Analyze problems and propose solutions through the application of evidence.
3.1 Identify Professional Problems
3.2 Gather and Evaluate Evidence: Gather and evaluate a variety of types of existing and/or new evidence
3.3 Apply Evidence to Design Solutions: Identify, describe, propose, implement & assess-criteria for levels.
3.4 Apply Evidence to Select Appropriate Technology Tools
Artifacts:
LIS 653 Collection Analysis and Management Plan "CAMP" (3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4)
CAMP Part I, CAMP Part II, Camp Part III
LIS 653: Community & School Analysis (3.2)
As an effective School Librarian, gathering evidence is crucial. Whether it's from collection statistics garnered from catalogue usage reports, demographic data provided through city census records and school administration, or surveys from students giving you direct information on what books they want to see on the shelves -- all of this and more provide tangible evidence from which decisions can be made to better the library collection and program. This represents PLO 3.
Through both my Community & School Analysis (CSA) and my Collection Analysis and Management Plan (CAMP) from LIS 653, I am able to tie my knoweldge to this PLO. I began collecting evidence in the CSA project, gathering data on the community I serve on 3 levels; city-wide, immediate neigborhood surrounding the school, and the school community itself. In doing this, I was able to give myself a thorough picture of the world in which my students and faculty live and work, as well as clear demographics of the people I serve (3.2). All of this provided essential evidence needed to move forward with my CAMP project where I developed an evidence-based plan to improve my collection.
In the CAMP assignment, I identified gaps in my library collection by running a Follet Titlewise analysis (3.4). These gaps were significant. Our collection's average reading level was below that of the grades served, there was a significant imbalance of fiction to non-fiction, it was largely outdated, and it was well below the minimum recommendation of 10 books per student (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 2005) (3.1, 3.2). With this data, along with the demographics garnered from my CSA, I was able to hit the ground running with a structured, strategic plan to improve our collection.
Using digital tools on Canva, I was able to present clear, easily-digestable graphics (3.4) supporting my argument for funding a 5-year collection development plan that would result in the gradual acquisition of 2,400 non-fiction books that authentically represented the students we served while answering the problem of overall collection age, fiction-to-nonfiction imbalance, and Lexile reading levels. Based on the data, that meant that 43% of that 2,400 should reflect the Black / African American experience and 12% should reflect the Hispanic experience (3.3). Having solid data to support my decisions gives my Supervisor confidence in my ability to care for, curate, and grow our collection with the ultimate goal of supporting academic achievement, growing a culture of reading, and ensuring that our students see themselves on the shelves.
The power of data is immense. These assignments taught me not only how to find the evidence, but that when organized in a professional and convincing way, I can present compelling and authoritative arguments that advocate on behalf of my library program and the people it serves. I have already brought the 5 year collection development plan created for this class to my Chief Financial Officer and Principal. They were taken aback and noticeably impressed with the detail and well-laid-out game plan for building our collection in a thoughtful and equitable way. The data gave me clout which, regardless of the budget outcome, impressed upon my administration the seriousness of my knowledge and abilities.
References:
Data USA. (2023). Washington, DC. https://datausa.io/profile/geo/washington-dc
NC Department of Public Instruction. (2016, July). Collection guidelines: In focus library media programs. Digital
Teaching and Learning. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F6HEIgomAL_pTcYrvKjc9KJd2xSbMJXU/view?usp=embed_facebook