It is inarguable that digital collections are vital in a 21st century library collection. The question is not “Should library collections include digital resources?” but, rather, “How can library collections manage the inclusion of digital resources?” Digital collections are essential to bring the content of a school library collection to the user. No longer must students physically enter the school library to be able to benefit from the resources it includes in its library collection. Current students or “digital children” as they are referred to in the Newsum journal article are adaptable, technologically capable and demand information in a fast-paced and efficient manner. The inclusion of digital resources in a school’s library collection can meet those needs. However, the management of digital resources in the current library collection can pose many challenges.

Firstly, many digital materials are accessed rather than owned. This poses difficulty in both the selection and acquisition of these resources but also in how they can be used and promoted. Teacher librarians need to be careful when leasing or subscribing to these types of materials as often the vendor will offer a bundle of resources that may not be suitable to school needs. Subscription fees need to be managed and factored into the overall budget and this can be problematic if costs go up or the resource is no longer readily available. Teacher librarians also need to be aware of accessibility restrictions when leasing, subscribing or purchasing digital resources. Considerations of how students will access digital materials (whether the school has the hardware/software to support this resource) as well as how many people can make use of this resource at any given time and under what conditions is also a point of consideration.

Promoting digital resources can also be one of the challenges that the inclusion of digital resources poses for teacher librarians. Unlike physical resources, digital materials do not exist on a tangible level so a teacher librarian needs to ensure that these resources are discoverable in the same library catalogue as physical resources and also think creatively about how these digital resources can be displayed and promoted.

The inclusion of digital resources in school library collections can be problematic on a practical level as well. In one of the slides in Pru Mitchell’s presentation, a column graph representing the number of trained library staff in both primary and secondary libraries in 2016 indicates that 40% of staff in primary school libraries and approximately 28% of staff working in secondary school libraries do not hold qualifications in teacher librarianship. This poses an additional challenge for the inclusion of digital resources in library collections as these resources require professional expertise to be able to manage them and to demonstrate the use of these resources to library patrons. It is essential that all staff working in school libraries are trained in the access and use of digital materials.

Digital resources are becoming far more prevalent as sources of information and knowledge. In a school library context they are particularly pertinent to meet the needs of 21st century teachers and learners. Despite the challenges that they pose, digital resources have an important place in all library collections.