As an exercise for ETL503, we were asked to find a definition of collection management or collection development or a statement regarding resourcing the curriculum, preferably from a governmental authority with which we are familiar, and compare it to those provided in the learning module. This was to be posted in the Discussion Forum for Module 1 into the embedded Padlet app.

It took me at least three tries to get my work into the app to my satisfaction, hopefully my cross-posting to the blog will be easier as it is gradually becoming a familiar process. Without further ado, the record of the task for my personal archive:

Comparison of definitions

The Handbook for school libraries (NSW Department of Education, 2015) gives further details about the practical applications of the role of the teacher librarian and also recommends the formation of a library committee to collaborate and support the formation and implementation of collection management policy in the school context. The details given in this document elaborate on qualities of collection development, such as: reflecting government policies on equity, support the curriculum with contemporary materials and being relevant to quality teaching and learning programs. It also gives pointers for management, for instance: operating relevant and efficient library systems, using Department resources for selecting, cataloguing and circulating resources and participating in resource sharing with external collections. This shares many points with the purposes put forward by the American Library Association (as cited in Croft, 2018). I found the New South Wales terminology more flexible, such as “relevant to quality teaching and learning programs” (NSW Department of Education, 2015, p.3) and the American more explicitly targeted, as in “promote active authentic learning” (American Library Association, as cited in Combes, et al., 2018). In my opinion, this reflects the greater respect for the professional judgement of teachers in the Australian context as compared to American that I have observed in my personal experience with schools in the Sydney and Washington, DC areas.

References

Combes, B., Fitzgerald, L., & Croft, T. (2018). Introduction: What is involved in managing collections? [ETL503 Module 1.1]. Retrieved March 1, 2018, from Charles Sturt University website: https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_30013_1&content_id=_1990532_1

NSW Department of Education. (2015). Handbook for school libraries. Retrieved from https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/media/documents/schoollibrarieshandbook2015.pdf

NSW Department of Education. (2016). Library policy – schools (PD/2005/0221/V03). Retrieved from https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/policies/library-policy-schools