A Plan for a Better Collection

Current Conditions

I am not currently in a teacher-librarian position, however I chose to evaluate the reference collection in the school where I currently work. The school is a centrally located K-7 school. It is one of the largest elementary schools in the city with roughly 415 students. I chose to look at two different areas: the students' reference section as well as the professional collection. Both areas are limited, dated and sparse. 

The students' collection consists of one and a half shelves of reference books, mostly comprised of that ancient World Book set that I discussed in a previous post. Besides the encyclopedia set the rest of the resources are not all bad...in theory. Reference resources pertaining to local geography and culture are valuable, however the ones in this collection are outdated. There are only four books in the subject area of science, two of which are part of a set that was long ago broken up and all of which are outdated and unattractive. There are several atlases, perhaps too many as well as a couple of different versions of dictionaries and thesauri. This minuscule collection is tucked into two bottom shelves and is largely ignored by the entire school. 
This collection is simply not being used and so students have limited knowledge of the purpose of a reference resource, how to use the text features and how to find information in places other than the internet.

Not to be outdone, the professional reference collection is roughly the same size

as the student one. This collection is also very outdated. Many of the teacher's

guides no longer have their accompanying books and the information is irrelevant. Many of the books are theory-based and in my experience teachers are more interested in books that support their practice. There are a few math, science and social studies resources, but they are all outdated and unattractive. There are a few good language arts resources, staples Reading Power and Writing Power by Adrienne Gear, but this category also needs a makeover.

Rational for Change

In her article Crying Over Spilled Milk, Gail Dickinson compares keeping old and outdated books to keeping spoiled milk in the refrigerator. We wouldn't keep the milk to make the fridge look full or because we're not sure when we'll get more, nor would we give it away to a neighbour or food bank. The same theory holds strong with outdated resources. The fear of empty shelves or guilt associated with throwing away books is not a strong enough argument to keep irrelevant resources. Ann Riedling supports this view "It is more important to have a small but relevant and up-to-date collection of materials than a large collection that is neither useful nor of good quality." (23-24)

Dickinson, 2005

As teacher-librarians, it is not our role to guard our books like precious treasures. Books are treasures, of course, but they are meant to be shared, used and enjoyed. We want our shelves to be empty because the books are in the hands of students and teachers enriching their experiences. Both collections above are being ignored and gathering dust.

The Plan

How the change will take place: 

First and foremost, both collections need to be weeded. Weeding will give a much clearer view of what the actual collection looks like. According to Riedling, most print reference resources become outdated within 5 years (the exceptions are print psychology, history, business, and education which generally have a 10 year shelf life) (24). With the age of most of the resources averaging 20 years, we will likely be starting almost from scratch with both collections.

Replacing the resources, while lots of fun, will take a lot of thought and consultation. I wouldn't replace the general information encyclopedia set with another print set because the online versions are updated more frequently and subscribed to by the district already. Riedling states that "Nowadays, the reference collection occupies at least two places in the library—on bookshelves in a separate section and on the school library web page." (17) What is available online needs to be carefully considered so as not to duplicate unnecessarily on a limited budget. The upgrades to both collections will be done in close consultation with the teaching staff to see what will support them in their teaching. Most teachers have favourite units that they teach every year and the teacher-librarian can stock the students' reference section with resources that support these units as well as the professional collection with resources for supporting the teaching of these units. Riedling supports this strategy: "As in most professional activities carried out by the school librarian, effective collection development is done collaboratively." (17)

Another major consideration for both collections is providing several resources that provide support for the four core subjects: math, language arts, science and social studies. "Meeting curriculum needs is a major criterion for placing items in the media center collection. (Reidling, 18) Especially with the recent release of a new curriculum in BC, we need to ensure that we have adequate materials to support it.

Finally, we need to be working within the parameters of the collection development policy. In our district we do not have policies at individual schools, but a district document that all teacher-librarians use. Collection development policies are important as they offer consistency and parameters when selecting resources.

Who will be involved:

Consultation will happen with teaching staff, administrators, parents and students. The library is a resource where the whole school community should feel welcome and so everyone should have a say in collection development.

Consultation with other school librarians is also necessary. Knowing what's popular and what gets used the most in other schools is extremely helpful in narrowing down options.

Timeline:

Ongoing. Resources need constant management. Whether it's condition or relevancy or currency, we should always be maintaining the collection. Budget also plays a large role in the timeline. While it would be wonderful to be able to buy the latest and greatest, it may take several years to build up a great reference collection.

Communication:

Communication happens through teaching and professional development. Students need to be taught by the teacher-librarian about and how to use the reference materials. Similarly, the teacher-librarian needs to be regularly involved in delivering professional development workshops. Because it is our job to vet and select resources, we also need to inform teaching staff about what's available and why it's valuable.

Considerations:

"Many libraries have transformed the print reference area into a reading area to provide students with a comfortable place to use reference sources that do not circulate." (Riedling, 23) Currently the student collection is tucked away on a low shelf, not very attractive or visible. The concept of putting non-circulating books in a cozy and comfortable location increases the likelihood that they will get noticed and used. Similarly the professional collection is tucked away in the library office. It feels like an invasion of the librarian's personal space to go in a browse. Teacher resources should be in a comfortable and accessible area where teaching staff feel welcome to browse at their leisure.

Another consideration for the professional collection is supporting school goals. At this school the goals are about improving the reading skills and enjoyment level in students. To support these goals the professional collection should have relevant resources.

Works Cited

Dickinson, Gail. (2005). “Crying Over Spilled Milk”. Library Media Connection, 23(7), 24-26. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=7e42f576-6300-4925-b2d2-1e53357ba35b%40pdc-v-sessmgr03

Riedling, Ann. Reference Skills for the School Librarian: Tools and Tips, 3rd Edition (p. 17). ABC-CLIO. Kindle Edition.