the library worked towards the policies and goals set out in the Collection Development Policy can be used as evidence when advocating for the library (McKenzie, 2009, para. 13). The Australian School Library Survey Report 2021 (Softlink, 2022) found that 26% of school libraries were receiving a low to very low level of support from their school’s Senior Leadership Team (p. 4). Considering this statistic, I am aware that I may end up in a school library that does not receive an adequate amount of support. Investing time into the creation of an annual report is an effective way to engage the senior leadership team with the library. Presenting qualitative and quantitative data on the impact the school’s Collection Development Policy has on teaching and learning has the power to make the invisible achievements of the library visible (Wilson, 2023, April 29). This can raise the profile of the school library within the school, making advocating for appropriate resourcing an easier task and ensuring that the library remains a valuable component of the school into the future.

 

Not all libraries have a collection development policy (Gregory, 2019, p. 29), therefore it is a real possibility in the future that I may need to take the initiative to create one from scratch. With the understanding I have gained from ETL503, I feel confident in approaching this task, knowing how crucial it is in tailoring the collection, confronting censorship, boosting the library’s standing through advocacy and future-proofing the collection. Through this I will be able to develop a collection that is the ‘mirrors and windows’ my learning community requires.

 

References

Adam, H. (2023). Is your library the window and mirror all children need?. Connections, 125, 1-3. https://www.scisdata.com/connections/issue-125/is-your-library-the-window-and-mirror-all-children-need

Gregory, V. L. (2019). Collection Development and Management for 21st Century Libraries and Collections : An Introduction (2nd ed.). American Library Association.

Johnson, P. (2018). Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management (4th ed.). ALA Editions.

Jorm, M. (2022). Photo story: Student-led library collection development. Teacher. https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/photo-story-student-led-library-collection-development

McKenzie, D. (2009). Importance of creating an annual report. [blog]. Library Grits. http://librarygrits.blogspot.com.au/2009/06/importance-of-creating-annual-report.html

Softlink. (2022). Australian School Library Survey Report 2021. https://www.softlinkint.com/downloads/2021_Softlink_School_Library_Survey_-_Australian_Report.pdf

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Censorship and the school library

Censorship and the school library

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In the article entitled Selection & Censorship: It’s simple arithmetic (2002), Dave Jenkinson outlines the following three challenges when dealing with censorship in the school library. This blog post will analyse each challenge and identify if Australian school libraries face the same challenges around censorship.

 

1. The majority of school censors are parents, but in-school censorship from teachers and other school personnel is still significant.

While it is difficult to obtain statistics around who is censoring materials, there is no doubt that challenges towards resources is happening within Australian schools. Reflecting upon my own teaching career, I have personally experienced in-school censoring of resources. Early on in my teaching career, the Senior Leadership Team at the time were not happy with a picture book that was selected for the CBCA National Simultaneous Storytime that year. The book was subsequently replaced with another picture book that was read at the dedicated time. In hindsight, if I was the teacher librarian at that time, I could have approached the executive team with my concerns, referencing the school’s collection development policy and other relevant documentation from Australian and international library standards to justify why the deselection of the book is a form of censorship.

 

2. The level of principal involvement in the development of censorship policies and generating awareness around these policies.

Dave outlines how there is a guiding principle within the Vancouver School District that suggests “the principal should review the selection and objection rules with the teaching staff at least annually” (Jenkinson, 2002, p. 22). The Australian School Library Survey Report 2021 (Softlink, 2022) found that 26% of teacher librarians experienced a low to very low level of support from their Senior Leadership Teams (p. 4). This would mean that at least one quarter of principals within Australia would not be engaging with their school library at same level of engagement expected of principals of schools within Vancouver. This has prompted me to ensure that I make the effort to engage my future Senior Leadership Team in creation and promotion of the school’s collection development and management policies, particularly around the topic of censorship and challenges towards the collection.

 

3. Self-censorship

My initial understanding of the word ‘censorship’ involved the conscious and active suppression of information in order to influence or control. The most significant learning I gained from this article and Module 4 material (Gagen-Spriggs & Oddonne, 2023) is that a teacher librarian pre-emptively not including a resource in order to avoid dealing with a possible challenge to the collection from the school community in the future may find themselves inadvertently censoring their school collection. Relying on the collection development and management policies of the school, teacher librarians need to be courageous and justified in the selection of resources for their library, regardless of a potential challenge.

 

Although this article is written twenty years ago and from a Canadian perspective, challenges towards resources are not time- or place-bound and are still faced by Australian teacher librarians today. Regardless of how libraries evolve into the 21st century, challenges towards the information housed within will be an eternal minefield that teacher librarians will need to navigate.

 

References:

Jenkinson, D. (2002). Selection and censorship: It’s simple arithmetic. School libraries in Canada, 2(4), 22-23.

 

Gagen-Spriggs, K. & Oddonne, K. (2023). Module 4: Selection of Resources [Study notes]. ETL503: Resourcing the Curriculum. Interact 2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au

 

Softlink. (2022). Australian School Library Survey Report 2021. https://www.softlinkint.com/downloads/2021_Softlink_School_Library_Survey_-_Australian_Report.pdf

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Mirrors and windows: How to engage learners in collection development

Mirrors and windows: How to engage learners in collection development

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When learning about student-lead collection development in school libraries, I was introduced to a theory that really resonated with me. This theory was: mirrors and windows. Teacher Librarian at Melba Copeland Senior Secondary school, Mali Jorm, used this expression to explain how a school library collection should contain literature that shows a variety of different experiences and perspectives (School Improvement Branch, 2021). Students should be able to see themselves reflected in the literature that they are accessing (mirrors); and should also be able to see the lives of others to develop understanding and empathy (widows). This theory has me contemplating how I can engage learners in the development of the school library collection to ensure it contains an adequate amount of “mirrors” and “windows”.

