Final+Reflection

Final Reflection by Melisa Hunter media type="custom" key="11539742"

**Introduction**

 I entered this course with a limited idea of what maintaining a collection was all about and did not realize the wide ranging scope of what it would entail. This is my second year as a 0.4 teacher-librarian in a French Immersion school where I also teach one day in a Grade 4 classroom. I came to this job with 19 years teaching experience, 17 of which were in the grade 5/6 classroom. To me, managing the collection was making good book purchases, entering them into the library system and promoting the collection to the students. During this course I was to learn so much more regarding weeding, making deliberate, informed purchases, teaching about copyright and making sure that the library collection offers quality books that expose the students to new experiences and books that reflect the reality of their lives (Bishop, 1990). This position, from the outside, can give the impression of being straightforward and easy. However, upon closer examination, the position of teacher-librarian proves to be much more complex than one may have thought and thus is very worthy of being a full-time position in a school of 315 students. It is with this realization that advocacy for my position comes to mind; I learned a little about advocacy in this course, as well.

**Selection of Curriculum Area and Rationale**

 Our first task in this course was to think about “What is a library collection?” (de Groot, 2011). This was to get us ready to evaluate and eventually revamp a section in our library. I chose to look at the section which supported the Ministry of BC Grade 4 Life Science IRP: Habitat and Communities. Choosing this section was an easy choice for me as I knew that it was a well-used section of the library. Teachers enjoy teaching this unit and students are excited about it, with books in this area of the library getting much incidental use. As I made my way through this course I learned that a library collection was not just the materials housed in the actual school library, but that it was also what was available in other libraries, at the district resource centre and even online. “Today, with the increasing popularity of the Internet as a resource, it can be argued that an //acceptable// balanced collection in an elementary school requires catalogued Internet sites”(Prevost, 2009, p. 8). In my limited experience as a teacher-librarian, I have made the effort to teach the effective use of our subscription databases and online encyclopedias and to search out and bookmark good online sources for students and teachers. “Hughes-Hassell and Mancall ...describe the role of the teacher-librarian in the management of the collection as that of ‘guide rather than expert [because] in today’s ever-changing information world the [teacher-librarian] can no longer be the sole proprietor of a self-contained, one stop shopping establishment... [Teacher-librarians] must learn how to manage kiosks on the information superhighway, kiosks that are staffed by a variety of experts, carry a minimal and ever-changing stock, and provide instant access to other stores of items and to resource people wherever they are located’ (p.11)” as cited by de Groot (2011, no page). It was reassuring for me to learn that I was on the right track as a teacher-librarian with respect to making online sources available to my patrons.

**Community Analysis and Report**

 “Effective collection development must be based on reliable knowledge about the collection’s users” (Bishop, 2007, p. 19). This is especially true when looking at recreational reading and reading to support special programs. Provincial curriculum needs to be taught no matter what, but factors such as ESL students and students with learning difficulties would influence the types of resources that would need to be in the collection to support the curriculum. For my collection, I need to buy French books that French Immersion students are able to read and are interested in reading. These are not always that easy to find, since many of the French books on the market are for readers for whom French is a first language. When putting together my community analysis, I became aware of how library programming can affect how a collection is used. Even though I am only a 0.4 FTE teacher-librarian at my school, the library is set up in such a way that it gets much use. The library is fully booked when I am there, and it gets much use when I am not there since it now has a Smartboard, a computer lab with 20 work stations, and a much more appealing collection, now that weeding has taken place. I have noticed that the more familiar that students and teachers become with the library, especially after learning how to effectively navigate it and after becoming aware of what it has to offer, the more they make use of the library.

 I learned that “as a media specialist, you also should assess the needs of the teachers in your school” (Bishop, 2007, p. 22) Bishop provides some excellent sample survey questions for classroom teachers (Bishop, 2007, p. 23). Seeing these questions reminded me of how important it is to try to always be aware of the teachers’ needs. It became evident to me, while completing the community analysis, that a survey can be sent out to teachers at the beginning of each term in order to make informed purchasing decisions to help me improve the collection on an ongoing basis and maintain its quality and currency. Having a high-quality collection that meets the needs of the teachers and students and a flexible schedule with good programming will get the classes and the students into the library.

**Collection Evaluation**

 When I started the readings and entered into the discussions on collection evaluation, I had little idea of how to go about the task. My idea of collection evaluation at that point was to take a hands-on look at the section of the library in question and evaluate whether I had enough resources to support a research project for a class. So, in a sense, I was more familiar with a qualitative analysis than I was with a quantitative analysis. It was a learning experience for me to look at everything in the library collection that could support a particular curriculum strand. I was used to looking only at the non-fiction section when doing a project in science or social studies.

