Category: Forum Posts

ETL503 Forum Posts

Censorship

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The issues with censorship. Censorship hides information and hinders critical thinking. Censorship: the "innocent" inhibitor.

 

Useful resources that discuss censorship:

Daily, E. (2014). How censorship in education is failing to prepare students for reality. Retrieved from https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/censorship-education-failing-prepare-students-reality-kt/

LaRue, J. (2016). All schools need book challenge policies. Retrieved from https://www.slj.com/2016/09/censorship/all-schools-need-book-challenge-policies/

Moore, N. (2013). Censorship is. Australian Humanities Review, 2013(54), 45-65. Retrieved from http://australianhumanitiesreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/AHR54_3_Moore.pdf

National Coalition Against Censorship. (2016). Censorship and the first amendment in schools: A resource guide. Retrieved from https://www.webjunction.org/documents/webjunction/Censorship_in_Schools_Learning_Speaking_and_Thinking_Freely_The_First_Amendment_in_Schools.html#censorship

 

[Forum Reflection: Module 6.2]

Collection Development Policy: Digital content

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A digital collection includes digital content available in various formats that are either born digital or have been digitised (Xie and Matusiak, 2016). School library collections include various digital resources, which need to be accounted for in collection policies to ensure relevant, high quality digital information is available for staff and students. The digital collection in my library requires additional coverage in the collection development policy. Specific areas that need to be addressed include; selection criteria, types of material and formats, software and platforms, acquisition and processing, organisation and managing, access and statistics, copyright, value, licensing and cost (Chan and Spodick, 2015). These areas must be addressed in the context of e-Books, online subscriptions to databases and journals, websites and apps. At present, our collection management policy only identifies websites and databases; therefore, many areas of our digital collection are neglected in the policy.

 

References

Chan, D. L. H., & Spodick, E. F. (2015). Transforming libraries from physical to virtual. In D. Baker & W. Evans (Eds.), Digital information strategies: From applications and content to libraries and people (pp. 103-116). Retrieved from Proquest Ebook Central.

Xie, I., & Matusiak, K. K. (2016). Discover digital libraries: Theory and practice. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1016/B978-0-12-417112-1.00001-6

 

[Forum Reflection: Module 6.1]

Why weeding?

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Weeding is an important process for all libraries to undertake to ensure their collections are

Weed Your Collection. Reduce, Recycle, Renew
Weed Your Collection, created with CANVA.

suitable, balanced, relevant, and current. A Weeding Policy should be included as part of a larger Library Policy and may appear in a Collection Development and Collection Management Policy, so the intent, guidelines, and procedures are clearly outlined. Without a clear policy, TLs run the risk of harsh criticism from the wider community who may have a limited understanding of the role and importance of weeding. Weeding aims to tidy-up the collection, so that the library does not offer dangerous or misleading information (Baumbach and Miller, 2006). It also makes it easier to conduct mapping activities to determine gaps in the collection and directs future collection development (Western Australian School Library Association [WASLA], 2013). Additionally, weeding ensures resources are appealing and appropriate for reading needs, levels and interests. Poorly maintained collections do not meet the vision or mission of school libraries because they make resource selection difficult and limited. Therefore, regular weeding must occur throughout the school year and with particular criteria to direct the weeding. Texas State Library and Archive Commission created the CREW (Continuous Review, Evaluation and Weeding) method, which involves evaluating resources according to their publication date, last use and the condition (Larson, 2012). They also highlight the benefits including; saving space and time, making the collection more appealing, enhancing the reputation of the library, meeting needs, and identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the collection (Larson, 2012). Additional criteria include the MUSTY or MUSTIE test; Misleading, Ugly, Superseded, Trivial, Your collection has no use for it/Irrelevant to your context, easily obtained Elsewhere (debmille, 2011; Larson, 2012). Further to this, libraries should develop a clear set of goals they would like to accomplish with the weeding process and all people involved should have a clear and consistent vision and thorough understanding of the needs of students and the wider school community.

 

 

References

Baumbach, D. J., & Miller, L. L. (2006). Less is more: A practical guide to weeding school library collections. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au

debmille. (2011). Weeding not just for gardens [Slideshare]. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/debmille/weeding-not-just-for-gardens

Larson, J. (2012). CREWing children’s materials. In CREW: A weeding manual for modern libraries, (pp. 33-36), Austin, TX: Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Western Australian School Library Association. (2013). Weeding: The why, the how and the when. Library Officer’s Day [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://www.wasla.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/Weeding-2013.pdf

 

[Forum Reflection: Module 5.2]

Collection Evaluation

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Use- and user-based Collection-based
Quantitative Circulation statistics To identify high rotation and popular materials. Collection size and growth To determine the diversity, breadth and currency of the collection.
In-house use statistics To assess popularity and identify the quality of resources that meet the needs within a specific emphasis collection. Materials budget size and growth To measure the ability to update the collection.
Hits and downloads To assess the use of electronic materials including fiction and non-fiction e-books and Assignment Help Pages.
Qualitative User opinion surveys To better understand and interpret the quantitative data. List checking To identify gaps in the collection.
User observations To observe how users are using the materials and how successful the use is. Collection mapping To identify the success of the current collection in meeting the users’ needs.

