As is the case with many areas of library science of which I have worked clumsily around and within over the last few years, my knowledge and understanding of library collections was nebulous at best. Nebulous in that they were vaguely considered and nebulous in definition: a loosely formed mass of inherited material under my stewardship.
Ranganathan’s Five Laws of Library Science outlined in Opara’s (2017) article presented the library as formed and governed by a series of simple yet loaded premises beginning with that first statement of utility: books are for use (p.5). In my first blog post for ETL 503, I noted modern libraries existed before Ranganathan’s laws but these laws are clearly present in contemporary library science (Linton, 2023, March 4). I believed that a library collection was something a teacher librarian, most often, received and had responsibility for promoting and organising (Linton, 2023, March 5). That library collections form according to needs and purposes eluded me.
My understanding of the kind of resources which make contemporary library collections has not changed greatly, but understanding the necessity of a rationale and purpose of library collections has changed. Collections are not bound to the single criterion of what is best. I think prior to this course I was working from what Hughes-Hassell and Mancall (2005) labelled the Collection Centred Model with quality as the main concern (p.6). I was somewhat protective of this perspective in an early blog post (Linton, 2023, March 9), but now see that library collections must serve their users or, as Boon (2008) states, risk being disconnected from them (p.174).
The first time I realised the need for a collection development policy is when the school’s new principal came to the library to demand a book be removed from the collection. This incident, shared in Discussion Forum 6.2, prompted me to quickly adapt a CDP shared by a colleague in order to circumvent an administrator who believed it was permissible to remove a book based on a fear of being criticised by conservative parents (Linton, 2023, May7). The CDP is no singular tool, but more like a constitution for a library collection with fundamental principles as well as precedents for decisions on growth and substance. As Morrisey (2008) notes, a CDP is also a protective mechanism which counters any personal bias in the selector (p.164). A CDP with collaborative input from the school community ensures the collection grows according to teaching and learning needs- an essential role for school libraries (NSW Department of Education, 2015, p.2). The CDP promotes the library as a strategic tool in achieving these goals.
The library, particularly the school library, exists in an environment of continuous and noticeable change. The ground rarely seems to shift imperceptibly. Johnson (2005) says that libraries change according to ‘sociological, educational, economic, demographic, political and governmental, technological, and institutional’ forces and that rather than baulk at preparing for these things, libraries should be informed and plan accordingly (pp. 66-67). I have learned the CDP is a tool for future proofing, for example, embedding anticipated user needs, such as those arising from proposed changes to the curriculum, in the collection goals (Mitchell, p. 13). Previous experience in budgeting and collection measurement has been limited and in the moment (Linton, 2023, April 18). My latest blog post states my awareness of ways to evaluate a collection with the future in mind (Linton, 2023, May 13).This includes checking the publication date of resources, particularly reference materials, as suggested in the ALIA Schools and VCTL document on developing policies and procedures to ensure materials are acceptably contemporaneous and will be able to serve the learning needs of students now and into the next evaluation cycle (2017, p.23). Additionally, the CDP can ensure the library can engage 21st century library users who, according to Newsum (2016), exist in an information landscape with constantly emerging technologies requiring complex skills to use effectively (p. 102). By using updated selection criteria and having a contemporary view of users in its user profile, the CDP ensures the library has digital resources available, and teacher librarians to guide their effective use.
References
Australian Library and Information Association Schools and Victorian Catholic Teacher Librarians. (2017). A manual for developing policies and procedures in Australian school library resource centres (2nd ed.). https://read.alia.org.au/manual-developing-policies-and-procedures-australian-school-library-resource-centres-2nd-edition
Boon, L. (2008). “I want it all and I want it now!”: The changing face of school libraries. In J.R. Kennedy, L. Vardaman & G.B. McCabe Cook (Eds.), Our new public, a changing clientele: bewildering issues or new challenges for managing libraries? (pp.173-177). Libraries Unlimited.
Hughes-Hassell, S.& Mancall, J. (2005). Collection management for youth: responding to the needs of learners. ALA Editions.
Johnson, P. (2009). Fundamentals of collection development and management (2nd ed.) ALA Editions.
Locke, J.M. (2008). Ethical issues in collection development. Journal of Library Administration, 47(3-4), 163-171. http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=33247801&site=ehost-live
Newsum, J.M. (2016). School collection development and resource management in digitally rich environments: An initial literature review. School Libraries Worldwide, 22(1), pp.97-109. http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=115407557&site=ehost-live
NSW Department of Education. (2015). Handbook for school libraries. https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/media/documents/schoollibrarieshandbook2015.pdf
Opara, U.N. (2017). Empowering library users through the Five Laws of Library Science. Library Philosophy & Practice, 1-14.
