F. Use the basic concepts and principles related to the selection, evaluation, organization, and preservation of physical and digital information items
INTRODUCTION
All libraries must practice the art of collection development and management. The type of library, as well as specific community needs, should dictate the nature of a library’s collection. School libraries must focus on materials that support the curricular needs of the school community, as well as the interests of both students and faculty. The library’s strategic plan, collection development policy, and budget are all guiding factors in how a school library collection should be managed “collection management is a complex process that involves strategic planning, innovation, change management, and community analysis” (Disher, 2018, p. 288). In this document, I will discuss four aspects of collection development in a school library: selection, evaluation, organization, and preservation.
SELECTION
There are several areas to consider when selecting materials for a school library: the mission and goals of the library, the overall budget, the specific needs and interests of the school community, the strategic plan, and the collection development policy “librarians should carefully consider their community’s needs and interests as well as the library’s goals, as laid out in the collection development statement, to decide if a title is an appropriate purchase” (Wong, 2018, p.140). School libraries must also take into consideration their local, state, and federal standards when developing their collection development policy. The collection development policy should be updated each time the library goes through the strategic planning process to ensure the library is taking into consideration “suitability for the intended audience in terms of authoritativeness, scope, and price” (Disher, 2018, p. 296). Each time a library updates its strategic plan, a new community analysis should be completed—gathering information from students, faculty, parents, and the community—ensuring curricular needs of students are being met, as well as taking into consideration changes in demographics. This information should give insight about the specific curricular needs of students and teachers, as well as current interests and trends in popular literature. School libraries must also be conscientious of the limitations set by their budget when ordering materials for their library. The budget must be structured so that there are enough funds allocated to the various types of materials that need to be purchased throughout the school year.
One of the most important (and costly) aspects of a school library is providing access to databases that support the curricular needs of students and staff “databases provide learners with a one-stop shop for cross-curricular, up-to-date, vetted information in a structured and easy-to-manipulate format for class projects” (Ivory & Viens, 2019, p. 18). Due to the expensive nature of database subscriptions, library teachers should be collaborating with classroom teachers in order to equip the library with the most appropriate databases “collaboration with teachers on their recurring research projects is a critical factor in determining which databases we purchase each year” (Ivory & Viens, 2019, p. 18). School librarians may also join forces with the public library, as well as other libraries in the district, in order to not duplicate efforts. This gives students access to a wider array of resources, while ensuring “there is limited to no overlap for the databases used across the different libraries so libraries can be the best stewards of their budget” (Ivory & Viens, 2019, p. 23).
School libraries must also maintain a balance between physical and digital materials, deciding whether the budget and user demographic support an ebook subscription in addition to a traditional physical collection. For some libraries, providing ebooks is not feasible, there may not be enough interest to support investing in a program where the cost can be prohibitive. For instance, the high school library I work in has chosen not to add ebooks to our collection due to lack of appeal. We focus our budget on databases, popular titles, and books that support the curriculum. We also have a picture book collection for the preschool that is housed in the high school. For students and faculty who do prefer an electronic format, they have the opportunity to borrow ebooks from the public library.
Review journals such as Booklist and School Library Journal are great resources school librarians can utilize when purchasing books for their collection. There are also online sources such as We Need Diverse Books, Mango and Marigold Press, and Colours of Us that can help the library provide a diverse, multicultural collection, with books that represent multiple viewpoints. It is crucial that school library teachers follow the tenets laid out in documents such as the library code of ethics, freedom to read statement, and bill of rights. School librarians must be discerning when choosing what materials to add to the collection, carefully considering each selection to make sure it is appropriate for the school community. When selecting materials, the librarian must assess need, interest, quality, and the value if added to the collection. They should be aware of personal bias, and also not afraid to order materials that may incur a challenge by a parent or member of the community. Objectives for the selection of materials should be to provide materials that support and enrich all segments of the curriculum, foster an appreciation of reading and literature, promote information literacy, and reflect varied interests, points of views, abilities, and maturity levels “librarians should consider how well the new title would enhance the library’s collection by adding depth, coverage of recent developments, and/or alternate points of view” (Wong, 2018, p. 140).
