After deciding to come back to my Masters degree this year, I thought a few of the subjects at least would be more of a refresher for me than new learning, so I came into ETL503 this session thinking I would be recapping my prior librarianship learning and experiences. In the few weeks since the session has started, I have realised it’s not ‘easy’, and have wondered several times ‘why am I doing this?’. I need to switch back into organised study mode and plan my time and workload – at least I am only doing one subject this time. I have learnt that I still need to be in the moment and paying as much attention as I would if this was a topic I was new to.
I agree with much of the discussion provided in Module 1.1 that the digital climate is impacting how Teacher Librarians maintain school collections and provide resource access to students. I believe that technology can be embraced by school libraries and used to enhance the collection and engagement of students, and that the library is a space used by all types of people.
From my previous Teacher Librarian roles, I already understand Collection Development activities. I have always considered Collection Development and Collection Management as mostly interchangeable terms. I can see how Collection Management can refer to the big picture of access (digital and physical), and Collection Development focusing on ensuring identification and acquisition meet the needs of the user and context of the school.
I am finding the discussions around Collection Development vs Collection Management interesting, and I am looking forward to exploring the specifics of Collection Development in schools and related Policies.
