Fiction texts for reading pleasure, non-fiction texts for research tasks?  Fiction books for ease of access, but online collections available for research tasks?  Or e-books for reading enjoyment and physical collections for research purposes?  What is the best approach for balancing a library collection?  As mentioned in Stephens (2014) article, it is imperative that school libraries develop their collections in a manner that best suits the specific learning needs of their teachers and students.

 

It is important that TLs keep up-to-date with formats and genres that are on trend.  For example, graphic novels are becoming more popular with later-primary/early-secondary school students as they provide visual prompts to support the words, which encourages reluctant readers and those with low-literacy levels (Crowley, 2015, p. 140).  Including a collection of graphic novels within a school library would hopefully entice such students to read more frequently.

 

Just as important is ensuring that the collection suits the diverse abilities and interests of the students (Fleishhacker, 2017).  Whilst at first glance it may seem that by censoring collections TLs are protecting students, in fact in many cases this can be limiting the students and not presenting a true depiction of the world around them (Jacobson, 2016).  In contrast, teachers and TLs have a duty of care to their students so should they be allowed to censor on this basis?  Where is the line drawn when selecting new materials?  The notion of censorship compared with selection is an interesting one that I would like to explore further in the future.  Students need to be exposed to texts that mirror the real-world in order to be able to gain efficient skills to navigate life’s intricacies in the future.

 

Ultimately, in an ideal world, the school library would contain a balance of physical high-interest fiction texts (including graphic novels) to support the teaching of reading and also reading for enjoyment.  A small selection of e-books that could be loaned out by the library would be a great asset as well.  Alongside this would be sufficient physical non-fiction texts related to curriculum content being taught within the school, that complements content found in online resources.  Schools that have a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy or 1:1 devices for students may choose to have more online subscriptions as they would more easily be able to access them.  In a world where technology is becoming more and more prominent, it is imperative that schools adopt a balanced approach to their library collections – a balance between fiction and non-fiction; and a balance between physical and online collections.

 

References

                 Crowley, J. (2015). Graphic novels in the school library: Using graphic novels to encourage reluctant readers and improve literacy. The School Librarian, 63(3), 140-142.
                 Fleishhacker, J. (2017). Collection development. Knowledge Quest, 45(4), 24–31.
                 Jacobson, L. (2016). Unnatural selection. School Library Journal, 62(10), 20–24.
                 Stephens, W. (2014). Checking out tomorrow’s school library collections. Young Adult Library Services, 12(3), 18–20.