EVALUATION
Part of maintaining an up to date, relevant collection is to regularly evaluate and weed out any materials that no longer fit the scope of the collection. The library should weed out books that are no longer factually accurate, damaged beyond repair, obsolete, or duplicate copies of once popular titles that are no longer in demand “an important task in all libraries is removing outdated, damaged, and unneeded materials from the collection” (Wong, 2018, p.144). By matching each item to the needs of the users, library teachers should be able to ascertain whether an item is appropriate and should remain in the collection. The age of a book should not be a factor when weeding. The main criteria should be whether it still garners interest or can be useful for students and teachers. If a book is damaged but still relevant, depending on the extent of damage, the library teacher should consider repairing the current copy or purchasing a new copy, rather than removing it from the collection. In the same token, if a book is still in relatively good condition, but no longer useful or relevant, then it should be weeded.
One method librarians can use to determine if a book or other materials should be removed from the collection is the MUSTIE criteria. MUSTIE is an acronym that gives librarians a guide to use when evaluating materials in the library:
Misleading - out of date, contain obsolete or [factually] inaccurate information, or contain racial or cultural stereotypes
Ugly - damaged or worn; in some cases, a replacement copy should be ordered
Superseded - materials for which a newer edition or title exists; unnecessary duplicates
Trivial - materials that are poorly written, or that lack literary or scientific merit
Irrelevant - materials that do not serve the community’s needs; such as titles that are no longer in demand because of changing community demographics or interests
Elsewhere - the material is easily obtained through interlibrary loan or other means (Wong, 2018, p. 144-145).
Another useful approach to evaluating materials is the CREW method, an acronym that stands for “Continuous Review, Evaluation, and Weeding” (Wong, 2018, p. 146). This method suggests that instead of a periodic large overhaul of the collection, librarians regularly evaluate materials in the collection, so as not to be overwhelmed, having to discard a significant amount of materials at once. The CREW method is also helpful in identifying and addressing any portions of the collection that are lacking materials “in this process, librarians devote regular amounts of time to reviewing sections of the collection, using the collection development policy and usage statistics to remove outdated and damaged materials and to identify areas where additional materials are needed” (Wong, 2018, p. 145). Often libraries have an overabundant amount of materials in one genre or subject area, while in others there may be too little, or nonexistent materials. For instance, when we decided to "genrefy" part of the collection at my school, we discovered that we were sorely lacking in sports books (a very popular topic at our school), while we had a much larger collection of fantasy books than any of us would have guessed.
It is helpful for librarians to use a checklist when evaluating materials to help them determine whether the item should remain in the library or be discarded. The checklist should be a list of questions that librarians can ask themselves when looking at individual items, such as:
How often has the material been used in the last 3-5 years?
Is it in poor physical condition (moldy, falling apart, unsightly)?
Does it contain inaccurate, or outdated information (Is Pluto still considered a planet)?
Is the tone condescending or biased?
Does it promote stereotypes (gender, age, race, ethnic background…)?
Is the reading level appropriate for the age of the students?
Is it relevant to the curriculum?
Is the format appropriate (electronic, physical)?
Is the information available in other formats?
Is it useful for either students or teachers?
Is there another copy?
Is there a newer addition?
Is the information/title available in other locations?
Is the information unique in any way?
Is it listed in any current core collections, indexes, or recommended lists?
Is it of regional or local importance or interest?
By utilizing the methods and criteria outlined in this section, school librarians should be able to maintain a collection that is both user friendly and current, aligning with local, state, and national standards.
ORGANIZATION
All libraries must have a system for classifying, cataloguing, and storing their materials. Most school and public libraries use the Dewey Decimal System (DDC) for cataloguing their physical materials, while most academic libraries use the Library of Congress (LOC) method. A recent trend in school libraries (and many public) has been to move away from the traditional Dewey system, opting to shelve materials in a fashion similar to bookstores—according to subject matter or genre “genrefication seeks to combine like with like, expanding browsing options and increasing findability” (Witteveen, 2019, p. 40). There are multiple reasons for this restructuring of the library system, mainly having to do with ease of access. Ranganathan’s fourth law states libraries should “save the time of the reader” (Matthews, 2018, p. 256). Breaking up the collection into categories based on the interests and needs of the community makes sense, and saves the time of the library user. This can be done with the entire collection, or only fiction titles.
