Category: ETL 503

Search Scootle for a resource related to critical thinking. Share the strategies you used to refine your search results.

I used the Advanced Search option to refine what I was looking for in relation to the critical thinking search. The specifics allowed me to narrow down my search to secondary resources as I work in a high school and select different types of resources. For example, interactive, image, audio. This could be useful if I was to be looking for something specific for a particular faculty. It also has an excellent option of selecting whether or not you need the resource for any students that may have any impairments. You can narrow it down for specific KLAs and even narrow down dates of publication if you want say, more recently released resources. I forget how useful Advanced Search can be so it was good to use this to find some resources on critical thinking.

I decided to firstly explore the part that asked to “search for prolific book bloggers in the field”. To be honest, I don’t know any that specifically focus on texts relevant to school libraries. I did find a website called School Library Journal that had a book reviews section and the good thing about this was it indicated what age the books being reviewed would be suitable for. The reviews were brief but I felt like they had credibility purely for the fact that they were coming from a site that specialises in school libraries and therefore should have a knowledgeable team of writers.

I then followed this up with a review on Goodreads for Mice by Gordon Reece which is a book studied by Year 9 at my school. It was given 3/5 and had a very personal tone. It judged the book but not in an overly analytical way. Therein lies the issue with relying too heavily on reviews from the general public. They’re going to be mixed and may be more emotionally driven than focusing on the specifics of the book such as structure, characterisation, language, fluency, clarity etc. That being said, sometimes they can articulate aspects of the book that were liked or disliked in a way that the reader themselves could not so they still have vaildity. I’m just not sure that I would rely only on crowd sourced reviews.

References:

The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik by David Arnold. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.slj.com/2018/04/reviews/books/strange-fascinations-noah-hypnotik-david-arnold-slj-review/

Mice by Gordon Reece (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9895889

Originally posted February 26th 2018 on the Discussion Forums

The influence of the digital landscape on the publishing world has had a significant impact on school libraries, their collections and I think primarily, the users of the resource: our students.

Firstly, the physical space of the library is a place where students can see a range of books on a topic. This provides them with a hands-on means with which to discern and be critical about the information being obtained. They also have the expertise of the Librarian available to support them. Now users are utilising the Internet first and relying on user reviews and the rabbit hole of click bait to discover books. This may not necessarily be a bad thing but how can a user be sure the resource is a quality one based on reviews solely by other users? How can libraries embrace technology within the physical space to better engage students? Especially our students who are still learning how to be critical thinkers?

Libraries can provide quality control to some degree through the procurement of their collections. In terms of procuring resources for library collections, libraries have become limited to some extent by what the “Big Four” can provide. On the other hand, users could read more due to the tailoring of advertisements based on search terms and previous purchases. Something to be wary of is the growth of self-publishing (aer.io) as it could create questionable quality amongst resources. Regardless, this demand for digital resources places the Teacher Librarian and the limited budget with which they must work in a precarious position. They must attempt to find a balance between both digital and physical resources that are current.

Finally, both these factors impact upon the impression and utilisation by students of the Library. Librarians are no longer seen as the expert in some students’ eyes. They rely on their social media accounts to influence their reading decisions and this can often be a narrow, tailored feed of information that doesn’t allow them to expand beyond this. What libraries face is something of a PR crisis by which they are having to work against the growing belief by the community that the Library is no longer relevant and must work increasingly hard to engage both teachers, executive staff and students in the resource. This can take Librarians away from other aspects of their core business such as resourcing the curriculum. Or perhaps this is simply, what librarians must do these days to compete in the digital age.

ETL 503 -Resourcing the Curriculum has extended my knowledge and understanding of the role and nature of school library collections. Prior to commencing this course, I had very little awareness of how involved this aspect of the role could be for a Teacher Librarian. The key aspects that I have come to understand about this role include:

·         The significance and importance of the Teacher Librarian to work across the whole school to help procure the library collection

·         The importance of collaboration and communication between the Teacher Librarian, school staff, students and executive that is necessary to curate this.

·         The amount of considerations the Teacher Librarian must take into account including copyright, censorship, ethical, moral, philosophical ideologies of the school and its community, Australian Curriculum General Capabilities, the balance between digital and physical resources (Olmos, 2018).

·         The breadth of selection aids available to help Teacher Librarians access the best quality resources for students. (Olmos, 2018).

·         The Professional Learning they must undertake and provide to staff to better help them understand the role of the library and therefore more effectively engage in its use.

·         The necessary documents: policy and procedure to ensure the effective running of the school library.

Whilst I did not regularly write on my blog, instead I engaged in professional dialogue with colleagues at my school and at various times in the discussion forums as part of the exercises in the modules. When I am new to something I struggle to discuss things with people when I am unfamiliar with what I am learning. I prefer to engage more passively. Oftentimes I find too many voices overwhelm me and I want to try to navigate this new role with as much confidence as I can. That being said, they have helped me to gain a better understanding of some of the issues and considerations relating to collection policy development and collection management and how I would then try to apply it if I were in the Teacher Librarian role.

The collection development policy is important as a strategic document as it provides the overarching vision and mission statement of the library. It provides benchmarks with which to assess the success of the library’s day to day operations. It is written to align with the school’s values. It is designed as a reference document for all collection development decisions and issues in particular selection, deselection and challenged items. It should be written in a way that is accessible for all staff and community members as well as by new staff. This is because it can be influential in discussions with executive and when making budget decisions. It is a platform for open dialogue with the entire school staff (ALA, 1998).

The collection development policy assists in future proofing the collection because it provides a basis from which to consider the current collection and how it will evolve in the face of change. This is both in relation to technological change as well as the school’s evolving needs.  It is necessary for Teacher Librarians to know their school community and collaborate with them to ensure the collection reflects these. Some considerations include what do in the face of budget cuts, changing literacy demands, the promotion of the library as a place of value as seen by the school community, easy access to ebooks and searching online catalogues both at school and at home (ALIA, 2014) If Teacher Librarians make these considerations carefully they have the opportunity to ensure quality control of resources (Olmos, 2018) Regardless, there will still be competition from social media and consumerism to influence reading decisions and the role of the library as part of a student’s learning.

Because of this unit, I have a greater understanding of the value of this role and the awareness and potential to develop the role within a school that is perhaps not operating as effectively as it could. In establishing policies, processes and procedures that are effective, considerate and involving of the entire school community, it benefits and strengthens both the community and the quality of outcome achievement for students and ensures the longevity of the library well into the future.

Part B References

Australian Library and Information Association. (2014). ALIA futures: future of the library and information science profession. Retrieved from https://www.alia.org.au/futureoftheprofession

American Library Association. (1998). Workbook for Selection Policy Writing. In American Library Association. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2Gzt76C

Olmos, K.(2018, February 26). RE: Forum 1.1 Group 3 (Surnames N-Z) [Online discussion comment] Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2IAsknN

Olmos, K. (2018, April 22). RE: Forum 2.5 [Online discussion comment] Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2KDTGtG

Olmos, K (2018, April 22). RE: Forum 2.4 [Online discussion comment] Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2rTF7vk