I’ve been reading about collection development and management and have considered the ‘Collection Development process’ See Oddone: School library collection development: It’s not as simple as you might think – Linking Learning
To begin in our large (some may call it intimidating!) collection in our Junior School, I will begin in the ‘Stocktaking and Evaluation’ phase. I have been a part of the school for 14 years, so feel I have a good understanding of our community which is why I think this phase is a good place to start. I’ll take a good look at what’s there already. We have an extremely large collection and I know we don’t utilise it all, but careful consideration needs to be made regarding the things that will support our learners best. I’ll consider:
- Which titles and categories are most popular?
- Which cohort is accessing these popular texts?
- Are there any groups of students who aren’t well catered for?
- Are there some categories that are overstocked and aren’t being utilised?
- Are unpopular texts taking up valuable real estate?
- Are there sections of the collection that aren’t being frequently borrowed and what may be the reason for this? Is it positioning, the condition or age of the books, or are they not appealing or relevant?
Once careful reflection has been made in the ‘Stocktaking and Evaluation’ phase, I’ll move into the weeding phase. As I already know that we have far too many physical books, I will ensure careful consideration is made and will consider weeding out titles that fit into the following categories:
- Books that don’t support the needs and interests of the community.
- Books that may not support our values or purpose.
- Damaged books.
- Books which aren’t being borrowed.
Next, I will move into analysing the needs of our community to see if this aligns with what we have and to ensure that new titles and resources will support the needs of the learning community. I will consider:
- Are all members of our community represented in the collection?
- Is the collection aligned with our values, learner attributes and pedagogy?
- Are there opportunities to inspire creativity, provoke curiosity and inquiry and offer insights into different perspectives through rich contemporary texts and resources?
- What are the passions, preferences and interests of the learners?
I will then collaborate with Year Level Teams and classroom teachers to ensure that we have the appropriate resources to support planned units of inquiry. Considerations of classroom learning, extension and enrichment, learning support, cultural perspectives and wellbeing will all be made to ensure the collection best caters to the needs of all.
Acquisition, cataloguing and processing will all follow.
Something further to consider is how the physical space is laid out. I’ll need to ensure that the location of books and resources according to need is considered. Can the teacher or learner quickly and easily access what they need whilst also ensuring the space is enticing and inspiring to those who wish to browse and find something new?
There is so much more to collection development and management than I ever thought. According to Ranganthan, the fifth law of library science is “A library is a growing organism.” I’m wondering if this growth is transformative or ever expanding, and if it is the latter, then how many books is too many?
I’ll leave you with this quote, which sums up my thoughts beautifully.
“We need to think of the school as a living organism. Children have to feel that the world is inside the school and moves and thinks and works and reflects on everything that goes on.
Of course not all children are the same — each child brings a part of something that’s different into the school.”
Loris Malaguzzi
Malaguzzi, L. (1994) Your Image of the Child. Where Teaching Begins in Child Care Information Exchange 3/94 Translated by Baji Rankin, Leslie Morrow and Lella Gandini, Child Care Information Exchange U.S.A.
Accessed from: https://www.reggioalliance.org/downloads/malaguzzi:ccie:1994.pdf