The DDC dictates that fiction be shelved alphabetically by the author’s last name, regardless of genre. This might not be problematic for an adult who knows the author they are looking for, or has the ability to look it up in the computer, but for the young child who just wants books about dinosaurs or trucks, or the older student who needs to get back to class quickly, this system is antiquated. Separating books by genre at the elementary level, using clear signage with words and pictures, has enabled students to independently search for the subjects that are of interest to them. It is a “way that better fits kids’ intuitive browsing behavior (Witteveen, 2019, p. 40). Although middle and high school students should be capable of finding materials by searching for the author or title, it makes more sense to search by genre. Students may or may not have an exact author or title in mind, those that are not avid readers rarely will, and the sheer volume of books could be overwhelming, thus “it is imperative that we make the school library friendly and easy to use” (Jameson, 2013, p. 11). When the books are separated by genre, students are more likely to have success finding a book to match their interests in a timely manner.
We recently went through the genrification process at my library, reconfiguring the books in an attempt to to make them more accessible and boost circulation. Ranganathan's first law states "books are for use" (Matthews, 2018, p. 256), and we felt that shelving materials by subject would make them easier to find, thus lead to more books being used. We divided the fiction books into thirteen categories: classic, dystopian, fantasy, graphic, historical fiction, mystery, realistic, romance, scary, sci-fi, short stories, sports, and war. We have not changed any of the nonfiction classifications, with the exception of biographies. We split the biography/memoir section into categories: artist, athlete, author, inspirational, and leader. We did decide to integrate the reference and nonfiction books, with the hopes of promoting use, allowing them to circulate. We decided to genrify our preschool collection as well, the categories we used are: animals, community, concepts, fairy tales, feelings, friendship, people, transportation, holiday, and seasons. Unfortunately, due to the current pandemic, we have not been able to have classes in the library. Therefore, we have not been able to assess the effectiveness of the change.
In the discussion of whether or not to ditch Dewey, many argue that nonfiction titles are already broken up by subject. Melville Dewey devised the DDC in 1876, and many things have changed since then. Dewey’s classification system is dated, far from being intuitive, and easily construed as both racist and sexist. Libraries striving to be inclusive and welcoming may want to reconsider adjusting the DDC classification system along with the fiction collection. A couple of reasons school libraries may want to consider modifying their DDC classification system is:
Dewey classifies 'women’s work' separately from jobs, and African American culture separately from American culture. It puts the 'working animals,' such as cows, sheep, and horses, in an entirely separate category from animals including lions and tigers, a distinction that may have made sense at the turn of the century but is unhelpful at best today (Witteveen, 2019, p. 42).
After we are able to gauge the effectiveness of the current changes in our library, we may decide to do an overhaul of the nonfiction as well. Regardless of how the books on the shelves are arranged, they should be ADA compliant, accessible by all, and easy to navigate.
The library’s virtual resources such as the website, catalog, and databases should also be easy to maneuver, user-friendly, and accessible to students and staff with disabilities. Screen readers, text enlarging software, and talk to text programs can be useful for users with a visual impairment. Another useful tool school libraries can take advantage of is to create a unique domain for the school, which is “much easier to access than providing students a long list of instructions to go to the school site, then the library site, then find a link to the databases” (Ivory & Viens, 2019, p. 22). Library teachers may also create and use a libguide as their site, which can be more user friendly than a traditional website.
PRESERVATION
Preserving library materials and resources to ensure their availability for current and future library users is an important component in any library, including school libraries “information managers of all types—librarians, archivists, technologists, and curators—preserve content so that people living today and in the future can use it” (Skinner, 2018, p. 158). A school library’s concept of preservation however, is slightly different than that of a public, academic, or special library. The mission of the school library is to provide students and faculty with current, relevant information that supports the curriculum. A school library would not have the budget, staffing, or space to justify preserving materials, other than yearbooks, for the sake of history. That being said, it is in a school library’s best interest for the materials purchased to last as long as possible and engage in “activities that prevent content from deteriorating” (Skinner, 2018, p. 157). The books in a school library are meant to be used and handled by multiple people, mainly students, many of whom carelessly shove them in crammed backpacks, dog ear the pages, write in the margins, and on occasion spill the contents of their lunch on them. School librarians can take precautions to prolong the life of books by reinforcing paperback bindings and book jackets with laminate or plastic covers before they ever hit the shelves. Many libraries also Invest in book repair supplies, using special library tape and book cleaners to repair slightly damaged books, only replacing a book if it is a total loss. Many books also come with an option to purchase the “library binding,” which is meant to be sturdier than the traditional paperback or hardcover book. These tend to be more expensive, so should be reserved only for books the library teacher knows will get a lot of use.
