The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) in their IFLA School Library Guidelines (2015) prescribes that school libraries need to provide a wide and varied range of resources, both physical and digital in nature, which is suitable for and reflective of the demographics of the school community. They advise that collections be regularly and consistently kept up-to-date and also include professional resources to be accessed by staff and also relevant selections for parents/caregivers. IFLA highlights that the collection management policy is a collaborative effort of the teacher librarian, executive/administration and teaching staff. It is a working document that is school context specific and supports the curriculum learning needs of the student population.
In comparison to the definitions of collection development and collection management, as provided in the ETL 503 module 1 readings, what I found most consistent is the requirement for the collection to be reflective of the needs of the school community. Similarities also extended to the provision of digital resources as an important part of the collection. However, I found the IFLA definition placed a stronger emphasis on the inclusion of this digital/online component. What I noticed was the prominence in both the readings and the IFLA Guidelines, that a successful collection management policy development be a collaborative endeavour, which I firmly believe is the best way to effectively create a well-resourced, relevant and community-reflective library collection.
One of the main differences I noticed, was the IFLA Guidelines made reference to the provision of resources for the school’s wider community of users (ie. parents/caregivers), including examples such as child psychology texts and wellbeing resources.
References
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). (2015). IFLA school library guidelines. 2nd edition. https://www.ifla.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/assets/school-libraries-resource-centers/publications/ifla-school-library-guidelines.pdf
O’Connell, J., FitzGerald, L. & Mitchell, P. (2022). 1. The school library collection [Learning module]. ETL503: Resourcing the curriculum. Interact. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_59966_1&content_id=_4906004_1