collection evaluation and development

7/30/2019 Collection Evaluation and Development

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Julie Morris

FRIT 7134 - Spring 2012

Jones

February 19, 2012

Collection Development Assignment

Description of Site

The media center at Pierce County High School is the focus of my collection

development study. In Pierce County, “excellence is the standard, “and the school has

recently won an award from NASSP as a National Breakthrough School. While Pierce

County could be considered to have several “environmental” disadvantages, the school

continues to make AYP and score above the state and district averages on the Graduation

Test and EOCTs.

Pierce County High is located in Blackshear, GA which is small, rural community

in South Georgia. The city’s median income is 26,000 dollars a year as compared to the

state median income of 47,000. Only 69% of the population has a high school diploma

(CityData.com) Unemployment holds at about 10%. So despite below average

educational backgrounds and low incomes, the education system in Blackshear continues

to thrive.

Pierce County High School students come from one middle school and 3

elementary schools. The total student population is 953. 82% of students are Caucasian;

12% are African American; 3% Hispanic; and 1% Asian. Out of these, 47% receive free

or reduced lunch. 2% have limited English proficiency, and 11% have disabilities.

(CityData.com)



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As I am focusing my collection evaluation and development plan on the American

Revolution, my focus will primarily affect students in the United States History Course at

Pierce County High. This is an 11th grade course offering at present serving

approximately 215 students with three teachers. 19 of those students are enrolled for

special education services; 9 are enrolled in ESOL services; and 25 participate in gifted

classes. Looking at benchmark test data from these students, additional resources

involving the Revolutionary War would be of benefit. As students progressed in their

studies into American History and addressed standards relating to the Revolutionary War

and Constitution, test scores dropped from approximately 70% meeting proficiency in the

standards to only 50%.

Curriculum Review

The American Revolution is covered in 11th grade US History classes. The Unit

of study involving the American Revolution is called the Creation of the United States.

Unit Standards:

SSUSH3 The student will explain the primary causes of the American Revolution.a. Explain how the end of Anglo-French imperial competition as seen in the French-

Indian War, and the 1763 Treaty of Paris, laid the groundwork for the American

Revolution. b. Explain colonial response to such British actions such as the Proclamation of 1763,

Stamp Act, and the Intolerable Acts as seen in Sons and Daughters of Liberty and

Committees of Correspondence.

c. Explain the importance of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense to the movement for independence.

SSUSH4 The student will identify the ideological, military, and diplomatic aspects of

the American Revolution.

a. Explain the language, organization, and intellectual sources including the writing of

John Locke and Montesquieu of the Declaration of Independence and the role of ThomasJefferson.

b. Explain the reason for and significance of the French alliance and foreign assistance

and the roles of Benjamin Franklin and the Marquis de Lafayette.c. Analyze George Washington as a military leader, including the creation of a

professional military and the life of a common soldier, crossing the Delaware River, and



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Valley Forge.

d. Explain Yorktown, the role of Lord Cornwallis and the Treaty of Paris, 1783.

SSUSH5 The student will explain specific events and key ideas that brought about

the adoption and implementation of the United States Constitution.

a. Explain how weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation and Daniel Shays’ Rebellionled to a call for a stronger central government.

b. Evaluate the major arguments of the anti-Federalists and Federalists during the debateon ratification of the Constitution as put forth in The Federalists Papers concerning form

of government, factions, checks and balances, and the power of the executive, including

the roles of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison.

c. Explain the key features of the Constitution, specifically the Great Compromise,separation of powers, limited government, and the issue of slavery.

d. Analyze how the Bill of Rights serves as a protector of individual and states’ rights.

e. Explain the importance of the Presidencies of George Washington and John Adams,including the Whiskey Rebellion, non-intervention in Europe, and the development of

political parties (Alexander Hamilton).

Learning Goals:

Students should be able to:

•Explain the philosophical principles of American democracy spelled out in theDeclaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

•Recognize the individuals, groups, and events that played major roles in the American

Revolution and the formation of the United States of America.

Student Activities:

• In groups, students will make a timeline of the events leading to the

American Revolution. Students will complete a crossword puzzleover the material.

• In groups, students will make a timeline of the battles and eventsduring the American Revolution. Students will complete a crosswordpuzzle over the material. Students will complete a study guide.Students will take a multiple-choice test.

•Students will be asked to complete a graphic organizer over thedifferences in the Articles and the Constitution. Students will beasked to complete an organizer regarding the compromises at theConstitutional Convention. Students will learn and recite thePreamble.

•Students will complete a study guide, a crossword puzzle, and amultiple choice test over the conflict between political parties of thetime influenced by Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.

Culminating Project:

Students will create a play on the Constitutional Convention and the ratification of the

Constitution using knowledge of individual and group actions at the original

Constitutional Convention. They must incorporate the issues and compromises regarding



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state representation, slavery, trading, individual rights, states and national power and

beliefs on the ratification of the Constitution.

The play must contain the following characters:

George Washington New Jersey Delegate

A northern state delegate (pick one) Connecticut DelegateA southern state delegate (pick one) Virginia Delegate

Your play may include the following characters if you have enough people: Narrator James Madison

Alexander Hamilton Thomas Jefferson

Group Work: All groups will work to create and perform their individual plays.

