ETL503- Assessment 2 Part B

The subject ETL503 has confirmed my understanding that the role and nature of the school library collection, and the Teacher Librarian (TL), is continually changing to reflect the current needs of the community (Kasalu & Ojiambo, 2012, p. 25-26) to prepare students for the future (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions [IFLA], 2015, p. 19). This course has confirmed that TLs cannot operate effectively in a vacuum, or hope to develop a ‘living useful policy’ (Saponaro & Evans, 2019, p. 54) or a community-focused collection without the input and support of all stakeholders (Biviano, 2021, November 27).

The defining line between a collection development policy (CDP) and collection management policy (CMP) is more complex and nuanced than my response to Discussion Forum 1 (Biviano, 2021, November 27) suggested. Both documents require planned, intentional focus and the support of stakeholders throughout to create a balanced, relevant collection (ALIA, 2015, p. 61; IFLA, 2017, p. 8; Johnson, 2014, p. 221, 279) that supports students now and into the future. In return, both documents can be used to strategically support funding applications, grants, contribute to the development and strengthening of whole school Strategic Improvement Plans (SIP), streamline resource application, approval and rejection and provide accountability and transparency of actions. Additionally, these documents can be utilised within the library to streamline the collection of data and associated reporting to guide future, user-focussed purchases (Johnson, 2014, p. 325) in a changing information landscape, and develop and implement effective deselection criteria to improve circulation and increase user engagement (Disher, 2014, p. 86-87; Saponaro & Evans, 2019, p. 195-196).

The regular review and assessment of CDPs allows for the updating of policies and processes to align with the school and department values, mission statements and visions (IFLA, 2015, p. 23) and ensures continuous monitoring of format and subject availability in the collection to inform future planning and purchasing (ALIA, 2017, p. 66). Regular revision of these documents helps maintain a relevant collection that meets the needs of 21st century learners and supports staff (Kasalu & Ojiambo, 2012, p. 25-26) as curriculum changes continue to come into effect.

I have learned that an increased collaborative effort with local small school libraries and council library services will provide numerous benefits to stakeholders and offer opportunities for cooperative development of the CDP and CMP (Johnson, 2014, p. 385). Additionally, strengthening these relationships, and those with the wider community, will assist in helping to future-proof the library by incorporating new perspectives, offering access to new and different resource formats and sharing the pressure of the ever-increasing TL load.

I have learned a lot about censorship and, although I was aware of intentional censorship, I was unaware of the possibility of unintentional or covert censorship (Moody, 2005, p. 140). While taboo topics of sexuality, religion and disability may have once been considered unsuitable for school libraries, guidelines state that the exclusion of topics based on biased or prejudiced personal attitudes or beliefs is unacceptable (IFLA, 2015, p. 7; Australian Library and Information Association [ALIA], 2017, p. 12). As such, some of these topics have come into focus when selecting resources for the school library. I am aware that not all communities have developed the same social values and some topics continue to remain controversial (Moody, 2005, p. 142), but, as discussed in the forums (Biviano, 2021, January 3) I believe communication, support from the executive and staff and a sound understanding of the school context and community is vital when negotiating such sensitive issues.

The highly collaborative nature of CDPs (IFLA, 2015, p. 8; ALIA, 2017, p. 11; Saponaro & Evans, 2019, p. 56) is something that, in my small school context, has fallen away, leaving a never-ending cycle of stocktake, weeding and accessioning without thought to the appropriateness of the resources provided through donations, standing orders and teacher classroom requests. The completion of key policy and procedure documents, which can then be presented and ratified by school leaders, is the best way to clearly, effectively communicate collection development issues, such as time management, funding and personnel shortages, with busy school leaders. Additionally, these documents provide stakeholders with a better understanding of resource selection and weeding criteria, allowing for greater transparency in the collection (Disher, 2014, p. 37).

Although I seemed to develop an endless list of must-do tasks throughout this unit, my main priorities going forward for the immediate future are:

–          to develop intentional awareness of covert censorship in action and put in practice assessing resources using the basic selection criteria outlined in this blog post (Biviano, 2021, December 4)

–          to develop key policies and procedures in collaboration with school staff and leaders and to use the CDP and CMP as strategic documents in library planning

–          to expand on the collaborative efforts discussed in this blog post (Biviano, 2021, December 27) with school staff and the wider library services community to support the development of digital and physical collections moving forward

–          to encourage staff to become actively involved in collection mapping and evaluation as discussed in Forum 5.1 (Biviano, 2021, January 2) to ensure a better general understanding of the school collection and to communicate a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the TL and library collection.