 

The first idea that springs to mind is simple yet effective; suggestion boxes and request books. This would be particularly effective in a primary school setting as barriers for students to access these methods would be limited. Book requests have been successful at Melba Copeland Senior Secondary School, with the school library reporting that books bought upon a student’s request have a higher circulation rate than books that have been selected by members of staff (Jorm, 2022). Requested books have a book plaque attached at the front with the phrase “This book was recommended by…”, giving students ownership over the purchasing choices made within the school library (Jorm, 2022). It makes sense that the students are more in tune with what is popular at the moment, so listening to what they have to say is crucial to keeping the school library collection relevant to them.

 

Another way in which schools are tailoring their teaching collections is through patron-driven acquisition (PDA). Kerferd Library, located at Mentone Girls’ Grammar School, implemented a PDA system to help support teacher professional development by which three loans of a title would trigger a purchase within the system (Feighan, 2015, p. 9). Kerford Library calculated that they spent USD$497.50 on 127 eBooks through the PDA system, which would have cost them USD$3272.23 if purchased outright, meaning a saving of $2774.73 (Feighan, 2015, p. 9). This is a win-win situation for both the school library and teaching staff; teachers can access resources that will enhance their lesson planning and teaching, and the library is able to make significant savings in the purchase of these resources.

 

It is important for a teacher librarian to keep abreast of reading trends among student cohorts as this information can be used to ensure that students view the library as relevant and engage with its collection. Through the implementation of the different collection development methods mentioned here, a teacher librarian can better tailor their collections to ensure their school library is, indeed, mirrors and windows.

 

References:

School Improvement Branch. (2021, June). MCSS Library. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8_9N-TVEfw&t=540s

 

Jorm, M. (2022). Photo story: Student-led library collection development. Teacher. https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/photo-story-student-led-library-collection-development

 

Feighan, D. (2015). Building a school library collection to keep up with the digital age. FYI : The Journal for the School Information Professional, 19(3), 6–12.

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Collection Development and Management

Collection Development and Management

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At first glance, it can appear as if the terms ‘collection development’ and ‘collection management’ are interchangeable. Once I was able to tease out the differences between the two, I was able to see that both processes, while intertwined, have the teacher librarian using their knowledge and expertise in different ways. In this blog post, I explore my current understanding of collection development through the creation of my own process diagram and reflect upon what I believe are the differences between collection development and collection management.

 

Collection Development

To commence my understanding of collection development, I examined Kay Oddone’s Collection Development: Process diagram (Oddone, 2019). I used this as a basis to create my own version, as seen below. As I am not currently working in a library setting, it will be interesting to revisit this post in the future to see how I may change or adapt this version of the collection development process.

Amanda Wilson's interpretation of the Collection Development Process
My personal interpretation of the Collection Development Process.

Identify: Identify the needs of the school community in which your library serves.

Locate: Locate potential resources that could meet the needs of library stakeholders. This could be through purchasing new resources, using local library networks or inter-library loans.

Select: Select the resources accordingly. If purchasing new resources, the budget may need to be referred to. Otherwise, inter-library loans could be organised at this stage.

Catalogue: Once the resources have been received by the library, they will need to be catalogued in a way that makes them accessible to library users.

Promote: Teacher Librarians will need to actively promote the resources in their library. This is especially important for “invisible” resources, such as the digital collection.

Evaluate: Stocktake resources and evaluate if the resources are still of value to the library community.

Weed: Weed out those resources that are no longer of value to the library community.

 

Where to start?

I believe it is crucial to begin with ‘identify’ when developing the library collection. The needs of students, teachers and the wider school community should underpin all decisions made when it comes to the development of the collection. The school library serves the community in which it is located, and its collection needs to be reflective of this.

 

One step that I felt was missing…

One step that I felt was missing from Oddone’s diagram was ‘promote’. Resources that are not actively promoted within the school community could be deemed irrelevant and subsequently weeded from the collection, when the main issue is it was not easily accessible or obscured from students and teachers. This is especially important for the digital collection, as digital resources don’t take up space like a physical book, therefore they can be easily overlooked and underutilised by the library users. Finding creative ways, such as using QR codes and thematic displays, to promote these resources is an essential task for the Teacher Librarian to mitigate any unnecessary weeding or double-up in resourcing.

 

Collection Development vs. Collection Management

From my understanding, collection development is a collaborative process between all members within the learning community. The Teacher Librarian takes on the role of leader in the collection development process, but the process involves the input of teachers, students, executive staff, families, and any other stakeholders in the learning community. On the other hand, collection management is at the core of the Teacher Librarian’s role. It involves them using their skill and expert knowledge to make nuanced decisions around what is included in the collection, ensuring that the collection as a whole is unbiased, reflects the school community and is accessible to all. Collection management also involves understanding the school’s mission and vision and aligning the library’s collection development policy with these priorities.

 

References:

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/

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