Shelving

For many people, the physical collection - the books on the shelves - are what define a library. Managing the physical collection - the items we have that people need and use - is an important part of what we do. While libraries will continue to have books on the shelves into the foreseeable future, what we choose to put (or not put) on those shelves, how we make those available to our users, and how we ultimately remove those items, deserve some careful consideration.

Collection development is a big responsibility. Many factors should be considered when deciding to add a book to the school library. This evaluation cannot be done in isolation. Books should ticks as many boxes as possible: 

• • • • Student interest

      • Diversity/inclusion/equity (windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors)

      • Curriculum need

      • Literary merit

      • Gaps in collection

      • Genre

      • Reading Level

      • Format & accessibility (large print, braille, digital, print)

      • Languages (special focus on Spanish)

      • Quality of the book itself: binding, print and page quality, size

      • Professionally reviewed

• Books selected should follow our district's collection development policy. Following the collection development policy serves as back up in case we receive a formal book challenge. 

• Book previewing and grade level recommendations by School Library Journal are used to determine where the book is best fit.

Grade bands for book selection

• Picture Books are for everyone PK-12. Middle and High Schools may have small Everybody sections with picture books that support curriculum or PK programs.

• Early Reader Chapter Books are beginner's chapter books for grades 1-3.

• Middle Grade books are written for students in grades ranging between 3rd-6th, 4th-7th, or 5th-8th. 

• Young Adult Books are written for students in grades ranging between 7-12.

Best practice is to match the age of the protagonist to the age of the student (+ up to one year). For example, a book with a 18 year old protagonist would be fit the best in a high school.  A book with a 14 year old protagonist would fit at a middle school and a high school. The content also must be considered. Any YA books "on the bubble" with mature content are best fit at the high school level. 

Pro Collection Development Tips from the District Librarian

• Join Twitter and become part of the Kid Lit and YA community

• Follow your favorite authors on Twitter to stay up to date with their upcoming releases

• Attend local library conferences (OASL Fall Conference, OASL Regional Spring Conference)

• Attend BER's  yearly "What's New in Children's Literature"  

• Stay up to date with the yearly children's book award nominees and winners. Watch AASL's Youth Media Awards in January.

• Visit your public library and local bookstores and see what titles they are promoting.

• Collect all the titles you find and put them into a list on TitleWave. Set aside time every few weeks to do this.