 

 References

Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). (2017). A manual for developing policies and procedures in Australian school library resource centres. 2nd edition.  https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/Policies/policies-procedures-manual_ed2.pdf

Disher, W. (2014). Crash course in collection development, 2nd edition. ABC-CLIO, LLC.

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions [IFLA]. (2015). IFLA school library guidelines. 2nd edition.
https://www.ifla.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/assets/school-libraries-resource-centers/publications/ifla-school-library-guidelines.pdf

Johnson, P. (2014). Fundamentals of collection development and policies. American Library Association.

Kasalu, S. & Ojiambo, J. B. (2012, 13 Jan). Application of ICTs in collection development in private university libraries in Kenya. Collection Building, 31(1), 23-21. https://doi.org/10.1108/01604951211199155

Moody, K. (2005). Covert censorship in libraries: a discussion paper. Australian Library Journal May 2005, 54(2), 138-147. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049670.2005.10721741

 Saponaro, M. Z., & Evans, G. E. (2019). Collection management basics, 7th edition. ABC-CLIO, LLC.

 

ETL503- Module 7: Future of school library collections

7.1 Conclusion and reflective practice

What do YOU think is the future for school libraries and school library collections?

When it comes down to it, Libraries are changing in format and in what is expected of TLs to produce, curate and monitor. I think some of the largest factors in determining the future of school libraries will be:

Budget- whether it is determined by school executive or a broader Departmental initiative, the availability of funds for purchasing and maintaining different types of resources PLUS the funding available for employing suitable numbers of staff to develop relevant collections.

Technology- the development of technology and the introduction of BYOD and availability of online literacy platforms and subscriptions. As a sub-consideration, the development and evolution of copyright involving online platforms as legislation and guidelines change will also impact the future of the libraries.

Community support- in terms of supplementary funds, donations and fundraising as well as support for technology and its integration into schools.

Curriculum- increasing expectations of TLs to include various KLAs within the ‘library space’ beyond the traditional Literacy components will affect planning time, resourcing and admin time, space usage and expectations of the school and the broader department.

It is up to the TL to remain flexible and open to learning and developing their varied skills further to support library users and to continue to promote the importance of libraries in schools.

ETL503- Module 6: Collection development policy

6.1 Policy and procedures

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) provides a useful handbook for developing a Library Collection Policy: ALIA schools developing policies and procedures manual (2017).

Most useful, I found, is the School Library Collection Rubric. TLs can use this rubric to check up on the ‘health’ of their collection overall. It is encouraged that this rubric be reviewed regularly to ensure ongoing development and improvement of the collection policies and procedures.

I will be using this upon return to school to assess the current collection, policy and procedures. I suspect we will sit in the ‘developing’ category for a lot of the elements.

In Discussion forum 6.1, discuss new areas needing coverage in your collection development policy, in view of the digital content of your collection.

My small school has no written policy or procedure document and so I am starting from scratch using examples from here and there and adjusting as I go. The examples I have found mention, very broadly eBooks and audio visual resources. I have a very limited physical collection of AV resources in the library and eBook programs have been determined by individual class teachers over time, rather than the whole staff. I would like to get the staff together to determine the usefulness of these individual digital programs and settle on a whole-school determined program to save us some money.

This year, I encouraged my Principal to purchase an online non-fiction subscription with brilliant images, up-to-date information, interactive videos, links to lesson plans and programming. She went ahead and did so. Unfortunately, due to COVID and other factors, the staff training did not go ahead and so, aside from myself in the library, staff did not utilise this resource and it fell to the wayside. Unfortunately, we do not have the funding to trial this product again and so, as much as I saw the value in it, without engaging with it, the staff have decided to forgo the subscription this year.

I think if you are going to subscribe to digital collections, it needs to be a priority to provide staff training and feedback opportunities to ensure you are getting value for money.

6.2 Collection management and censorship

Inspired by the idea of a collaborative effort, I have already contacted fellow staff members to determine what digital reading programs they are already using to support literacy skills. By collecting this data and eventually resolving to keep one or two specific programs, rather than multiple different platforms, the ultimate goal is to build a case toward having the school pay for these programs, rather than the individual teachers and increase whole-school consistency in literacy. By documenting use of these programs in the Library Policy, I am hoping to collect data to support the purchase of these programs in the limited school budget.

In a sentence or two share an idea and/or discuss a key takeaway from your reading on censorship in this module. Discuss your key takeaways in Discussion Forum 6.2.

Open communication with all stake holders, and trust in the TL to uphold the values and policies of the school, can support the development of a collection that is sensitive to social and community taboos, while also allowing students access to resources that expand their understanding of sensitive topics. It is important to have a clear understanding of what is and is not acceptable for certain ages, demographics and communities without restricting student access to topics of interest or relatable topics.

