Collection Building in the School Library Media Center

Lori L.FranklinLibrary Media Specialist National Board Certified Teacher ESU SLIM Doctoral Student

c. 2009

IntroductionLibrary Media Specialist for 14 yearsOpened two new school librariesInherited two “middle-aged” collectionsNational Board Certified Teacher

How do You Buy Personal Books?

Do you consider:

- need

- what is already in your home

- what has been recommended

- bestseller lists

- what is visually appealing

- how much money you have

- how much of a hurry you are in

Philosophy

This might resemble a mission statement:

“Smithfield Middle School is committed to providing students with resources of varying appeal, representing diverse viewpoints, in a variety of formats in order to meet curricular and personal enjoyment requirements.”

More PhilosophyConsider the same goals that the school is trying to accomplish:

- reading, writing, math

- embracing diversity

- bully-free zone

- building personal character

- career-readiness

- fine arts appreciation

What Do You Remember?

Talk about your experiences locating, recommending, and checking out books or other materials at any of your school libraries. http://teachers.olatheschools.com/oelmc/

Basic Steps in Collection Building

Your district’s collection policy provides a roadmap for you.

This document has information about what are considered “quality” materials of literary value. You also need to be sensitive to needs that are specific to your environment or community:

Policy as Umbrella

Provides you with guidelines for selecting and purchasing materials.

Should a book reconsideration request occur, the collection policy provides a framework and rationale for justifying why you have purchased materials.

Fluid document that needs examination and updating on a regular basis, by a party of stakeholders: you, board and community members, parents and students.

The Collection Policy“The Olathe School District supports the position that a library media center contributes to the intellectual, cultural, and ethical development of students as they become productive citizens in an ever changing democracy.”

Olathe District School Selection Policy, 2002

Guidelines for Selection: - educational need - recommendations from staff/students - educational significance - age appropriateness - recommendations from professional reviewing sources - significance of author/illustrator/producer - accuracy - timeliness, currency, and permanence - quality of material - benefit in terms of cost/financial analysis - readability

Olathe District School Selection Policy, 2002

Outside InfluencesYou also need to be sensitive to needs that are specific to your environment or community and balance them with access to information rights:

http://www.classkc.org/index.htmlhttp://www.ala.org/ala/oif/

statementspols/ftrstatement/freedomreadstatement.cfm

You are playing on the same team with your local school board.

Budgets Dictate Spending…Budget problems are causing many

changes in school library spending and staffing today.

Example: Olathe EastWhen dollars are cut, you have to

make decisions about the best way to spend what you have.

Decisions might affect choices: print v. electronic; new v. used

School Settings Are DifferentYou typically find out your budget in

fall of the school year. Some school librarians might not find out what they are receiving until after the winter holidays…

This money must be spent by a certain date – usually late in May.

Any money not spent is “lost.”Conversely, any money you are

given may also be taken away.

Your BudgetHow will you allocate budget monies to the different areas in your school library?

Consider:

- fiction

- nonfiction

- electronic

- audiovisual

- equipment

- supplies

2008-2009 Budget Allocation by Category

1

2

3

4

56 7

1 - Fiction 2 - Nonfiction 3- Reference 4- Audiovisual 5- Equipment 6- Supplies 7- Repair

25,000 40,000 15,000 8,000 10,000 5,000 2,500

Major Reviewing Sources

School Library Journal

Booklist

Library Journal

Kirkus

Library Media Collection

VOYA

Hornbook

Books in Print

This list is not meant to be exhaustive and reflects collection buildingresources for the school library media center level.

Collection MappingCollection mapping is a way to organize your knowledge of what resources are available for students.Example: If you need to locate materials for a unit on forensic science, collection mapping would have already determined the different areas in your collection that apply, as well as pinpointing weaknesses. Results from collection mapping yield better resources per unit compared to a simple OPAC search.

Steps in Collection MappingCount total collection/compute the number of items per student.Determine physical and electronic access to materials.Collect data showing crossover in Dewey Decimal categories.Present the results - collection maps showing areas in collection needing change in next 5 years.

Example of collection mapping

http://searchware.com/assets/images/Collection_Map.jpg

Data from this chart comes from Follett’s Titlewise Collection Analysis by request.

Data from this chart comes from Follett’s Titlewise Collection Analysis by request.

Acquiring MaterialsPurchasing from large vendors is easy to do; note that choices will not reflect local interests.Your local bookstore is a great resource for last-minute needs, as well as local-flavor materials.Purchasing items on “Preview” means that you are responsible for returning materials you choose not to keep.

“Other” Items

You may receive a call from a community member who offers to donate materials to your library.

Your district collection policy should address this scenario.

You will need to weigh the needs of your collection (another function of having collection mapping in place) against the loss of shelf space and compare these to the item’s literary value..

Marketing

Buying materials is great, but…

Market what you have to the right audiences! This is another area where the benefits of collection mapping can be seen.

Inventory/weedingRegular weeding is essential for collection development – it allows you to fine-tune the collection in response to changing factors: - enrollment numbers

- curriculum

- demographics

- budgeting

Recordkeeping

Systematic, statistical recordkeeping

allows you to present highlighted information to your principal for budgetary requests.

Recordkeeping also can help you identify trends (for example, you could compare circulation figures with increased spending in fiction spending).

Questions?

lfranklinoe@olatheschools.com

913.780.7130

It does not matter how many books you may have, but whether

they are good or not. — Epistolae Morale

Lucius Annaeus SENECA (3 B.C.-65 A.D.)

Resources

(2002). The nuts and bolts of library media in USD 233. Olathe, KS: USD 233.

(2005). The whole school library handbook. Chicago: American Library Association.

Taylor, J. (2006). Information literacy and the school library media center. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Valenza, J.K. (2004). Power tools recharged: 125+ essential forms and presentations for your school library information program. Chicago: American Library Association.

Van Orden, P.J. (2001). The collection program in schools: Concepts, practices, and information sources, 3rd ed. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.