Collection Management Plan
Overview
A collection management 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 for an up-to-date, accessible, relevant, high-quality materials so that the school’s specific achievement goals can be reached.
Setting Collection Management Goals
Conduct a Collection Analysis.
Review the results of the Collection Analysis with the Media and Technology Advisory Committee (MTAC).
With the school MTAC, set priorities/specific goals over a 3 year time period.
Include small, attainable goals as well as larger initiatives.
Determine priorities based on the needs and perceived impact on the school as a whole.
Align priorities with the School Improvement Plan, Magnet Program, and any other site-based initiatives
Goals in the plan can be addressed through:
Purchase of resources
Curation of resources
Weeding of existing material
Drafting a Collection Management Plan
Much like a school improvement plan, a collection management plan is a living, working document that can be updated and flexible to adjust to new initiatives, changes in budgets, etc. Steps for creating the plan include:
Draft plan and present to MTAC for review.
Leverage the plan to advocate for resources (school funds, PTA, grants, etc.)
Revisit the plan yearly with the MTAC to update progress and/or revise goals and priorities.
There is not one correct way to write a collection management plan. The plan should be developed in a format that best meets the needs of the school. View a variety of examples, as well as a template you may choose to use, below:
Collection Management Plan exemplars:
Collection Management Plan template (NEW 2023-2024 - preview below)