While it is important to consider the opinion of all stakeholders, including parents and carers, it is equally important to balance the perceived ‘appropriateness’ of resources with the reality of the world today. Of course, murder and mayhem are not appropriate for kindergarten students, however, depending on the context and writing style, some YA dystopian novels are highly desired by students in Year 5 or 6.

Each resource must be considered in isolation and in context to determine whether or not it is appropriate for the student and school context.

ETL503- Module 5: Evaluating collections

5.1 Collection evaluation

The resources provide a handy How-To article from the National Library of New Zealand Services to Schools (n.d.)- Assessing your school library collection, almost giving step-by-step suggestions when evaluating a collection, which is great for first time librarians and as a refresher. This sequence of events could be added to the Library Policy to ensure consistency and establish procedures when evaluating the collection.

In Forum 5.1, Methods of collection analysis,  discuss which of these methods are suitable and practical in school libraries, and which ones you will use.

Working as a Librarian in a small school one and a half days a week, I can’t imagine how collection mapping could be achieved without support from the staff. Even working with pre-organised Scope & Sequence and Curriculum documents, it is a boat load of work for one person alone.

I still believe, however, that evaluating the collection is critical.

At my school, there have been several librarians in the past five years. Our non-fiction section has not had a stocktake for almost that long and our shelves are bursting with physical books on random topics that seem to have no order or theme.

In evaluating the collection, I would rely on both methods of assessment, but focus the initial inquiry on data supplied by:

Quantitative

Use and User-based

  • Circulation statistics
  • In-house use statistics
  • E-resources use statistics

Collection-based

  • Collection size and growth statistics
  • Content overlap statistics
  • Comparisons between different sections in the library

Qualitative

Use and User-based

  • User opinions- to find topics of interest

Collection-based

  • Collection mapping

A great visual resource when weeding! Original resource located here.

A flow chart suggesting what Librarians can consider when weeding from their collection

I think the above infographic and various resources suggested in the readings is a great place to start when developing a weeding policy. Everything put in place must be added to the ongoing library policy to ensure consistency in future years.

ETL503- Module 4: Legal & ethical issues of collections

4.1 Copyright

Not something I have spent a whole lot of time exploring, Copyright is a surprisingly large issue for school libraries, particularly in small schools. In larger schools, I would imagine executives or teams highlight and educate staff on copyright guidelines, but in small schools, there is the potential for copyright to fall through the cracks when there is so much else happening. As such, I would suggest delegating copyright signposting and staff education to the TL as part of their role if possible.

Smartcopying is a great, simple to use resource to support understanding of copyright regulations within Australia. It has been developed for and by schools to simplify and clarify copyright in an educational context.

Snippet from the Copyright website http://smartcopying.edu.au/faqs/film-and-video-dvd/

Interestingly, I know a number of schools who have teachers sign in to streaming services to play lunch time to rainy day videos. As long as the films are ‘G’ rated, in compliance with Department of Education guidelines, the general idea is that anything is ok. My interpretation of the above snippet from the Smartcopying website would suggest an additional license is required to do this. I may be unaware, but I don’t believe the majority of schools would have this license on-hand and many staff would not be aware of this as a requirement.

While the information goes on the explain that there is a blanket license to cover playing films etc for non-educational purposes, it also says that not every school is necessarily covered and that staff should check their local copyright advisor (National Copyright Unit). This is useful information to pass on to staff.

Search

Use the Smartcopying website search to search for copyright issues related to ‘music‘.

Select two references of interest and review them for relevance to your situation.

Search: ‘playing music in class’

Results: 22

Most relevant articles:

  1. Music Copyright Guide for Schools– Outlines the basics for schools to understand how they can and cannot use music as created by other people.
  2. Music- Guidelines– Outlines the basic concepts of ‘what is music’ and what classifies as music in order to apply the above copyright guide.
  3. The Copyright Access Reforms 2021– Discussion regarding the need for changes to copyright access in schools to keep up with the development of technology and the digital environment.

Does the school library you are familiar with accommodate children with disabilities?

Not that I am aware of. As a small school, we are limited in the number of students we have and possess a low percentage of students with disabilities. Additionally, I am in the process of developing a library policy for the school and, as of yet, have seen no evidence of past policies with or without accommodation for children with disabilities.

Exploring the article ‘Australian web accessibility laws and policies’ was a fascinating read in that, I would have assumed large companies already included accommodations for people with varying disabilities. However, it is clear that this has not happened in the past. I am pleased to see legislation is beginning to be developed and rolled out to support all citizens in accessing information and opportunities regardless of abilities or differences.

Discussion Forum 4.1: Activity, reflective practice and discussion
From your reading of the Smartcopying website, choose some facts you think teachers or students in your school may not be clear about. Develop two questions for each fact – one for teachers and one for students.For example as teacher question might be: The Mathematics textbook you want to use for Year 10 next semester is not in stock locally. Is it okay to make a copy for each Year 10 student?