 

[Forum Reflection: Module 5.1]

Copyright

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What is copyright?

Copyright protects works not ideas, concepts, styles or techniques. Rights relating to creative works that entitle the owner to reproduce, show or perform the material in public. Copyright owners also have the right to “prevent others from reproducing or communicating their work without their permission” (National Copyright Unit, 2016, para. 2). Owners may sell these rights to others.

In Australia, copyright is automatic and does not need to be applied for. Additionally, no copyright notice is required to be displayed.

Copyright in schools:

Fair dealings

An exemption to copyright infringement: A reasonable portion may be used for research, study, criticism/review, news, parody or satire without permission.

Reasonable portion

An article from a periodical

More than one article on the same subject from a periodical

15 pages of a literary work from an anthology

10% of the pages or 1 chapter in a literary, dramatic or musical work in hard copy and electronic form

These same limits apply to material published on the LMS. The copyright owner must be acknowledged. Referencing is required.

Teachers may not make multiple copies of a work for their students’ research or study. Multiple copies may be made using statutory educational licences; specifically, the Statutory Text and Artistic License, with application and payment through the Copyright Agency Limited (CAL). This covers hard and electronic copies. Each year a sample of schools are audited to determine the license fees payable to CAL. These licences cover photocopying, scanning, emailing, and publication on the school intranet.

Films played for non-educational purposes is allowed if the school is covered by the Co-Curricular Licence with Roadshow Public Performance Licensing or must gain permission from the non-theatrical distributor (National Copyright Unit, 2016).

The Music department is responsible for APRA and AMCOS education licences.

Students with disabilities

Accessible format copies may be made for students with a disability. There are no restrictions on the format that can be created. An attempt must be made to obtain a commercially available copy first.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines apply to all institutions and organisations in Australia and is required under the law.

Reflection Questions

What licences do we have?

Who pays for these? Which budget?

Forum 4.1 Quiz Questions

Teacher: Your Year 10 students want to listen to music as a class while completing their work during your lesson. Is it okay for you to stream music from your iTunes account and broadcast it over the projector speakers?

Student: You’re creating a multimodal presentation that must include images. Is it okay for you to include pictures found from Google Images?

 

References

National Copyright Unit. 2016. Smartcopying. Retrieved from http://www.smartcopying.edu.au/

 

[Forum Reflection: Module 4.1]

School library suppliers

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Desirable qualities of school library suppliers:

  • A wide range of resources; including, fiction and non-fiction
  • Resources that meet a range of curriculum needs and reading levels
  • Good communication
  • Quick turn-around
  • Express service if necessary
  • Competitive prices
  • Amenable returns and cancellation policies
  • Available samples/previews
  • Effective delivery procedures; including, price and tracking

Challenges for isolated schools and schools with unique needs:

Challenge Strategy
Inability to handle books prior to purchase Request hard copy samples or digital samples where possible.
Difficulty in obtaining visits from vendors Use vendor catalogues and reviewing journals such as Magpies.
High delivery cost Bundle resources for purchase to reduce number of orders.
Niche clientèle with very specific information and literacy needs; including, EAL/D students

Liaise with publishers who produce texts to support various language needs; for example, Pearson’s EAL/D activity books.

Consult journals such as PETAA Papers to review resource recommendations; for example, PETAA Paper 210 Using children’s picture books to support the English language learning of students for whom English is an additional language or dialect.

Network with associations such as the Australian Council of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Associations.

