This is a series of questions to ask when selecting e-resources for the school library. They are in no particular order and bring together considerations from a variety of sources.
Questions:
- Is this resource relevant to the needs of the school?
- Teachers?
- Students?
- Age appropriate?
- Is an e-resource the best format based on school needs?
- Tangible vs digital resource
- What are the licensing terms of the e-resource?
- School-owned?
- Subscription-based?
- Can the resource be accessible on multiple devices?
- How will the school know about and access the e-resource?
- How much is the resource?
- Value for money?
- Use across year groups and curriculum?
- Does the school already have the technology available to support the e-resource?
- What is required?
- Is it worth it?
- Does the resource cater for diverse needs of students?
- Enlarge print function?
- Read aloud function?
- Does the e-resource come with support from the provider?
- What happens if an issue is encountered?
These questions are all important when selecting e-resources and need to be carefully considered before purchase. As with any resources, the e-resource must add to the value of the school library. It is no good purchasing e-resources if they can’t be accessed properly or do not support the needs of the school.
References
Charles Sturt University. (2021). Collection development. https://library.csu.edu.au/our-libraries/contact-library-team/library-management/collection-development
Libraries Tasmania. (2021). Electronic resources management. https://www.libraries.tas.gov.au/school-library/Pages/collections-eresources.aspx
Reference and User Association. (2008). Guidelines for the introduction of electronic information resources to users. American Library Association. https://www.ala.org/rusa/resources/guidelines/guidelinesintroduction
In my readings during the week, I have been learning about the abundance of selection aids. I never realised there were so many available and how these sites were used to guide resources selection for TLs. I decided to review three online selection aids; Walker Books Australia and New Zealand, Booktopia, and Scholastic Book Wizard. The school library in which I work uses Booktopia as a selection tool. We have two libraries; one P-6 (co-ed day school), the other 7-12 (girls only boarding school) which means we have a variety of needs to address in resource selection. Here are my findings:
Walker Books Australia and New Zealand
Strengths
- Easy to use
- Variety of ways to search
- Gives age range recommendations for each title as you click into it
- Books are available in Australia
Weaknesses
- Only displays books that are distributed by Walker Books Australia
- Physical resources only – no ebooks or audio books available through this service
- Pricing is embedded in the fine print
- Can’t purchase direct from the publisher
I found this to be a valuable website, however I would probably only use it to get information about latest titles and age recommendations.
Booktopia
Strengths
- Easy to use
- Variety of ways to search
- Shows other similar books when you select a book to look at
- Books are available in Australia
- When a book is selected it shows if it’s also available as an ebook and/or audiobook
- Clear pricing
- Reviews provided when a book is selected
- Wishlist builder
Weaknesses
- No age recommendations when a book is selected. This can be difficult for a school library because the content needs to be considered before purchasing. This is particularly pertinent when selecting manga.
- Can be overwhelming as you go down the rabbit hole of recommendations
I found Booktopia to be a particularly user-friendly website and the search functions are easy to use. Everything is set out clearly and I like to wishlist builder so that I don’t lose track of what titles I am interested in.
Scholastic book wizard
Strengths
- Select books by reading level or grade level
- Simple funneling system to get to the recommendations
- The more options you select the more refined the search
- Click through to the main Scholastic teacher store
- Search results are not overwhelming because of the series of filters on the search
- Further recommendations are available for similar style books
- Wishlist function
Weaknesses
- Can’t just browse as soon as you open the webpage. You have to click through a series of options to get to the books.
- Not a lot of options come up after each search so there are limited options.
I found this website looks good to start with but turned out to be slightly frustrating because the search functions were so restricting. Unless I was looking for a recommendation for a particular genre for a particular year level, I would probably rather go straight to the Scholastic Teacher Store site.
Overall, Booktopia seems to be a one-stop-shop for physical and digital resources and I believe this is why is it utilised as a selection aid at my school library.