Teacher Question: During Learning from Home, you need to share a new set of sheet music with your choral group. Is it okay to email students a PDF copy of this sheet music?

Answer: Yes, so long as it is via the password protected/restricted DET website or sent via a platform like Google Classroom. Additionally, it is a good idea to mark the PDF with copyright information.

Student Question:  We would like to raise some money for the Year 6 formal, can we show a film for a gold coin donation?

Answer: Generally, no unless the teacher has contacted the copyright owner directly.

References

National Copyright Unit. (n.d.) Playing films, television and radio in schools. https://smartcopying.edu.au/playing-films-television-and-radio-in-schools/

4.2 Creative Commons

A great overview of what Creative Commons is can be found on the Smartcopying website. Also, some really useful slides summarising the different CC Licenses Jessicacoates.

Summarises the different Creative Commons symbols and what they meanGives examples of all available Creative Common license combinations

Discussion Forum 4.2 – Creative Commons licensed resources
Locate at least two Creative Commons licensed resources. Write a short description of each and explain the CC license chosen.
All materials located and available on Flickr.
1) Material type: Photograph: Image of a teddy bear on a rainy day https://flic.kr/p/2iVyRgV
Marked with the Creative Commons:
  • Attribution
  • Noncommercial
2) Material type: Map of Australia
https://flic.kr/p/9XFQfN
Marked with the Creative Commons:
  • Attribution
  • Noncommercial
  • ShareAlike

While Copyright and Creative Commons are not areas I have thought much about in the past, I am curious about how well my current school adheres to these guidelines. I intend to investigate Copyright and CC uses closely over the coming term and discuss my findings with my Principal to ensure regulations are adhered to.

ETL503- Module 2: Developing collections Part 3

Module 2.5: Selection criteria: Activity

Select a resource and evaluate it according to the criteria listed in the modules.

Resource: The boy who tried to shrink his name by Author: Sandhya Illustrator: Parappukkaran & Michelle Pereira (2021)

Summary: When Zimdalamishkermishkada starts a new school, he knows he’s got to do something about his long name. ​When no amount of shrinking, folding or crumpling works, he simply settles for Zim – but deep down, it doesn’t feel right. It’s not until a new friend sees him for who he truly is that Zimdalamishkermishkada finds the confidence to step boldly into his long name.​

Working from the position of Hughs-Hasselll and Macall (2005), in that selection criteria is most useful when based on the teaching-learning context and learner characteristics, I have selected this text to support PDH units on courage, friendship, understanding self and acceptance.

School context: Under 70 students in a predominantly white-Anglo community. Socio-economics range from high to extremely low. Increasing number of tranistory families moving into the area from backgrounds other than white-Anglo.

Primary Considerations

Appropriateness/Scope/Accuracy/Treatment/Arrangement and organisation/Comparison with other works

Being a picture book, this can be adapted to multiple literacy levels and target multiple cross-curricular skills. Set in Australia, and representing the melting pot of cross-culturalism that can be found within our borders, the characters represent a wide range of backgrounds and cultures and the storyline is relatable to a range of students as, everyone has started a new school at some stage. The language is pitched at a middle years level and so early years may require some support in reading along, but this text provides a number of talking points in addressing culture, change, fitting in, confidence and self acceptance. Published in 2021, this text is current to students’ environments and social norms and, I believe, the characters and storyline will age well. The text is laid out in easy to read paragraphs, allowing students to locate in-text information and the illustrations are eye catching without being too busy. Students will be able to examine the images for facial cue to support inferential questioning and suggest how the characters are feeling.

Secondary Criteria

Physical quality/Aesthetic quality/Literary merit/Reputation of author, illustrator or publisher

<a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-boy-who-tried-to-shrink-his-name-sandhya-parappukkaran/book/9781760509361.html"> <img src="https://www.booktopia.com.au/covers/500/9781760509361/1833/the-boy-who-tried-to-shrink-his-name.jpg" alt=""> <strong> The Boy Who Tried To Shrink His Name</strong> </a>
The Boy Who Tried To Shrink His Name
By: Sandhya Parappukkaran, Michelle Pereira (Illustrator)

Images and text are clear and easy to follow in hard copy, utilising speech marks and other common punctuation whilst introducing new words and names to students. The colours are similar throughout the text and a complimentary combination that will appeal o my learners, as will the age and activities of the main character and his friends and family. There are clear themes throughout and the illustrators style ties in well with the writing style and font of the author. Both author and illustrator will be new additions to my library but worthy of researching further to discover others texts they may have developed, either independently or collaboratively.