 As I am learning more about collection evaluation, I am realizing that a thorough evaluation should be done on a regular basis. A thorough evaluation forces you to really get to know your collection and apprises you of things that you might not have discovered, such as: the age of the collection, the condition of the collection, and the discovery of hidden gems. Taking the information gathered and using it to create collection maps makes it “easy to identify collection gaps and base collection development on school needs rather than arbitrary guidelines from outside sources” (Franklin & Stephens, 2009, p. 44).

 My initial evaluation, though time consuming, was relatively easy. Once I set my criteria and knew what I was looking for, it was easy to see which books were old or in poor shape and realize that they were not contributing to a quality collection. I did learn, however that when these books are removed from the collection, time must be spent evaluating the newer books that remain. “Because a book is new does not make it a good book or one that is a good fit for the collection. Yet another book with an old copyright date and worn bindings may have outstanding content and be an excellent fit for the collection. This older book may only need repair, or rebinding, not deselection. If it is beyond repair, reordering the title...” (Agee, J., 2005, p. 93) may be an option. After completing my collection evaluation, I realized that I needed to order new titles in order to support the curriculum. I also realized that there were a few older titles that were still very good resources but had to be reordered because their physical condition was unacceptable in a quality collection.

 Franklin & Stephens (2009) laid out a collection evaluation in a very straightforward way in their 4 step process. I followed the first three steps: gathering data from the whole collection, taking a physical look at the section I was evaluating, and finally, finding out what the needs of the teachers and students were (Franklin & Stephens, 2009, p.44-45). I will use this process again and again as I go through my library, section by section, in an effort to build and maintain a quality collection.

 The experience that I have gained in putting together a collection evaluation, including collection maps, has given me the confidence to carry out a future collection evaluation for a different section of the library. I may do this to accompany a grant application in order to garner additional funding for my library.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 160%;">**Weeding Project**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;"> After completing my evaluation for the section that I was focusing on in my library, I found it very easy to weed. I used the following list of reasons to weed materials from the collection to help me with the decision making process:


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Poor physical condition
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Unattractive appearance
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Poor circulation record
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Old copyright date, with outdated or inaccurate information
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Duplicates of titles no longer in demand
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Subject matter unsuitable for users
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Topics no longer of interest
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Biased or stereotypical portrayals
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Inappropriate reading levels
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">No longer needed because of a change in the curriculum

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;"> (Bishop, K., 2007, p.121)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">With no policy in place for weeding at either the District level or the school level, I had to rely on my common sense when choosing a method to dispose of the deselected materials. I deleted them from the system, crossed off the barcode and the school name, where it had been stamped, and then set the books on a trolley for the staff to take if they were interested. The more I weeded and the more that I read, the more I realized that offering the weeded resources to the staff should not have been part of the process. Dickinson’s analogy of spoiled milk helped me rationalize my decision: “The milk in the refrigerator is past the sell date, has an odor, and is curdled and lumpy. Would you? ...Give it to a neighbor to keep in his or her refrigerator? Then why would you send outdated encyclopedias or other materials to a teacher for classroom use?” (Dickinson, G.,2003, p. 26).

