Tag: 2022

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.