Selection Tools Utilised

A lengthy review from Kids Book Reviews discussing the positives of the text and its benefits for students/children. This is a blog dedicated specifically to the review of childrens’ literature and provides some detail on the main points of the text and, potential teaching points. This provides a brief, vague comparison to other books on similar themes in a positive light.

A single written review from Goodreads gives the book a middling score with some ambiguity of the message seemingly apparent within the text. This is more of a personal opinion than a professional examination of the text done by an adult with no context. A number of other reviewers provided high star scores without commentary.

Module 2.5: Selection criteria: Search and curate

The majority of selection criteria I discovered outlined that resources must, at the very least:

  • Support and enrich the curriculum/teaching programs
  • Align with current and changing student interests
  • Provide accurate, authentic and up-to-date information
  • Represent a variety of perspectives without bias of one over another
  • Be easily and equally accessible to all students
  • Be of reasonable cost
  • Be produced by reputable/qualified/recognised author/publisher/producer or source of information

Western Australian School Library Association (WASLA). (n.d.). WASLA School Library Collection Policy. Retrieved from ETL503: Resourcing the Curriculum 202190. Module 2: Developing Collections https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContentEditable.jsp?content_id=_4719185_1&course_id=_58478_1

Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS). (2020). Lesson 2: Managing your collection-what does your library collect? https://scis.edublogs.org/2020/02/24/lesson-2-managing-your-collection-what-does-your-library-collect/

National Library of New Zealand. (2016). Annual report. Services to Schools. Retrieved from http://schools.natlib.govt.nz/school-libraries/library-management/annual-report

American Library Associations (ALA). (2017). Selection criteria. Retrieved from https://www.ala.org/tools/challengesupport/selectionpolicytoolkit/criteria  

lynnevey. (2018, January 2). Common elements for criteria used to select e-resources. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/lynne/2018/01/02/common-elements-for-criteria-used-to-select-e-resources/

ETL503- Module 2: Developing collections Part 2

Module 2.3: eResources: Discussion Forum: 2.3

Search Scootle for a resource related to critical thinking.

I searched ‘critical thinking’ and returned 199 results.

Utilising the ‘Advanced Search’ option, I refined my search on ‘critical thinking’ by selecting the years K-6 (which I teach) returning with 103 results.

From there, I chose a subject area from a side category that I am currently teaching: ‘Health and physical education’. This presented me with 7 results and a number of units across the grades.

Module 2.4: Selection aids: Discussion Forum: 2.4a

Select a curriculum topic of interest.
Select one of the online communities or resource sharing services listed in this section, and spend some time searching for tags, hashtags, lists or communities of relevance to your topic.
Share a link to a relevant online resource found from that community in Forum 2.4 and discuss the pros and cons of this community as a recommendation source.
We are currently working through the PDH curriculum at the moment with K-1 and discussing ‘courage’ and what it means to be brave. I believe we need more books with specific emotional language as part of our resources so I searched up ‘courage’ on Goodreads, resulting in 13548 resources.
I narrowed the selection using the ‘fiction’ category and the site sent me to a new search specifically on fiction alone.
When I typed in ‘picture books about courage’ I got an error message asking for ISBN numbers, which made me realise, I needed to do a broader search on something like Google Search and use Goodreads to pull up a specific book.
I chose Max the Brave by Ed Vere because one of our key words is in the title- ‘brave’.
I plugged this into Goodreads and it popped up as the first option with a 4.5 star rating.
Clicking in to the book title, I am presented with all the ISBN and Edition information a TL could want, along with alternate cover options.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22712981-max-the-brave?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=0FxO5bsODV&rank=1
Pros
  • I was able to sort the reviews from newest to eldest and vice versa and filter to show the highest and lowest rated reviews.
  • There is an option to ask questions about the book (there were none) and submitted reviews below.
  • There is a ‘book data’ pop-up if you hover over the words ‘Rating details’ which allows a snap shot of the ratings this title has received before trawling through all the reviews
  • Some reviewers seemed to be teachers who used the text in-class- these reviews provided information on how the book was used, received and suggested age groups at times.
  • People can place their reviewed books on ‘shelves’ which group books of a like nature.
  • There is a forum community on this site where you can ask for and discuss recommendations of similar texts.
Cons
  • Some reviewers are social media-based book reviewers and more still are parents who brought the ‘cute book’ for their kids. Most of these were quite brief and not very useful in determining content, writing style or image content of the book.
  • A number of reviews identified ‘Netgalley’ as having provided them a free copy of this text for a review- Would this skew the responses? Does Netgalley target teachers or just anyone open to reviewing?
  • ‘Shelves’ are determined by the reviewers individually and can sometimes be misleading, not allowing for any kind of consistency amongst reviewers or collections- potential for rabbit-holes and tangents!
I would use this site for personal selection ideas, rather than professional. The process of locating new texts is simply too laborious and time consuming when there are other resources that allow you to do this all in one place. Additionally, some of the reviews are quite unprofessional and lack the information an educator needs to make informed choices.

