As TL in training, I am starting to read industry-based articles. I am exposed to policies and agendas set down by governing authorities. One thing I am realising quickly is the state of my knowledge regarding the library I work in. I actually don’t know if we have a selection criteria policy, I don’t know how our budget is dispersed. I am aware we have a standing order with two different publishers, though we are not locked into purchasing these books, rather they are meant to entice our purchase. We sort through these, selecting ones we think the students might be interested.

On top of standing orders I can, at the moment, make a book suggestion to our acquisitions officer and it gets purchased. I believe he makes most of the decisions regarding what is purchased. Our Head of information services (head Teacher Librarian) trusts his knowledge of the current reader base and he makes purchases accordingly. He bolsters this list with any suggestions from students and teachers.

With my growing knowledge in mind, I think I need to enquire as to a selection criteria policy, to find out if one exists and what it outlines. According to Hughes-Hassell and Mancall (2005), a library should be following a selection criteria to ensure whoever is making the suggestions, has a clear picture of the curriculum and the units being covered in the academic year.

I am coming to the conclusion that we are a library that caters for our students’ leisure reading needs quite well, but not their educational resources. I believe in the future I will work on tools to evaluate our current suppliers, ensuring they meet our needs. I will have a solid selection criteria in place to ensure we are basing our choices on more than just opinion.

References

Hughes-Hassell, S., & Mancall, J. (2005). Selecting resources for learning. Collection management for youth: responding to the needs of learners (pp. 33-51). Retrieved from ProQuest.