 

[Forum Reflection: Module 3.2]

Collection Measurement and Budgets

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School library budgets and effective collection management practices go hand-in-hand. To develop a useful budget, collection management procedures should be undertaken to build a collection that adequately meets the needs of the users. As posited by the International Librarians Network, digital resources have brought challenges to collection measurement practices in terms of licensing and quantity versus quality; however, vendors of digital material often provide access and use data, which is advantageous in measuring output (2015). This technique of measuring output can be valuable in making budgeting and collection decisions; however, it is not an effective technique in isolation. Assessing the output of digital resources can be done by collating the number of hits a link or digital resource has experienced. For example, our Assignment Help Pages curate a range of digital and print resources through Lib Guides, which allows us to collect and analyse the number of site visits and produce an average number of hits per student. Additionally, Wheelers, our e-book platform, tracks the number of times an e-book has been borrowed. These collection management techniques use output measures to determine the effectiveness of the collection. Although this can be useful in assessing how users are interacting with the library; it may not accurately reflect the usefulness of the resources themselves. Additionally, output data such as circulation statistics of print resources do not account for in-house use, as not all resources are borrowed or accessed outside of the library space. Often, print resources that are used to assist in curriculum delivery are used during school time only and not borrowed through the library management system; therefore, will not be reflected in the circulation statistics. Hence, other output measures should also be used; such as, reservations, reference assistance, formal instruction, and facility use. To further develop an accurate picture of the effectiveness of library collections and guide budget decisions, input measures could also be used. Troll Covey describes a range of digital resource input measures that assist in “capturing the size of the digital library”; including, counting the number of links and pages within the library web site, and the number of databases, e-journals, e-books, images and other digital collections provided by the library (2002, para. 5). Troll Covey also outlines outcome measures that illustrate the impact of collections and services on the users’ experience and satisfaction (2002). A combination of these measures could be useful in determining the quality of print and digital resources and guiding budget decisions.

 

References

International Librarians Network. (2015). Proving our worth: library measurement and metrics. Retrieved from https://interlibnet.org/2015/04/14/proving-our-worth-library-measurement-and-metrics/

Troll Covey, D. (2002). Appendix D traditional input, output, and outcome measures. Retrieved from https://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub105/appendixd/

 

[Forum Reflection: Module 3.1]

Crowd Sourced Reviews

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Crowd sourced review site: GoodReads

Review: Slam by Nick Hornby

GoodReads provides an extensive array of reviews and curated lists for a wide variety of books. With this comes advantages and disadvantages in reviewing and selecting resources. To experience a comprehensive view of the resource, GoodReads should be used in conjunction with other selection aids. An advantage of starting the search process with GoodReads is that it includes popular reads and reviews from readers themselves. The book Slam by Nick Hornby has received 20,873 ratings and 2,049 reviews on the site, with an average rating of 3.26 out of 5 stars. The large volume of ratings and reviews is promising as it can provide a range of perspectives. One review in particular, written by GoodReads Librarian Bonnie Lumley, clearly outlines her dislike of the book, provides clear reasons why and evidence of her correspondence with the author; therefore, her methods of evaluation are clear and appear justified (2009). Lumley is a GoodReads Librarian, as she has contributed extensively to the GoodReads community; therefore, it may be seen that she is an avid reader and is knowledgeable in the area of YA fiction, which adds to the credibility and authority of her review. Having said this, it is difficult to determine the reviewer’s true authority and experience in selecting and assessing texts, so caution should be taken when considering the value of the review overall. Although information about the text can be found throughout many reviews, some reviews lack the depth to really gauge the value of the text. Additionally, GoodReads does not often provide information about a recommended reading age or the themes presented in the text. While recommended reading ages are contentious among some authors and Teacher Librarians, they are useful in the process of recommending texts to students and avoiding recommendations that are not appropriate for younger readers (Riordan, 2009). For example, Slam includes sexual references and scenes, so would not be a recommended book for the junior years. Furthermore, a selection aid that includes information on reading level is helpful in choosing valuable and appropriate texts, which GoodReads does not include. Within GoodReads, the genres are listed by user suggestion but are often not specific enough to assist in the selection of particular texts for particular purposes. To supplement the information provided through GoodReads, it is advantageous to seek out other selection aids such Common Sense Media, which provide more detailed reviews including; themes/parent guide, age recommendation, ratings and reviews from parents and children, and discussion starters.

 

References:

Common Sense Media. (n.d.). Slam. Retrieved from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/slam

Riordan, R. (2009). Does Age Appropriateness Still Have Meaning? Retrieved from http://rickriordan.com/2009/06/does-age-appropriateness-still-have-meaning/

Lumley, B. (2009, September 9). [Review of the book Slam, by N. Hornby]. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/411527.Slam

 

[Forum Reflection: Module 2.6]

eResources

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Pros and cons of buying bundles sets of resources.

Pros Cons

·      “Ease of selection” (Kimmel, 2014, p. 54).

·      Time saving.

·      Can be cheaper than individual items.

·      Can easily meet and fill a need or gap in the collection.

 ·      All items may not be suitable to school context and the needs of clientele.

Pros and cons of selecting content that is provided via online access but which the library does not own.

Pros Cons

·      e-books can be read simultaneously by multiple users.