Module 2.4: Selection aids: Discussion Forum: 2.4b

Select one of the crowd sourced review sites listed in this section or search for prolific book bloggers in the field and have a look at the way these reviewers discuss fiction relevant to school libraries.
Share a link to an interesting book blog, Goodreads or LibraryThing review in Forum 2.4(b)and discuss your thoughts on the value of such a review, and what issues there might be for relying on such sources as selection aids.
LibraryThing seems to be similar to Goodreads, which I am more familiar with.
Keeping with the theme of ‘courage’ I searched and came up with a much more user-friendly search engine page with filter categories down the left hand side. I filtered the search to Books and Tags which resulted in a list of tags, where I chose ‘children courage’. I was presented with 3 picture books all ‘tagged’ by the same reviewer. I returned to the tag list and chose, instead, ‘teaches courage’ an additional 2 picture books were displayed.
Book: Franklin goes to the hospital by Paulette Bourgeois
https://www.librarything.com/work/54639
Pros
Rating, stats and review numbers visible
Easy access of texts
‘Tags’ clear- leading to similar texts on tagged topics
Similar texts nearby
Cons
Some of the reviews I saw were just random numbers and prices. None were educational or professional.
In comparison, the reviews on Goodreads were much more thorough with a higher number of reviews for this text.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/605137.Franklin_Goes_To_The_Hospital?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=dltHaKVJpb&rank=1
Both platforms are good for general check-overs that the text is good for a certain purpose, or to quickly glean what a text is about but neither provide reliable, professional reviews of texts that I could see. At least, not with any consistency. Perhaps if you invested the time to find genuine, education-based reviewer accounts, you could better appreciate the sites for professional use.

ETL503- Module 2: Developing collections

Module 2.1: Selection in the school context: Discussion Forum 2.1

Using the Charles Sturt University Library Primo search or Google Scholar, conduct a search for a recent article in English that discusses patron driven acquisition.

Similarly to others, I found it difficult to find more recent articles on this topic, most falling into the 2013-2015 period or prior. Rather than start new, I was able to locate the same text as Cassandra and chose to add on to her post.

Jurczyk, E., Pagotto, S., Moisil, I., Grewal, K., Cassadt, S., Cato, J. (2020). Long-term usage of a consortial PDA collection: If they choose it, will we use it?. Collection Management, 45(4), 287-303. https://doi.org/10.1080/01462679.2019.1702912

Key words/phrases

  • Patron-Driven Acquisition (PDA)
  • data analysis
  • collection development
  • academic libraries
  • pilot

Module 2.1: Professional Reflection

Think about responsibility for resource selection.  You may like to use one or more of the following questions to write some blog posts.
  • Discuss how the teacher librarian’s expertise and role is different from that required by all teachers.

While the role of Teacher Librarians (TLs) has changed over time (Ciccone & Hounslow, 2019; Cole, 2016), it has been recognised that it is often a dense and complex position (Merga, 2020) and so I will keep my response here brief.

Let us begin, initially, with the expertise required to attain a Masters degree to be ‘officially qualified’ as a teacher librarian in NSW Public Schools. While there are numerous TLs operating without ‘official’ qualifications, the Department of Education encourages TLs to gain their Masters and become dual-qualified teachers (Merga, 2020). While some classroom teachers come into education on a Masters, on the back of an alternate career, the TL role is the only one I can think of that specifically requires dual qualifications off the bat. This study arms the TL with the skills and knowledge of specialised programs to develop and maintain the school collections.

In my experience, the TL is required to be aware of a scope of resources kept within the library space, those maintained elsewhere in the school and those maintained in a virtual environment through various platforms (Merga, 2020). In contrast, classroom teachers, though often aware of resources to suit their own stage or subject will rarely be fully aware of the entire scope of resources available to staff as students simply because their time and energy is taken up by other tasks not applicable to TLs.

TLs require highly developed collaborative skills, as do all staff, to communicate with the school community and outside parties to ensure relevant quality resources are being identified for reasonable prices. Networking with other local school and council libraries is a necessary part of the role to enrich student learning, develop collaborative programs and host extracurricular programs to benefit students and the school community.

TLs are often encouraged to develop and host extracurricular programs, usually during lunch or recess breaks (Merga, 2020). Personally, these have included art club, book club, writing club, student-led tutoring, choir, debating and a quiet place out of the ruckus of the main playground. Most TLs I know are amenable to these activities, within reason and will often be found hosting at least one extracurricular activity in their own time. *Most classroom teachers (CTs) are not pressured to undertake quite as many extracurriculars in my experience.

