CDP- The Tool for Change.

This semester of learning has reframed my understanding of how purposeful collection development can achieve the broader goals of school libraries as well as address challenges arising from a contemporary information context. By deeply engaging with the policies and collection management guidelines from peak bodies such as ALIA (2024), ALIA & ASLA (2016) and IFLA (2015), I have come to understand that through the articulation of clear guidelines that drive robust decision making, the teacher librarian (TL) has the power to enhance both the functionality and the reputation of the school library (Mitchell, 2011; Kimmel, 2014).

When I first began working in the TL role and recognised the scope of change needed within my own library collection in order to allow students to gain true information fluency and engage in the critical consumption and creation of information, I felt completely overwhelmed (Bertalli, 2023; NSW Department of Education 2022). I had naively thought that my role would be centred around literacy in the traditional sense, until I learnt what true transliteracy might look like for students today (Bertalli, 2023; O’Connelle & Oddone, 2023). It soon became clear that while our current library collection was considerable in size, it was not balanced in terms of format, and I realised that substantial changes to the collection would need to be made if I was to truly support our students to gain 21st Century skills (Bertalli, 2024; Newsum, 2016; Mitchell, 2011). Once I began to engage with ETL503 subject content, I started to understand the way in which a robust CDP would become the transformative tool that would assist me to make the changes I needed to move towards a collection that truly reflected the needs of my school context. Understanding the role of the collection development policy felt like finding the missing link that had finally bridged the theoretical knowledge I had been collecting in earlier subjects and the practical way to perform my role effectively.

ETL503 also enabled me to reflect upon my own ad-hoc collection management decisions in the past, inherited as custom and practice from the previous teacher librarian. I realised that at times, during my first year in the TL role, I had agonised over various acquisition choices due to self-censorship and fear of local community reactions to new and diverse perspectives. I now understand that this apprehension is preventable by applying selection criteria, that is supported by the school leadership and developed in consultation with the wider learning community (Bertalli, 2024; Morrisey, 2008). Although Johnson (2009) states that “collection development … [is]… a combination of knowledge, experience and intuition”” (2009, p.108), ETL503 assisted me to understand that in order to ensure that the collection was truly reflective of, and responsive to, changing curriculum and information needs, a more structured process was required (Bertalli, 2024).

Finally, in line with Kimmel’s (2014) findings, I have come to realise that developing a rigorous CDP has the potential to raise the status of the school library and ensure it is seen as central to student achievement, in the local community. A CDP is in fact a new way to advocate for my TL role that I hadn’t previously considered (Bertalli, 2023). ETL503 has been a rewarding learning experience that will be useful to my work, and beneficial for my students, each and every day.

References

Australian Library and Information Association. (2024). ALIA core values policy statement. https://read.alia.org.au/alia-core-values-policy-statement-0

Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) & Australian School Library Association (ASLA). (2016). Joint Statement on school library resource provision. https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/Policies/policy_School_Library_Resource_Provision.pdf

Bertalli, B. (2023, March 8). Teacher Librarians- It’s Time to Renew Our Role. Talk Wordy To Me. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/bbertalli/2023/03/

Bertalli, B. (2024, March 6). 99% there- yet so far to go! Talk Wordy To Me. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/bbertalli/2024/03/

Bertalli, B. (2023, March 22). Literacy- Is it more than just reading and writing? Talk Wordy To Me. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/bbertalli/2023/03/

Bertalli, B. (2023, May 20). Looking back on chapter one. Talk Wordy To Me. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/bbertalli/2023/05/

Bertalli, B. (2024, March 29). F*@! Do we face the same school library censorship challenges? Talk Wordy To Me. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/bbertalli/2024/03/

Bertalli, B. (2024, April 26). Show me the money! Library budgets and the role of the teacher librarian. Talk Wordy To Me. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/bbertalli/2024/04/

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions School Libraries Section Standing Committee. (2015).  IFLA school library guidelines.  https://www.ifla.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/assets/school-libraries-resource-centers/publications/ifla-school-library-guidelines.pdf

Johnson, P. (2004) Fundamentals of collection development and management. American Library Association.

Kimmel, S. C. (2014). Developing collections to empower learners. American Association of School Librarians.

Mitchell, P. (2011). Resourcing 21st century online Australian curriculum: The role of

school libraries. FYI: the Journal for the School Information Professional, 15(2),

10-15.

Morrisey, L. J. (2008). Ethical Issues in Collection Development. Journal of Library Administration, 47(3–4), 163–171. Education Research Complete. https://doi.org/10.1080/01930820802186506

New South Wales Department of Education. (2022). Information fluency framework. https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/media/documents/Information_fluency_framework.pdf

Newsum, J. M. (2016). School Collection Development and Resource Management in Digitally Rich Environments: An Initial Literature Review. School Libraries Worldwide, 22(1), 97–109. https://doi.org/10.29173/slw6908.

O’Connelle, J. & Oddone, K. (2023). Information Literacy [Module 3]. ETL401, Interact2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au