Developing Collections

Module 2: Professional Reflection:

I often have students report back to me about favourite book titles or series as I can judge if it is worth purchasing more of the same. A suggestion box is in place at the entrance of the library so that students can incidentally place a recommendation of their choice in there.  Patron driven acquisition is a technique I do use but I don’t solely rely on it.

Consider how to engage your learners in selection of resources in their school library. I ask students to circle desirable titles in the Scholastic Book Club catalogue, fill out suggestion box forms for recommended titles and also have meetings with school student leadership team to take a survey to their classes to ask what type of genres or books they are interested in. This can adequately involve students in the selection process and make the TL aware of the types of resource the students would like to see in their library.

Who should have the final say in what is included? Why? In my opinion, the TL is the information specialist within the school and has an exceptional knowledge of resources already available within the library but not only that, but of what exists out there that the school may not yet have. I always work on the belief though that all stakeholders share equal importance of contribution when it comes to having a say in selecting resources. But when budgetary restrictions are in place and need to be carefully acquired then the TL is the person with authority to do so.

The School Library Collection

1.3 Pedagogical Initiatives:

To suitably equip students in the 21st century, the educational setting in which they attend needs to cater for all students and suitably allow students and teachers to access information from their school library.  Today, libraries in schools are viewed by some as learning hubs where physical and digital learning resources are in a welcoming common space for students and teachers to share. Users are encouraged to create, collaborate, interact and explore. With that being said the challenge is: how does the Teacher Librarian adequately make decisions on what to stock in the library? Is it a decision solely made by them or do they have a process in process where they consult teaching staff, students and the wider community?

• What type of resources would I provide? Although the library I work in is brand new, a large task lies ahead of how can the collection be further developed and in line with what is right for the particular patrons (all 815 k-6 students) that I have come through the doors each week. At the moment popular titles across a range of Picture Books, Fast Fiction, Senior Fiction, Graphic Novels, Junior Fiction and Fiction sections, along with an expanding Teacher Resource collection have been purchased. Building physical resources in a foundation library is highly important. Digital collections and inquiry stations through the library are still to be established. A balanced collection of both physical and digital resource will appease all learners and cater for their emerging needs.
• How/where would I find them? So far with the experience I have had as TL, I have had the privilege to build up professional partnerships with suppliers, publishers, universities and other information specialists to sought effective resources. I have successfully ran the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge in my library for 5 years now and the literature on the list are all of high quality- I often use the list when selecting resources to buy. I also go on reviews from suppliers such as QBD, Dymocks and Booktopia but keep in mind the readers in my library and analyse if they age appropriate. The SCIS platform is a useful tool for me when about to purchase items.  So far in this subject it has opened up my eyes to other avenues of which I haven’t used in the past, namely, Zinio magazines, Kobo or Wordery.