Finally, the in-school collaborative effort TLs must put in goes above those of the usual CT as the library is considered another arm of the literacy branch in education and so many schools run programs within their library directly linked to the literacy curriculum and programs being run in classrooms (Merga, 2020). This requires TL flexibility to adapt their programs to support specific classroom learning, expertise in core curriculum subjects and allowing someone else to be the captain of their proverbial ship.

*Most because we all know those CTs who go above and beyond their required duties

  • Share ideas on how teacher librarians might effectively collaborate with the school community in the selection of resources in a school with which you are familiar.

This year, I worked with staff and the Principal to identify an online platform of non-fiction resources to support literacy engagement in the school, school targets and staff programming. I was placed ‘in-charge’ of the development of this platform, its core uses in the school, communication to the community regarding this platform and educating staff on its various uses.

Additionally, I worked with staff on collating a list of resources to support their current and future programs, across various KLAs. We then collaboratively developed a proposal to take to the Principal and the P&C in an effort to request funding for these resources. Our request was successful and I was able to source, order and accession these resources in time for staff to access and teach alongside their programming.

  • Consider also how to engage your learners in selection of resources for their school library.

In my library space, I always have two tables available for students to peruse that are changed out regularly. One table is the ‘new in’ table where the newly accessioned resources, both fiction and non-fiction are displayed. The other table has to do with what students are learning in-class eg the life cycle of a butterfly or important days of the year eg Remembrance Day. Both these tables attract quite a lot of attention and give life to resources that, at times, have not been borrowed in quite some time.

  • Who should have the final say on what is included? Why?

In the end, I believe the TL should have the final say, so long as the acquisition process allows for the equal input of all contributing parties including; CTs, Principals, students, community, TL and any other staff engaging with students and the school eg teachers aides etc. I believe this because the TL, presumably, has developed expertise over time regarding staff requirements, student interests, school direction and current collection content. TLs should be open to suggestion but maintain final say as they are the experts in the development and maintenance of their collection.

References

Ciccone, A. & L. Hounslow (2019). Re-envisioning the role of academic librarians for the digital learning environment: The Case of UniSA Online. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 16(1). Implementing online learning: Stories from the field, Article 11. Available at https://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol16/iss1/11

Cole, L. (2016). BiblioTech as the re-imagined public library: Where will it find you? Paper presented at: IFLA WLIC 2016- Columbus, OH- Connections. Collaboration. Community. in Session 213- Metropolitan Libraries.

Merga, M. K. (2020). School librarians as literacy educators within a complex role. Journal of library administration, 60(8), 889-908. DOI: 10.1080/01930826.2020.1820278

Module 2.2: The balanced collection: Discussion Forum: 2.2

  • Discuss the pros and cons of buying bundled sets of resources, for instance a journal database or a Standing Orders service.
  • Consider also the pros and cons of selecting content that is provided via online access but which the library does not own.

Physical sets eg Standing Orders

Pros

  • Set and forget order service- you can establish this at the beginning of the year and receive a lovely parcel every three months
  • Books are usually award-winning, closely examined and aligned to the Aust Curriculum
  • Provides a range of resources (fiction & non-fiction) to get students excited over new topics

Cons

  • TLs have no control over the content
  • Some texts may be irrelevant to your context
  • Some texts may date quickly
  • These are often expensive outputs at the beginning (or end) of the year

Online eg ClickView/World Book Online

Pros

  • Easy access with newly updated wi-fi and internet connection in most schools and increasing use of BYOD programs and technology
  • Access to platforms outside school hours to increase student enjoyment of reading
  • Resources are regularly updated and it is unlikely information is outdated
  • Read-to options to support student reading level and auditory abilities
  • Multiple copies accessible at the same time- great for independent activities and reading groups
  • No stocktake!

Cons

  • Some can be expensive and include elements irrelevant to the school context eg high school elements in a primary school package
  • Overwhelming availability to some staff and students eg too much choice
  • Licensing issues
  • Access equality- difficulties accessing internet or technology
  • Additional training for staff then teaching time for student

