The obvious answer is, at some point, someone added it to the collection. Less obvious is the reason why; a collection development policy (CDP) would certainly help to explain this. Gregory’s (2019) definition states that collection development (CD) is all of the decisions that will result in the acquisition (or de-acquisition) of materials and that this process is part of collection management as a whole. Even though I am working as a Teacher Librarian (TL) I was unaware of CDPs.
A definition for the term CD could not easily be found within the NSW Department of Education intranet (Curtis, 2021a). This is concerning given that the NSW Department of Education’s (2005) own library policy states that ‘libraries are an essential resource’ and that a TL makes decisions on behalf of the Principal in relation to budgeting, selecting, weeding, ordering, acquisition, etc. This lack of guidance forced me to look elsewhere. The National Library of New Zealand (n.d.) and Libraries Tasmania (2018) have excellent resources and the Australian Government Libraries Information Network (2021) even provides a template with recommendations. I understand that a library would be more efficient with both time and resources with effective policies and procedures. They also provide a framework for accountability and evidence for the value of the library (Curtis, 2021b).
This puts me in an awkward position as I again acknowledge the stark truth that I noted in an earlier blog (Curtis, 2021b); my library has no CDP. In fact, we have no guiding statements or policies for purchasing, weeding, budgeting or anything else. Similarly, Linder (2021), Facey (2021) and Peterson (2021) stated an absence of policies and documents within the libraries in which they work (forum 6.1). The only documents that can be readily found in my library are the ‘how to’ guides that help navigate our library management software. While these are useful for the day to day running of the library, they do not assist in managing the collection, curating resources, considering future directions or ensuring that I am meeting the needs of my users. A well written, context specific CDP would.
I had already begun to ponder the implications of ‘just doing what I thought was right’. Without a guiding document for weeding or acquisition, 800 Fiction books were removed during 2020’s stocktake and over 100 new books have since been purchased to bring the collection more into line with current reading trends. The weeding decisions were based on the quality, condition and age of the resource and my judgment about it’s content or desirability. Even with a guiding policy, many or all of these texts would have been weeded but at least a policy would have made it easier for me to justify to a particular staff member why the complete set of the Babysitters Club was headed out the door.
Purchasing decisions for fiction over the preceding 4 years had been completely determined by what the office staff thought students might like to read from the Scholastic Book Club catalogue. Upon undertaking the role of the TL (with no qualifications or training), I followed the same process for fiction but at least gave borrowing rates and student requests some thought. I had also begun considering whether I was turning the library into a Scholastic catalogue (Curtis, 2021c) and whether or not this was the right thing to do. I now know that there a several things to consider when selecting a supplier: accuracy in filling orders, costs and discounts, speed of delivery and their returns and cancellation policies (Libraries Tasmania, 2018). A clear section within a CDP on suppliers would ensure that quality titles, at competitive prices, are purchased.
Digital content curation is a part of a modern TLs many tasks (or should be). On many occasions as a classroom teacher, I found the perfect digital resource online, saved it, used it and then filed it away in my program. How much better if I had added it to a curated list and that list was available to others? There is a definite absence of digital content within my library catalogue (Curtis, 2021d, forum 6.1) and considering that ‘an adequate supply of quality digital learning content in K-12 is increasingly important’ (Newsum, 2016, p.103) this is an issue that needs to be rectified. Gowthorp’s (2021) response to my post indicated a similar predicament and the need to evaluate the few items that are present. Newsum’s research (2016, p.101) also indicated that the ‘collecting and promoting of digital resources is not widespread’. Newsum (p.106) rightly points out that the learning landscape is constantly changing and CD must move beyond print and encompass the wide range of media and online content that is available. As a part of considering digital content, licencing agreements, ownership verses subscription, number of users, school firewall restrictions, sign-up requirements and device compatibility all need to be added to the regular pre-purchase questions before a resource is added. A specific section within a CDP is needed to discuss the importance of digital resources and their acquisition.
I clearly need a CDP. Golden and Malcom (2009) agree and state that a CDP is essential. They also summarise many of the benefits that a CDP provides:
These benefits certainly outweigh the time and effort required to make the CDP. I hope that, in the near future, when someone asks me, ‘How did that book get here?’, I will have a clear CDP at the ready with which to defend my choice. It will be even better if they ask the same question and instead of ‘book’ they say, website, interactive, app or video.
References
Australian Government Libraries Information Network. (2021) Library Collection Development Policy: template. Australian Library and Information Association.
Curtis, J. (2021a, March 18). DISCUSSION: Collection Development – a definition. [Unpublished manuscript]. School of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.
Curtis, J. (2021b, April 18). Collection Development, Selecting and Evaluating Resources Through to Acquisition. The Rabbit Hole.
Curtis, J. (2021c, March 30). The Murky Waters of Censorship. The Rabbit Hole.
Curtis, J. (2021d, May 20). DISCUSSION: Editing a collection development policy. [Unpublished manuscript]. School of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.
Facey, A. (2021, April 28). DISCUSSION: RE: editing collection development policy. [Unpublished manuscript]. School of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.
Golden, H. & Malcom, P. (2009). A Guide to Developing a Collection Plan Library Development Guide 6. Southern Ontario Library Service. https://resources.learnhq.ca/ld.php?content_id=34843537
Gowthorp, A. (2021d, May 22). DISCUSSION: RE: Editing a collection development policy. [Unpublished manuscript]. School of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.
Gregory, V. (2019). Development and Management for 21st Century Library Collections: An Introduction. American Library Association.
Libraries Tasmania (2018). Selection and Ordering. Libraries Tasmania. https://www.libraries.tas.gov.au/school-library/Pages/collections-selection.aspx
Linder, (2021, April 11). DISCUSSION: editing collection development policy. [Unpublished manuscript]. School of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.
National Library of New Zealand. (2018). Services to Schools. National Library.
Newsum, J. M. (2016). School collection development and resource management in digitally rich environments: An Initial Literature Review. School Libraries Worldwide, 22(1), 97–109.
NSW Department of Education. (2005). Policy library. NSW Department of Education. https://policies.education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/policies/library-policy-schools
Peterson, C. (2021, May 6). DISCUSSION: RE: editing collection development policy. [Unpublished manuscript]. School of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.