I’m not sure I’d ever truly considered the complexity of developing and managing collections. Buying fiction titles? No problem, as I outlined at the beginning of semester (Montgomery, 2021, March 9). Developing a modern and relevant non-fiction section? I knew I could do it. Naively, I didn’t consider how I could develop a collection to truly meet the needs of the school, including curating resources that supported key learning areas and the Australian Curriculum’s cross-curricular priorities and general capabilities (ACARA, n.d); yet I soon realised this would be a core part of my future career (Montgomery, 2021, 16 March). As a TL, I’ll need to keenly understand my school context, through an examination of the school plan and its strategic directions; consulting with teachers and staff; and keeping abreast of new syllabus and curriculum changes. I will need to survey the students, and consider their academic, recreational and wellbeing needs (Montgomery, 2021, 5 April).
I’ll also need to create a Collection Development policy, as my school doesn’t have one. Anecdotal evidence from the course forum would suggest that schools having an up-to-date policy is the exception, not the norm. Yet, as I lamented in my post, without a policy, how could a school library ever progress (Montgomery, 2021, 17 May)? How could it continue to maintain relevancy and meet the needs of its patrons, how could consistency be ensured and the library collection future-proofed? These things are vital, and thus it is imperative that a policy is drafted, referred to and revised to ensure it continues to operate as a strategic document supporting the vision and needs of the school.
The policy acts as a guide – and safety-net – for the TL. It provides an opportunity to consider the priorities and educational philosophy of the school, and provides a framework to enable future planning (Johnson, 2009). I was initially frustrated there was not a clear template to use, but realise now that this is actually important, as it forces us to examine our own school context. I found the guides released by Braxton (2016) and ALIA (2017) particularly useful, but the main point was the need to think deeply and critically about the library and school, including a process of consultation with the broader school community.
One of the most essential components of a policy relates to selection. Resources should be judged against broad, general and specific selection criteria, which can be universally and objectively applied (Gregory, 2011), and selected through an examination of multiple reputable selection aids (Hughes-Hassell & Mancall, 2005). I’ve realised that an understanding of the school’s priorities is also important, as these should influence the selection of resources (Johnson, 2009). Selection criteria needs to be very clear and offer direction on how to best develop the collection to meet the needs of users in the specific school context (Hughes-Hassell & Mancall, 2005).
Clear selection criteria and selection aids are also reduce the likelihood of challenged materials. I found the censorship readings fascinating, and the need to uphold the values of freedom of information inspiring (ALIA, 2018; ASLA, 2018). Whilst it is important for people to have an avenue to raise concerns, I learnt that my primary concern should be to provide access to a balanced range of resources so users can freely choose (Morrissey, 2008). However, I learnt I also need to be aware of conscious and unconscious self-censoring, and the fine line between censorship and selection (Asheim, 1953). Would this happen to me, I thought, someone passionately committed to upholding freedom of information? Am I even aware of my own self-selection biases? I came to realise that challenges to materials were almost inevitable during my career (Jacobson, 2016) and a policy was essential, not only by outlining a process for challenged resources, but also by ensuring through the selection criteria and selection aids that texts were appropriate and defendable.
The information landscape has changed exponentially in recent years, yet not all libraries have kept up with this trend (O’Connell, Bales & Mitchell, 2015). In order to stay current and relevant, it is essential that librarians focus on acquiring digital resources, as students often find them more engaging than print-based texts (Stephens, 2014). Indeed, e-books have been one of the most significant developments in school libraries in recent years (Johnson, 2013). Yet developing a collection of digital resources requires consideration. The technological infrastructure available to patrons needs to be considered, to ensure digital resources can be well-utilised, and that acquisition doesn’t present equity issues (O’Connell et al, 2015). I currently work in a library with very few digital resources. This concerns me on a professional level, as I worry it is being left behind and not prepared for student needs in the future. However it also presents an ethical issue, as our students with disabilities do not always have the same level of access to information (Palmer & Palmer, 2018). To overcome this, acquiring digital and online resources, as well as devices such as e-readers or tablets that are also available for student loans is necessary (O’Connell et al, 2015). As a school library collection should be equitable and accessible, it is vital that I work towards updating my collection, to ensure it meets the needs of students, now and in the future.
It still feels overwhelming, but I’m committed to overcoming digital collection issues. My school has invested considerable money into resources such as Clickview, yet are now in a situation where we need to continue to subscribe each year. At the same time, digital information quickly becomes obsolete, and thus access to continually updated resources seems far more valuable than ownership. Copyright and licensing issues also need to be considered, and it imperative that TLs utilise Creative Commons and understand ‘fair use’ policies, as well as keep up-to-date as rules and regulations change (Creative Commons, n.d). Furthermore, it is not enough to merely acquire resources – digital content needs careful curation, which involves digital literacy skills as well as locating, selecting and ‘editorialising’ content (Oddone, 2018, p.3).The acquisition and management of digital resources should be factored into the policy as a percentage of the overall budget, as this makes it a priority and ensures both time and money will be put into developing the collection (O’Connell et al, 2015).
Planning, through an updated collection development policy, improves the likelihood of future-proofing decisions (Drucker, cited in Johnson, 2009, p.66). I have learnt that it isn’t sufficient to be a competent Librarian in the here-and-now, and I will need to continually evolve and upskill myself, keep abreast of syllabus and curriculum changes, adapt to new technological platforms and resources, build cooperative partnerships, and anticipate change through considered Library policies.
References
Asheim, L. (1953). Not censorship but selection. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/NotCensorshipButSelection
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.) The Australian Curriculum. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum
Braxton, B. (2016). Sample collection policy. https://500hats.edublogs.org/?s=collection+development+policy
Creative Commons Australia. (n.d.). Creative Commons Australia. https://creativecommons.org.au/
Hughes-Hassell, S. & Mancall, J. (2005). Collection management for youth: Responding to the needs of learners. ALA Editions.
Johnson, P. (2009). Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management: Vol. 2nd ed. ALA Editions. http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzI2Nzc1Nl9fQU41?sid=9f649cb5-575e-444c-9977-6755464a2d91@sdc-v-sessmgr02&vid=0&format=EB&rid=1
Johnson, S. (2012). Key issues for e-resource collection development: a guide for libraries, IFLA Acquisition and Collection Development Committee. https://bit.ly/2RKzW0C
Morrissey, L.J. (2008). Ethical issues in collection development. Journal of Library Administration, 47(3-4), 163-171.
O’Connell, J., Bales, J., & Mitchell, P. (2015). [R]Evolution in reading cultures: 2020 vision for school libraries. The Australian Library Journal, 64(3). 194-208 DOI:10.1080/00049670.2015.1048043
Oddone, K. (2018). Supercharge students’ digital literacy skills with content curation. SCIS Connections 105, 10-11. https://www.scisdata.com/media/1717/connections105.pdf
Palmer, Z.B., & Palmer, R.H. (2018). Legal and ethical implications of website accessibility. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 81(4), 399-420. https://journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/doi/pdf/10.1177/2329490618802418
Stephens, W. (2014). Checking Out Tomorrow’s School Library Collections. Young Adult Library Services, 12(3). 18–20. http://www.ala.org/yalsa/sites/ala.org.yalsa/files/content/yalsarchives/YALSA-Spring14-Final%20PDF.pdf