ETL503- Module 1: The School Library Collection

Module 1.1: Introduction: Discussion Forum 1

Definitions of collection management and collection development.
Find at least one other definition of collection management or collection development, preferably relating to school libraries, or a statement relating to resourcing the curriculum, and compare it with the definitions provided here.
In particular, see if you can find a definition used by your educational authority or an educational authority with which you are familiar. What are the key elements of that definition?  How are they similar or different?
Share your findings with your classmates in Forum 1.
Digging around the CSU Library database for this topic, I came across an article titled ‘Principals and Teachers’ Perspectives of Their School Libraries and Implications for School Library Policy’ (Ee Loh, Sundaray, Merga & Gao, 2021) in which non-library staff were interviewed regarding the roles of Teacher Librarians (TLs), including the development and management of collections in schools. In short, this article outlines that libraries and, in turn, TLs are multi-faceted educators who must:
  • support and lead collaborative and innovative practices to benefit staff and students
  • make pivotal decisions regarding library direction and tailor collections to suit school contexts
  • select materials linked to, and to enrich the curriculum
  • promote reading for pleasure organically
  • extend teaching and learning within the school

Although this study was conducted outside of Australia, I found these expectations to be similar to those discussed in the modules and the Department of Education (DoE) 2017 Handbook for School Libraries. I suspect the analysis of data that followed by Ee LOh et. al. (2021), demonstrating that few teachers and lead staff visited and utilised their library spaces often enough to understand the complex role of TLs, would also ring true in most NSW public schools.

More specifically, the DoE Handbook (2017) outlines the need for the TL to:

  • abide by government policies
  • lead the development and application of relevant acquisition and organisation policies
  • regular review of the collection and policies in collaboration with school leaders

I like that the Handbook allows TLs freedom of choice in how to establish and maintain these policies and procedures. It also allows individuals to develop their collections independently and tailored to their contexts while providing the core building blocks that allow for inherent accountability of TLs to their supervising staff.

References
Ee Loh, C., Sundaray, S., Merga, M., &  Gao, J. (2021). Principals and teachers’ perspectives of their school libraries and implications for school library policy. Journal of Library Administration, 61(5), 550-571. DOI: 10.1080/01930826.2021.1924532
NSW Department of Education. (2017). Handbook for school libraries. https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/policies/pd-2005-0221

Module 1.3: Pedagogical Initiatives: Think

Choose a level of teaching and a curriculum topic and explore that area.  Consider how you might go about resourcing that topic.
  • What types of resources would you provide?
  • How/where would you find them?

Level: Year 5/6
Topic: Science
I have chosen this topic and year level as I am currently teaching as an RFF STEM and Science teacher at my school, when I am not teaching Library Skills.

Our school is lucky enough to have access to an online platform called clickview.com.au. This is a collection of various resources that can be displayed online- a school-safe, educational version of youtube.com. I would search this online site alongside youtube.com for relevant, useful videos or illustrations related to the topic to present to students either as a whole class or as an independent activity.

Additionally, I utilise mentimeter.com for Stage 3 lessons to increase student engagement and allow students to shape the direction of the lesson, to a degree. This interactive website allows students to respond to and ask questions throughout the lesson, which are then shared and responded to by peers or, if necessary, the teacher. I believe this type of resource that encourages alternate thinking and the development of a variety of technology skills contributes to developing forward-thinking future global citizens (Oddone, 2021).

I would also research student-friendly information sites, such as nationalgeographic.com.au and present students with questions and the pages where they can find answers or present them with a print-out of information to locate answers from. This contributes to developing independent working skills and research skills online and in hard-copy. It also contributes to developing notetaking skills.

Ahead of time, I will also locate from my physical collection within the library and in Teacher Resources, different fiction and non-fiction texts based on or around the current topic. These will be displayed and easily accessible to expose students to new or familiar language and to allow them to make links between information. Additionally, there may be enlarged images, maps, diagrams that could be useful and would be displayed around the work area.

It is important to cater to multiple learning styles (Oddone, 2021) as students do learn differently and can pick up and retain different information from differently presented sources.

References

Oddone, K. (2021). ETL503: Resourcing the curriculum; 1. The school library collection. Interact2.https://interact2.csu.edu.au/

ETL503- Subject Introduction

It’s November 2021, post-COVID lockdown 2.0. I’ve now been an online library teacher as well as an in-class and COVID-pending library teacher as well.

Things have been wild and I am looking forward to a quiet Christmas but, for some reason, I don’t think that it’s going to happen.

Currently, I am taking on ELT503 in an effort to get a jump on the policies and procedures business that I had a stab at earlier in the year. It will also, hopefully, help me garner further support from my Principal whose attitude towards my roles can often put more emphasis on the Learning Support role over the role of TL. My hope it, that with a solid policy to back me going into 2022, I will have greater control over my own budget and over the events held on library time.

I am currently in the midst of a 30-day fitness kick to help get ready for my wedding in October, 2022 and participating in  NaNoWriMo 2022- a writing challenge (at which I am failing horribly). Additionally, I have been allocated the festive event planner at my school and data and reports are due ASAP. I figured why not add one more thing and picked up uni again.

Wish me luck!