I have always known that collection development is an act of curation. I used to believe that curation was some sort of osmosis that I, as the teacher librarian, would have with the school community. I would just know what to purchase. The first challenge to my beliefs was being confronted by the complexity of the definition for collection development in (Miller, 2023, June 28). I have learned that seeming simple terms such as curation have a breadth, depth and nuance that needs to be that continually updated as the world, and the needs of the learner, change and which only emerges with a trained teacher librarian.
I have learnt that curation is about creating a balanced collection, including all voices. Kennedy’s (2023) ideas about a culturally representative collection and the teacher librarian as advocate for these voices resonated with me. I explored my school’s population data and was surprised with the range of languages that our families identified as speaking at home. I reflected on Kennedy’s (2023) idea that it was through the integration of student’s language and culture that affords them the opportunity to understand new dimensions of their own identities. I found a list of language bookshops through my professional network and purchased my first Urdu titles. I have included the purchase of more of these language resources in my library strategic plan.
I have learnt curation is about making sure that the voices in the collection are free from racial stereotypes and include authentic First Nations perspectives. I had a lot of trepidation exploring this space due to my fear of ‘getting it wrong’. I now see that as a professional teacher librarian, there is no choice, because I can only tackle ignorance in my students if I am addressing it within myself (Kerley, 2015). Equipped with tools such as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Guide (AISTSIS, 2021), I will audit my collection over the next year. It also gave me the confidence to suggest one of the First Nation’s resources I sourced for assignment one and I am proud that this was added to our Year 7 booklist.
I have learnt that curation needs a framework to guide decisions. I found it very useful creating my own selection criteria and documenting my thought process (Miller, 2023, July 28) as it gave me confidence and clarity in my decision making. I found the Hughes-Hassell & Mancall (2005) an excellent base to then consider each component in relationship to my context such as my observations of students and a sensitivity to an Islamic ethos. I now use my selection criteria to build our library collection.
Curation is enhanced and guided by community (Miller, 2023, June 29). To develop a solid collection, working collaboratively with all stakeholders both enhances the collection and ensures that it is tailored to the communities’ needs. Patron driven acquisition a strategy that I employ in my library. While there are limitations to this form of collection development (Miller, 2023, June 29), I see benefit through increased student ownership and engagement with the collection. As the nature of collection development changes to incorporate more digital subscriptions, I was affirmed that I already grappled with these issues (Miller, 2023, July 3). I have learnt to find opportunities to tailor our digital collections to our stakeholders and to allow inclusive access to the collection. I have had conversations with the librarians at our four campus about creating a consortium for eBooks and audio books so that our collection can be more attuned to the unique needs of our users.
On reflection, proactivity is such an important skill for a teacher librarian to possess, not only if materials are challenged (Carroll, 2022), but in all aspects of collection development. Part of my role is to educate stakeholders so that the community explicitly know the library collection is curated specifically for them. I do this through newsletters, my blog, the library website and at assemblies and parent information evenings. Through this advocacy, ownership of the collection is created, ensuring resources are fully utilised to support current and future teaching and learning.
References
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS). (2021). AIATSIS Guide to evaluating and selecting education resources. https://aiatsis.gov.au/sites/default/files/research_pub/AIATSIS%20Guide%20to%20evaluating%20and%20selecting%20education%20resources.pdf
Carroll, K., Huggins, M., Sica, D., & Maycock, A. (2022). Facing the challenges. American Libraries, 53(11/12), 26-29.
Hughes-Hassell, S., & Mancall, J. C. (2005). Collection management for youth: Responding to the needs of learners. ALA Editions.
Kennedy, E. (2023). Culturally diverse collections. American Libraries, 54(6), 48–51.
Kerley, V. (2015). Thoughts on creating a culturally inclusive classroom: Indigenous literature and the Australian curriculum. Access, 29(3), 4–13.