EVIDENCE
Info 266 Collection Mapping and Development Presentation 1
For this assignment, we were told to study a library of our choosing; I chose the high school library I currently work at. We were required to gather information on the libraries collection, policies, and procedures, as well as complete a community analysis. For those of us who chose school libraries, we also needed to look at the curriculum of the school in order to understand which subjects to focus on and the types of materials that would be most beneficial to purchase. Completing a community analysis helped reinforce the fact that in order to select appropriate materials, it is important to gain an understanding of the community’s needs and interests from both users and non-users. Completing this project also reinforced the importance of having a current strategic plan (our school’s last plan was completed in 2017) that includes an up-to-date collection development policy. I also realized that it is important to have the collection development policy align with the mission, values, and goals of the library, as well as the overall school’s. When I am in charge of collection development, I will be sure to use a collection development policy to help guide me when purchasing materials for the library. I will also use the MUSTIE method for maintaining a current, relevant, inclusive collection. This project also discusses the library’s undertaking of genrifying the fiction, pre-school, and biography collection which I worked on for several months, and therefore have a clear understanding of both traditional and modern ways to organize a collection of books.
Info 266 Collection Mapping and Development Project 5
This was a presentation on the acquisition process of the high school library I work in. Components of the project included material selection criteria, weeding criteria, the scope of the collection, selection process, material processing, and a reflection. It also required us to compare and contrast the collection development policies and procedures that our classmates submitted. By conducting an in-depth analysis of managing and maintaining a collection, I gained an understanding of the time, effort, and dedication it takes to have a truly current collection in a school library, that is useful to both students and staff.
Info 233 School Library Media Centers Inquiry & Curation
For this assignment, we were told to describe how we would curate or manage our school library collection. The outcome of this assignment was to gain knowledge of the importance of providing a library collection that provides learning, teaching, and entertainment materials that will engage students and faculty. For this project, I discussed the role intellectual freedom plays in collection development, using the library freedom to read statement, code of ethics, and bill of rights. This project shows my dedication and commitment to making sure students are able to access a diverse set of materials in a variety of formats for informational purposes and pleasure-seeking. As I stated in this essay, I believe library teachers “should choose materials based on quality, need, and the interests of their users, not based on their personal opinion, the personal opinions of others, nor should they be influenced by the fear of a challenge when ordering materials” (McGillis, 2019, p. 1). I feel that I will be able to uphold these ideals when I am a school librarian, ultimately responsible for managing and maintaining a collection.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, it is imperative that school librarians have an updated, clear, collection development plan, as well as a good understanding of the needs and interests of the community, in order to guide them in deciding which materials to purchase for the collection. I believe that through my studies at SJSU and my professional experience, I have a clear understanding of managing the various nuances that go into maintaining a relevant, up-to-date, collection. As a school library teacher, I will form relationships with students, teachers, and parents to learn what materials would be most beneficial to students and faculty. I will uphold the principles of intellectual freedom both when I am adding and weeding materials. I intend to use my knowledge of collection development to provide a diverse, multicultural collection, aimed at making students feel welcome. I will also make a concerted effort to equip the library with materials that will empower students to become career and/or college ready, promoting a lifelong love of reading and learning.
References
Disher, W. T. (2018). Managing collections. In S. K. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (2nd ed., pp. 288-297). Rowman & Littlefield.
Ivory, A., & Viens, L. (2019). Databases, collections development, and student learning. Knowledge Quest, 48(2), 17-23. http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lls&AN=139376352&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Jameson, J. (2013). A genre conversation begins. Knowledge Quest, 42(2), 10-13. http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lls&AN=91761317&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Matthews, J. R. (2018). Evaluation: An introduction to a crucial skill. In K. Haycock & M.-J. Romaniuk (Eds.), The portable MLIS: Insights from the experts (2nd ed., pp. 255-266). Libraries Unlimited, an imprint of ABC-CLIO.
McGillis, J. (2019, November 15). Inquiry and curation project. Jennifer McGillis. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dE50U82W1lZBJT8g2RcLTLFDNL8oBvTV0IlMFaUE4ts/edit?usp=sharing
Skinner, K. (2018). Analog and digital curation and preservation. In S. K. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (2nd ed., pp. 156-169). Rowman & Littlefield.
Witteveen, A. (2019). Flipping for genrefication. School Library Journal, 65(8), 40-44. http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lls&AN=138195564&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Wong, M. A. (2018). Developing and managing library collections. In K. Haycock & M.-J. Romaniuk (Eds.), The portable MLIS: Insights from the experts (2nd ed., pp. 137-152). Libraries Unlimited, an imprint of ABC-CLIO.