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 160%;">**Issues in Collection Management**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;"> I have known since I started my position as teacher-librarian at my current school that there were no policies in place at the school level for selection, weeding and disposal of deselected resources. At the district level, we do have a few policies in place that address what the teacher-librarian is responsible for as far as programming and management go. These district policies give teacher-librarians direction, in their role goes as teacher and facilitator, but leave the area of selection, weeding and organization of library resources open to criticism since there are no firm policies in place for these. I may have to follow this advice to “don your black clothes and come to school in the dead of the night to haul your double bagged discarded books to the dumpster...”(Allen, 2010, p. 33). I write this after a recent experience where a parent came to me concerned after she had found a French novel in the recycling bin (published in 1983 and that had not been borrowed once in 4 years). One of the next steps I will take in my position as teacher-librarian is to draft up policies for these areas and others that are listed in the overview for Theme 4 in the “Policy and Policy Making” section for LIBE 463 (de Groot, 2011) including: “Introductory statement, Mission, Goals and Objectives Statements, Responsibility for Collection Development, Evaluative Criteria or Selection Criteria, Format/Types of Materials Statement, Resource Sharing, Electronic Information Resources, Acquisitions, Gifts, Budgeting/Funding, Intellectual Freedom, Copyright and Intellectual Property, Collection Maintenance, Problem Areas, Weeding, Collection Evaluation, and Revision of Policy.” I would like to be prepared for any issues that may arise and particularly for contentious ones such as challenges to books in the library collection. “Part of avoiding a challenge may be very well making sure parents and others are aware of your policies and are aware of what intellectual freedom means and what libraries stand for” (de Groot, 2011, podcast Theme 4). Writing and learning these policies, and promoting “Freedom to Read Week” will help me deal with any concerns that members of the community may have with resources in the library collection. Having policies in place for all of the topics listed above will lend more credibility to the teacher-librarian role and library program and it is my intention to do this.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 160%;">**Selection**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;"> While compiling a list of resources to purchase for $2000.00 to improve the section of my collection that supports the BC Ministry of Education Grade 4 Life Sciences: Habitat and Communities IRP, I became aware of the number of different steps involved in making informed purchasing decisions for a library collection. With an actual library budget of about $4000.00 per year for my school of 315 students, my usual process was quite simple. I would try to buy any new fiction in English and French and then I would buy new French non-fiction resources for the areas of my collection that support the content-area curriculum strands that lend themselves well to research projects during the year. Since there is not a huge selection of French non-fiction books to choose from, it has not been very difficult for me to narrow down my choices. I was happy to discover [|Livres Ouverts], a Quebec government website that reviews new French fiction and non-fiction books. Although the reviews do not give a real opinion of the books, the descriptions are detailed enough to help me make my decisions. I found [|CM Magazine] and [|Resource Links] to be very useful for my project, with the latter including reviews of French books. I will continue to use these review resources in the future and I feel that using these reviews to inform my decisions will lend credibility to my purchasing choices.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;"> I have started to receive preview boxes from one book distributor and these boxes often contain series of books. Learning that “... a media specialist should judge each item within a series independently in terms of its value and known needs... [and that] several authors may write books in a series, but not all the authors may be equally skilled” (Bishop, 2007, p. 63) reminded me to take a closer look at each of the individual books when presented with a whole series.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;"> Bishop asks some good questions about “Responsibility for Selection”:“Does a committee make selection decisions? Do media-specialists work independently? Is a combination of committee selections utilized? How is responsibility delegated? How is input for selection gathered from teachers and students?” (Bishop, 2001, p. 43). In my school district, teacher-librarians are given full autonomy over a library budget that is the equivalent to $13.50 per student. I like to ask for suggestions from teachers and students to help me make informed decisions and purchase materials that will be used by my community. For teachers, I will ask them to fill out a survey at the beginning of the year regarding the units that they will be teaching and I will also ask them for their opinions of the section of the library collection that we use for the projects. For the students, I ask the various classes to submit requests for books to be purchased for the library. I will continue to ask for the students’ and teachers’ input for book purchases.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;"> After completing this part of the assignment and realizing that I could have a wonderful selection of resources for a small section of my library if I had $2000.00 to spend, I am considering seeking future financial support for my library. In tough financial times, it could be that “supplementing your budget with grants or other financial support from outside sources is regularly becoming the only way school libraries can continue to provide new resources to the students and teachers in their schools” (de Groot, 2011, no page).

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 160%;">**Promoting Reading**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;"> Promoting reading is an important part of a teacher-librarian’s job. We could spend 100% of our time doing just that, but it is sometimes difficult to do this part of our job justice in a 0.4 position. “You can easily create your own programs or projects to promote reading” (Bishop, 2007, p.136) and Bishop includes a list of many good ideas. Reading this list was inspirational and I am going to try the following ideas: “have a mock Caldecott or Newbery Award election...[and] create a ‘Wall of Readers’ with photos of teachers and students in various poses reading their favourite books or magazines” (Bishop, 2007, p. 136-137). These activities will be welcome additions to my current activities of giving regular booktalks, helping students choose books with the aid of Destiny Quest or the website [|A Book and a Hug], and preparing a group for a “Battle of the Books” competition.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 160%;">**Copyright Issues**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;"> In our changing world, where everything from text, to images, to music, to videos is available online for students to view and most likely use, we need to be very mindful of copyright. The educational possibilities are endless with Creative Commons licensing. However, teachers and students need to be aware of the rights and responsibilities associated with this licensing body. Teaching students to how to search out and use only works that have been licensed under Creative Commons will protect the students in the long run and will underline that fact that just because it is on the internet does not mean that it is free. “We live in a world that is really a culture that is ripe for cheating” (Lucia, 2010). Students are confused about what is cheating and what is sharing. Teachers need to model how to share and how to attribute sources used in projects (Lucia, 2010).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;"> I feel that I do a good job of teaching students how to cite sources when these sources are print sources or digital text sources. I have taught the importance of attributing an image used in an assignment. I did not realize, however, that even if you attribute the creator, not all material found online can be used freely on student projects. Choosing material that has been licensed by Creative Commons takes the guesswork out of whether or not it is acceptable for a student to use. I plan on teaching, little by little, how and where to look for Creative Commons material that can be found online and used in projects and assignments, starting with images and eventually moving to videos and music.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 160%;">**Multicultural Literature**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;"> After listening to the podcast for Theme 6 and doing the readings about how important it is to include resources to represent all students, I realize that my library collection is seriously lacking in this area. I wonder if some of my students, because they “cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable ...,[are learning] a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part” (Bishop, 1990, n.p.). This is unacceptable and I want to work to rectify this situation as quickly as possible, setting aside a portion of my yearly budget to purchase books that represent all of the different realities of my students. The following list of criteria from the textbook //Multicultural Children’s Literature// by D.E. Norton, referred to in Joanne de Groot’s PowerPoint “Lecture on Multiculturalism” (2011), will guide my decisions:


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">What are the geographical and social settings for the book, and are they authentic? Students should use nonfiction sources to evaluate this area. Pictures found in sources such as //National Geographic// are especially good for authenticating geographical settings.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">What are the values and beliefs of the people in the book and are they authentic?


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">What are the major events that make up the plot of the story? Are they possible for the time period and the culture?


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">What are the major conflicts in the book, and are they authentic for the time period?


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">What are the major themes, and are they found in other literature written about the time period or the people?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;"> (Norton, 2005, p. 10)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">I will start by first identifying my students’ different realities and then I will embark on my search for literature that will provide them with a mirror to look into. “When there are enough books available that can act as both mirrors and windows for all our children, they will see that we can celebrate both our differences and our similarities, because together they are what makes us all human” (Bishop, 1990, n.p.). It is my goal to work on improving my collection to a point where many of my student groups are represented in both non-fiction and fiction.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 160%;">**Conclusion**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;"> Taking the time to choose a particular section of my library, evaluate it, weed it and compile a list of resources for future purchases, in order to improve that section, was a very worthwhile experience. Realizing that the collection can include items that are not necessarily housed in the library validated my quest to find quality websites on the internet to support students’ learning. I learned how important it is to conduct a thorough evaluation using quantitative and qualitative methods. I plan on using the skills I gained in putting together collection maps to use when I write a grant application to improve a section in my library. At this point, I would also like to focus on improving the selection of multicultural books that we have in the library. This idea is a result of the teachings in this course, as I was particularly moved by the podcast of Theme 6 and the article ‘Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors’ by Rudine Sims Bishop. I also learned how much one can improve the quality of a collection just by removing the old, tattered and out-of-date resources off of the shelves. The plant and animal section of my library looks so inviting now, and the books literally fly off of these shelves. The students are excited to be using what seems to them to be new materials. It was an eye-opener for me to listen to Rodd Lucier’s video entitled “Creative Commons: What every educator needs to know”. I plan on teaching students about Creative Commons material and encouraging them to pull from this material to enhance their projects. Building, maintaining and promoting a collection is not a linear task, as one thing leads to another and the task can quite often send you around in circles. That is what I find makes this job of teacher-librarian so interesting.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 160%;">**Works Cited:**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Agee, J. (2005). Collection evaluation: a foundation for collection development. //Collection Building//. (24)3, 92-95.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Allen J. (2010). Weed 'em and reap: The art of weeding to avoid criticism. //Library Media Connection 28(6)//, 32-33. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Bishop, K. (2007). //The collection program in schools: concepts, practices, and information sources// (4. ed.). Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Bishop, R.S. (1990). Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Originally appeared in //Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom,// //6//(3). Retrieved from [|http://www.rif.org/us/literacy-resources/multicultural/mirrors-windows-and-sliding-glass- doors.htm]

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">de Groot, J. (2011) Theme 4: Issues in collection management. LIBE 463.[Audio podcast]. Retrieved from [|https://elearning.ubc.ca]

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">de Groot, J. (2011) Theme 5: Acquiring resources for your school library. LIBE 463.[Lecture notes]. Retrieved from https://elearning.ubc.ca

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">de Groot, J. (2011) Theme 6: Further issues and conclusions. LIBE 463.[Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://elearning.ubc.ca

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">de Groot, J. (2011). Lecture on Multiculturalism [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from discussion forum at https://elearning.ubc.ca

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Dickinson, G. (2005). Crying over spilled milk. //Library Media Connection 23(7)//, 24-26. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Franklin, P. & Stephen, C. (2009). Using standards to draw curriculum maps. //School Library Media Activities Monthly//. 25(9), 44-45.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Hughes-Hassell, S. & Mancall, J.C. (2005). //Collection management for youth: responding to the needs of learners//. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Lucier, R. (2011). Creative Commons: What every educator needs to know [Video file]. Retrieved from http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=623

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Norton, D. E. (2005). //Multicultural children's literature: Through the eyes of many children// (2 ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Prevost, E. (2009). Online collections are essential: Collaborative collections in elementary school libraries. //Literacies, Learning, and Libraries// 2 (1), 7-11.