As I begin diving into the content of ETL503 I am reflecting on the role of the teacher librarian (TL) and that of the role of the classroom teacher (CT) in relation to resourcing. This raises some interesting questions:
- Do the roles overlap?
- How do the roles complement each other?
- How are the roles different?
First and foremost, the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (2014) sets out in Standard 3.4 that all teachers must ‘select and use resources’. The four levels are outlined as such:
- Graduate teachers are required to “demonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning.”
- Proficient teachers “select and/or create and use a range of resources, including ICT, to engage students in their learning.”
- Highly accomplished teachers “assist colleagues to create, select and use a wide range of resources, including ICT, to engage students in their learning.”
- Lead teachers “model exemplary skills and lead colleagues in selecting, creating and evaluating resources, including ICT, for application by teachers within or beyond the school.”
With this standard in mind, my initial reaction is that the roles complement each other and collaboration is vital, as the final goal for both the TL and the CT is successful learning for students. I do feel that the TL, almost by default as a central curriculum and resourcing expert, comply with the criteria for Highly accomplished/lead standards as they collaborate with and assist classroom teachers. ‘The services (TLs) provide and the resources they access impact on every teacher and every student’ (ACT Government Education, 2019, p. 5).
The CT supports the TL by providing specialist knowledge of their subject area and understand the needs of the students in their class. CTs also are up to date with the curriculum requirements for their subject (NSW Department of Education, 2017). This knowledge is important in locating and evaluating potential resources. The TL provides the CT with expertise in locating and evaluating resources.
To complement the skills of the CT, the TL brings the general overview of curriculum, including links to General Capabilities and are up to date with new resources which are available. TLs are skilled at linking teachers and students with resources available both inside and outside the school.
The two roles differ in that the focus for the TL is more on the information service management role (Australian School Library Association, 2021; School Library Association of South Australia, 2015; NSW Department of Education, 2017). This management role is about the needs of the whole school and the selection of resources that meet the curriculum requirements of all students.
So, in some ways the roles of the TL and the CT overlap, but the TL is more focused on a whole-school view, whereas the CT is particularly focused on their class. As such the roles complement each other. It is very difficult for the TL to select appropriate resources without the input of the CT and the TL can provide insight into potential resources across a range of curriculum areas. The two roles become and partnership and work hand in hand.
References
ACT Government Education. (2019). School libraries: The heart of 21st century learning. https://www.education.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/1435435/School-Libraries-The-Heart-of-21st-Century-Learning.pdf
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2014). Australian professional standards for teachers. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards.
Australian School Library Association. (2021). What is a teacher librarian? https://asla.org.au/what-is-a-teacher-librarian
NSW Department of Education. (2017). Handbook for school libraries. https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/media/documents/schoollibrarieshandbook2015.pdf
School Library Association of South Australia. (2015). Teacher librarian role statement. https://www.slasa.asn.au/Advocacy/docs/RoleStatement2015.pdf
So, here I am again, at the start of another unit for Teacher Librarianship. Before I get too far into the throws of readings and discussion tasks, I wanted to take the time to frame my thinking about my first impressions of what ‘Resourcing the Curriculum’ means. My initial thoughts revolve around collaboration with classroom teachers to find out what they are teaching and then finding resources, both in the library and online, that would support both the teachers’ and the students’ needs. This could include creating pathfinders or providing teachers with a list of websites and a pile of books to use. I believe resourcing the curriculum requires the TL to have an overview of the curriculum areas being taught at the school by staying up to date with current curriculum requirements and syllabus documents.
I believe it is also the responsibility of the TL, through collaboration with teachers, students and the principal to select, procure and organise resources that will be of use to the school. The library is not the place for the TLs personal preferences regarding resources; selections have to be made based on the needs of patrons.
I think a big challenge is how to know where to find the right resources to support the school community. There are so many other challenges that feed into this overarching challenge; changes in technology, resource access for the school community, availability of resources and changes in curriculum. I am looking forward to learning more about how to best assist students and teachers in resourcing and how to select (and deselect) resources to keep the library catalogue and available resources relevant.