·      Durability of the book is everlasting in comparison to print.

·      Individual cost can be less than print.

·      Quick access to newly published material.

·      Multi-user access is very expensive.

·      Free e-books require higher rate of time and staffing to assess quality.

·      Advertising throughout free e-books.

·      Equity for students who do not own a device and/or do not have access to reliable internet.

·      Losing ownership if a change in vendor occurs.

·      Difficulties in platform access in a BYOD environment.

 

References

Kimmel, S.C. (2014). Developing collections to empower learners. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au

 

[Forum Reflection: Module 2.3]

Collaborative Acquisition

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The role of the Teacher Librarian and expertise required is different to that required by all teachers. Teacher Librarians are required to possess additional skills in curriculum leadership, as well as expertise in literacy in all its forms; traditional, information and digital. According to the Australian School Library Association, as well as being trained teachers, Teacher Librarians are curriculum leaders, information specialists, and information service managers (2012). A Teacher Librarian also requires mentoring skills needed to support both students and teachers. As well as having a bird’s eye view of the curriculum and school, Teacher Librarians are educators of information literacy, organisers and creators of resources, and advocates and innovators of technology and social learning (Herring, 2017). The Education Directorate concludes, “Teacher librarians combine a command of 21st century pedagogies and curricula with expertise in information science: the analysis, collection, classification, manipulation, storage, retrieval, movement, dissemination, and protection of information” (2016, p.3). This differs from that of the expertise of other teachers, as the focus of classroom teachers is perhaps narrower, and they do not necessarily have the skills or time to manage resources on a large scale or assist students and others in the development of a range of literacy skills.

Teacher Librarians must also be masters in collaboration to support teachers and students. To successfully support library clients, Teacher Librarians must stay abreast of changes in curriculum and delivery methods across the school. Effective ways to collaborate across the school community include; participation in departmental meetings, presentation of Professional Development opportunities, and participation in active networking across the school community. Without being seen in the school community, Teacher Librarians will find it very difficult to develop and maintain a relevant and useful collection suited to the needs of staff and students. Specific ways to open the collection acquisition process include; inviting staff to peruse resources prior to purchasing, working with staff to develop Assignment Help Pages and identify gaps in the collection related to specific tasks and units of work, and informing staff of the changes occurring within the collection including acquisition and weeding. Ultimately, the school community should be involved and have a voice in the process of collection development, as an integral part of the role of the Teacher Librarian is to support the teaching and learning activities that occur within schools.

Furthermore, to develop a collection that is engaging and useful, students must be involved in the selection of resources. According to Evans, when considering resources, students’ Normative needs, Felt needs, and Comparative needs must be met (2008). In particular, Felt needs refer to what students want to read. If this need is met, a school library will be able to better cater for their clientele and will likely be more successful (Evans, 2008). Students may have the opportunity to select books for purchase during book fairs, submit requests, speak directly and informally with library staff or vote for the acquisition of specific books. Additionally, libraries may undertake a needs analysis of the student cohort (Isebe, 2015).

Ultimately, the final decision to acquire resources may lie with either the Head Teacher Librarian or if a contentious resource that may provide controversial viewpoints or perspectives that go against school ethos or values, the decision should lie with the Deputy of Teaching and Learning or the Headmaster. Additionally, if the resource is to support specific teaching and learning activities for an assessment task or learning experience, the decision may lie with the Head of Department or teacher who requires the resource. Teacher Librarians are in an advantageous position to offer support and advice for specific resources and are in the position to approve the purchase of resources; however, they are not an island and must work in collaboration and support of the whole school community. Thus, it is clear that the decision to acquire certain resources is a shared process.

 

References

Australian School Library Association. (2018). What is a teacher librarian? Retrieved from http://www.asla.org.au/advocacy/what-is-a-teacher-librarian.aspx

Education Directorate. (2016). School libraries: The heart of 21st century learning. Retrieved from https://www.education.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/916301/School-Libraries-21st-Century.pdf

Evans, G. E. (2008). Reflections on creating information service collections. In K. Haycock & B. Sheldon (Eds.), The portable MLIS (pp. 87 –97). Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited.

Herring, J. (2017). The future role of the teacher librarian. Connections, 100, 10-11. Retrieved from http://www2.curriculum.edu.au/scis/connections/issue_100/print_complete_issue/print_issue_100.html

Isebe, M. (2015). Effective selection and organization of information resources in school library. International Journal of Library and Information Science Studies, 1(1), 27-33. Retrieved from http://www.eajournals.org/journals/international-journal-library-information-science-studies-ijliss/vol-1-issue-1june-2015/

 

[Forum Reflection: Module 2.2]