Collection Development & Management

Sharing the Collection Evaluation:

The collection evaluation should be shared with the school MTAC and administration, as well as other stakeholders. Awareness of collection needs assists with advocacy efforts and can help gain support for a consistent, sustained budget. 

Before sharing the evaluation, take the time to present the findings in a way that is visual and accessible for a non-library trained person to understand. 

A collection development plan provides justification for the resources--money, time, and space--needed not to support the collection but to support the mission, goals, and objectives of the school. 

The point is not to have an up-to-date collection with all the materials that anyone would ever want, but rather, to have a collection that meets the needs of students and staff in a specific school with up-to-date, accessible, relevant, high-quality materials so that the school’s specific achievement goals can be reached.  

Steps in developing a plan:

• Inventory the student circulating collection.

• Conduct a collection evaluation.

• Review the results of the analysis with MTAC.

• Set priorities and goals for developing the collection based on needs identified in the analysis.

Drafting a collection development plan:

A collection development plan is a flexible document that can be updated to adjust to changing needs and priorities.

• use the approved district template.

• write the plan based on data from the collection evaluation and MTAC review.

• present the plan to the MTAC and administration.

• use the plan to advocate for resources.

Selection of materials for a collection should be based on the goals established in the collection developmnet plan and follow local policies. SLMCs should be familiar with resources and tools for selection, in addition to making an effort to read widely to be responsive to the needs of the school and students.

Criteria for Selection: 

• outlined in GCS Board Regulation Code 3200-R. SLMCs should be familiar with these criteria and refer to them for all purchases or selections made for the school library media center collection.

  •  Educational resources should (criteria not ranked):

1. Be selected according to the general educational goals of the school district, the goals and objectives of the individual schools and specific courses.

2. Be appropriate for the age, interests, abilities, learning styles, social development, and maturity levels of the students.

3. Provide information to motivate students and staff to examine their own attitudes and behavior, to comprehend their duties, responsibilities, rights, and privileges as participating citizens in our society, and to make informed judgments in their daily lives.

4. Represent the diversity of religious, ethnic, political, and cultural values held in a pluralistic society.

5. Illustrate the contributions made by various groups to our national heritage and to the world.

6. Illustrate historical and contemporary forces in society to enable users to recognize and understand social, economic, personal, and political problems.

7. Provide various points of view about issues, including those considered to be controversial.

8. Represent various theories about the physical environment and the universe.

• • SLMCs and teachers should consider:

1. Reputable, unbiased selection tools and arrange, when possible, for firsthand examination of resources to be purchased.

2. Technical quality and physical condition appropriate to format and intended use.

3. Scope, arrangement, and organization, relevance of information, special features, and overall value to the collection.

4. Selection of resources for specific courses to be consistent with the educational goals for the district, the objectives of the course, and the characteristics of the students.

Professional Reviews:

Full-text reviews are available in Titlewave and other vendor sites, as well as directly from the resource. Books added to a collection should have two or more positive reviews accessible. Commonly used review sources include:

• School Library Journal

• Booklist

• Kirkus

• Publisher's Weekly

Purchasing and acquisition is done at the school level with school-based funds. Items purchased or otherwise acquired should meet the criteria outlined in district policy and the goals of the school's collection development plan. SLMCs should refer to GCS Collection Standards for preferred formats when creating purchasing wishlists.

Considerations:

• Library bound sewn is better than library bound glued.

  • Many library-bound bindings are guaranteed. If a library-bound binding is damaged, contact the company representative for a replacement. 

• Hardback library bound is better than publisher’s hardcover. 

• Elementary schools should not order paperback books for the general collection. 

• Schools should not order print encyclopedias or dictionaries. 

Other factors:

• Cost (include the cost of your time!)

• Service

• Ease of use

Best practice is to purchase materials shelf-ready (pre-cataloged and pre-processed). Established library vendors offer cataloging and processing as part of the total cost of the purchase. Purchasing more books at a lower cost that need to be cataloged by the SLMC does not benefit students if books sit un-cataloged and inaccessible to users for a long period of time (more than two weeks). Purchasing fewer books at a higher cost that can be circulated as soon as they arrive at the school is a better use of funds and time.

Funding for school library media center collections is site-based. There is no set budget amount that is allocated for the school library media center. SLMCs, with the support of their MTAC, should work with their administrator to determine a budget that will address the needs outlined in the collection development plan.

Funding sources:

• School Funds - Principals can designate a portion of school funds for library media center purchases. SLMCs should understand that the state allots schools a set dollar amount per student for all instructional supplies (this includes things like copier costs, mailing, paper, etc.). Schools that do not receive additional funds from Title I or Magnet Programs may have a more difficult time allocating a portion of these funds to the library.

• PTSA

• Book Fairs

• Grants

Cataloging Acquired Items:

• follow district cataloging norms when adding items to Destiny.

• make items available to students in a timely manner (within at least two weeks of acquisition).

• use district cataloging best practices and tutorials when cataloging items.

Weeding should be done annually to maintain a well-balanced, relevant and appealing collection. Read the LMS Department's official statement on weeding in GCS school library media centers.

The American Library Association suggests that 5% of the collection be weeded annually. An average life for a book in the collection is approximately ten years. Many factors affect this estimate of lifespan – political changes, technological advances, heavy use of the volume.  The process for deselection is as rigorous as it is for selection. Weeding should be coordinated with an annual inventory and collection development planning process. 

Why weed?

• to support curriculum changes

• to maintain a current, reputable and relevant collection

• to encourage independent reading

• to make the best use of shelf space and increase access

• to improve physical appearance of the collection

• to identify strengths and weaknesses in the collection

• to increase circulation and encourage a love of reading

Preparing to weed:

• Conduct an inventory of the student-circulating collection

• Establish weeding criteria

  • • use the GCS Collection Standards as a guide for determining aged titles

• Analyze the collection using Titlewise and circulation history reports

  • • Example weeding criteria:

      • • FRESH

When weeding begins:

• examine titles using established criteria.

• pull books from the shelves and delete from the Destiny catalog.

• keep a running list of popular titles to replace if they are weeded due to cosmetic issues or damage.

When weeding is complete:

• Mark items as discarded or withdrawn inside the front cover.

• Remove or mark through the school barcode. 

• Dispose of items following district procedures.

  • • Weeded items that are outdated or contain misinformation should be boxed and discarded through the Warehouse. 

    • Other weeded items may be used at the discretion of the School Library Media Coordinator to be:  

      • • donated to students, teachers, classrooms, or reading areas 

        • added to a “free books” section of the library or school 

        • deconstructed in a makerspace or art project 

    • Items may not be sold or donated to any individual or company or outside organization.