- Coming into this course I was very new to world of teacher librarians. Even now, 4 months later, whilst I know much more, I still find myself in a world of so much that I don’t understand or even know about. Throughout this course I have learnt that the library is more than just a room full of books. Library collections are ever-evolving, multi-faceted places of learning, reflection and growth. School library collections are having to evolve to keep up with new technologies and student learning styles. I touched upon this notion in my discussion post “My Thoughts on Shatzkin’s Files”. Library collections need to be multimodal. They need to speak to learners through multiple mediums such as print, audiobooks and e-books in order to have the reach to impact students (Shatzkin, 2016). School collections need to be relevant and easily accessible to students in order for students to utilise them. If a school library collection is not being utilised by students then what is the point of it even existing?
- Before starting this course as a very newly appointed teacher librarian I had no idea what a collection development policy was. Since reading about and looking at different CDPs I have come to realise just how vital they are in the operations of a school library. A CDP is used as set of strategic guidelines that outline the future route the library will undertake over the next few years. The CDP should align itself with the school’s strategic direction for their current school plan and should be updated alongside of the school plan. This policy is also vital in offering the teacher librarian some protection when it comes to the challenges presented by parents, students and even other teachers of resource selection. As Lechte mentions in her discussion post “Self-censorship” (2019), librarians are often presented with the reality of having to defend their collections from within the school walls. When your principal questions why you have included a particular resource which could be seen as controversial, by having the CDP which you can reference to show your decision making process when choosing resources that align with the direction of your library. This CDP allows the librarian and all other stakeholders to understand where the library is currently at and where you envision the library to go over the course of the policy. I have had first hand practice at creating my own decision making process model (Somner, 2019). Through this process I was able to critically reflect on the decisions I have made so far in my library and this model has made me think about why I made the decisions I have. This was a great learning opportunity which has prepared me for any future situation where someone may question the reasoning of why I have removed or added a particular resource. This document is extremely important to show how vital the library and the librarian are to the running of the school by highlighting where the library complements the classroom and the learning journeys within the school.
3. The CDP is a working document that should be reflected upon and changed constantly. This is to ensure that when technology changes, the library processes and resources also reflect this. The CDP allows the teacher librarian to constantly reflect, evaluate and cull resources in the collection. This allows the collection to remain relevant, up-to-date and useful for the school community. By having ongoing evaluation such as the ADDIE method (O’Neill, 2017) it allows the librarian to successfully weed resources that are no longer credible, useful or truthful. By completing this evaluation annually or even half-yearly it allows the collection to remain strong and to always ensure that new resources are incorporated into the collection. By doing this, it allows the resources to be updated constantly which would stop students getting the wrong information. By having this constant reflection and evaluation of the collection it allows the librarian to ensure that the school library collection is moving in the same direction that they envision the school library and the school to be moving in.
References
Lechte, D. (2019, May 6). Forum 6.2 Key takeaway from your reading on censorship [Online discussion comment]. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: 24/5/19
Shatzkin, M. (2016). Book publishing lives in an environment shaped by larger forces and always has. The Shatzkin Files. Retrieved from http://www.idealog.com/blog/book-publishing-lives-in-an-environment-shaped-by-larger-forces-and-always-has
Somner, J. (2019, March 16). Forum 1.1 Your views on Shatzkin’s writings [Online discussion comment]. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University website: 24/5/19
Somner, J. (2019, March 24). Decision Making Model for Resource Selection [Online blog post]. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jessicasomner/2019/03/24/decision-making-model-for-resource-selection/ : 24/5/19