Individual Work: Each character should contribute to the writing of his/her role and

offer suggestions for the overall format of the play. Every individual will be responsible

for performing his/her part. Finally, each character will be responsible for explaining whyhis/her role is important.

Collection Evaluation:

I began my collection evaluation by running a TitleWise collection evaluation in

order to examine numbers of books within our collection as well as their relative ages in

regard to curriculum standards involving the American Revolution. Our general

reference section contains 1100 items with an average date of publication in 1987. The

900’s (History and Geography) contain 1041 items. Further, I identified several areas in

the non-fiction section where I could find resources for the American Revolution

curriculum. These were located in 900’s (Geography and History), 920’s (Biography),

and 970’s (North American History). Fiction holdings were not broken down into any

identifiable categories. The 900’s contain approximately 33 items with average

publication date as 1990. The 920’s contain 141 items with average publication date in

1981. The 970’s contain 343 items with average publication date of 1990.

While all of the titles within these call numbers do not pertain to the curriculum

standards that I need to address, it did give me a rough idea of how outdated our material

is. The media specialist explained the outdated material by saying that students just don’t



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use books for research any longer. I looked at a collection analysis chart of the average

age of our collection, and most of our sections do not date above 2000. While I realize

that historical material does not often change, more modern presentation of information is

appealing to students and would increase interest in those titles. Age is definitely an

issue with our collection.

For my next evaluation, I pulled up circulation statistics. Only 60 titles from the

900 section were checked out this year from a collection of 1041 items. This represents

2.20% of the library usage. The items in this collection make up 11% of the media

center’s holdings but only 2.20% of its usage. Finding this information out prompted me

to speak to some of the teachers about what resources they think would be most

beneficial. Teachers expressed that students didn’t really know what was on the shelves

and preferred to scan the internet for information. Teachers did, however, express an

interest in using more books for such projects if the media specialist could perhaps pull

relevant titles for students. Again, I think updating the collection would also generate

more of an interest as well as perhaps a book display that coincides with the project.

My next strategy was to examine the Destiny online catalog for specific titles

related to the curriculum data. I searched using various key words such as American

Revolution, Revolutionary War, Continental Congress, and specific names of individual

players mentioned in the standards. I did find approximately one or two biographies for

each person listed. The search also helped me identify specific fiction titles that relate to

the subject matter. I tallied approximately 15 fiction titles that dealt with the American

Revolution. Our fiction collection contains 3391 titles. That means fiction relating to the

American Revolution comprises .004% of our entire fiction collection. I also did not



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come across any books listed as reference in the online catalog. A few years ago, I

remember the media center greatly reducing the number of reference books, as they were

not being used by students. Also, surprisingly, I only identified one video in regard to the

American Revolution or any of the individual key players.

Finally, I decided to put my observations to the test and hit the media center for a

look. The reference books are located on random shelves throughout the media center.

One shelf sits against a wall by the computer lab. The other two shelves are short and

distributed in the open area by tables. They consist of mostly encyclopedias and some

maps but are rather sparse. The fiction books are in one central location and arranged by

alphabetical order of the authors’ names. I found some of the titles listed in Destiny; they

do not seem to be well read and are in good to new condition despite some of their ages.

The books in the non-fiction section are easy to find on the wall in the 900 section. Most

of them are in good condition. None are in need of obvious repair. However, it is

obvious that most of the material is outdated and even for me not very appealing. None

of the material in our collection appears in other languages.

Lastly, I stopped to check the video room. I could not believe that there was only

one video in relation to the American Revolution. I thought perhaps they had not been

catalogued correctly. I was wrong. Not to mention that, the video is in VHS format and

from 1987.

Summary:

•My primary objective in ordering is to update our collection, focusing on updating our

nonfiction and reference holdings. I would like to choose books that are more user

friendly and attractive to students. I also feel that our collection would benefit from



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some choices in lower lexile levels as well to accommodate special education and

ESOL students.

•Secondly, I feel our video selection needs to be updated. While staff has access to

resource such as United Streaming on the internet, I think the media center needs to

house more than one VHS video from the ‘80’s on the topic.

•Thirdly, I would like to find some Spanish material to accommodate our ESOL

students.

•Lastly, I would like to find more fiction sources. Fiction is a great way to get students

more interested in content material.

Budget Summary

In my proposed purchase order, I have spent 3,756.79 on a variety of resources. I

have included a variety of resources and found materials that meet my goals after

evaluating the needs of the media center in my curriculum focus of the American

Revolution. Included are videos, fiction titles, non-fiction titles, and books to include in

as reference materials (includes maps and charts). Not only have I been able to locate

various formats but feel that I have covered many aspects of the American Revolution

including the role of African Americans and women; viewpoints of the British and

loyalists; art, poetry, and theater of the time period; military viewpoints and strategic

maps; politics; everyday life during the Revolution; the development of the Constitution;

biographies of key figures; and even clothing of the time period. I feel it is a very

comprehensive collection that will support and enhance the curriculum needs of our

American History classes in their studies and projects involving the American Revolution

and creation of the US Constitution. In addition to these resources, I have included a



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developing website with additional online resources.

http://amrevolutionwebresources.pbworks.com/w/page/51078866/American

%20Revolution%20Web%20Resources

http://amrevolutionwebresources.pbworks.com/w/page/51078866/American%20Revolution%20Web%20Resources




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