503 Collection Policy

I thought it would be a straight forward task to revise the old School Library policy: fix up a few clauses throughout and then insertsome statements about e-resources. On closer inspection I realised the whole structure of the document needed an overhaul.

So where does one start? After examining a handful of policies from different schools I found that everyone does it a little differently. But some consistencies remain. They all have a set of goals about what the collection is meant to achieve and go into some depth about selection and weeding. I read through the existing policy and isolated anything to do with collection management. Revising it section by section I found that it wasn’t such a daunting job. I actually enjoyed the process as it was akin to editing. Deleting lines of redundant phrasing is something I enjoy. The end product is a crisp document that has lost a lot of its rambling vague statements.

When it came to addressing the topic of e-resources I found Evans and Zarnosky Saponaro (2012) instructive. But as change is rapid in this area it is an aspect of collection management policy that will need to be constantly monitored and revised. Unfortunately our TL has a ‘wait and see’ mentality when it comes to e-resources. She doesn’t embrace e-books and is very entrenched in her love of print resources even for students conducting research. It’s only a matter of time before many students read predominantly from Kindles or iPads at home. It is imperative that the library stay ahead of this wave of technological change.

I can understand her reluctance to make a poor selection on big budget items, and licensing agreements do make selection difficult but doing nothing isn’t staying true to the guiding philosophy of what the library is and what purpose it serves. It is our duty to provide information in a range of formats and to expose patrons to new technology. Revising the policy reinforces this connection between patrons and the service we provide (Selby, 2012). It also guides selection when the time comes for her to make a decision on e-resources.

Another aspect I added to the policy was a clause on evaluation. Currently the only collection evaluation that goes on is in the TL’s head. Using the LMS can be a quick way to gain relevant information on the age of the collection and what sections are poorly represented. Hard data can back up hunches on where imbalances occur. Hard data is also a language the business manager understands when discussing budget demands.

The section on challenged materials is heartening. It’s reassuring to know that there is a process to follow when people complain about an item in the collection. This bolsters selection choices, because controversial material would be omitted if the TL was worried about complaints.

References

Evans, G. E. and Zarnosky Saponaro, M. (2012). Collection Management Basics. (6th Ed.) Libraries Unlimited. Santa Barbara.

Selby, C. (2012). Honesty is the Best Policy: Collection Development Policy Revisions in an Era of Change. The CRIV Sheet Vol.34 No.2, Feb.

ETL503 Evaluating the Collection

There are lots of ways to evaluate the collection ranging from comparing it to other collections right through to gathering data from users. For the smaller school library that is understaffed, the best options are those that are efficient and cheap. In libraries that have a wizz-bang computer system gathering data on circulation and publication should be easy enough, as well as determining how many items are in each section of the non-fiction library.
   So why is evaluation needed? TLs can collect data to reinforce budget requests, to gear the collection better to the existing curriculum and to meet demands from administration.
   One of the things I like about collection evaluation is that it informs administration a lot about where their funds are being used and how up-to-date the collection is. Excel can be used to manipulate the data into various graphic representations, suitable to show committees.

ETL 503 Weeding

I love weeding, both literally and metaphorically. There is nothing so satisfying as seeing clear space between beloved items. But weeding in the library is fraught with problems, the likes of which a garden bed never encounters. For instance people walking past your garden don't rifle through the wheelbarrow and grab a weed and lament its passing, or replant it in a 'just in case it's needed' garden bed. They don't abuse you for pulling weeds, in fact they can see the need for it. Gardeners don't normally sell the weeds or put them in a box to send overseas.
   Weeding the collection makes the shelves more attractive, rids the library of misleading/outdated information and keeps the collection relevant to patrons.
   Our local Primary school library hasn't been weeded in years and it shows. Books overflow from the shelves; many books are bent or pushed behind others, damaging them. Many books are dusty, shabby-looking tomes with fraying spines or torn pages. Lots in the picture story book section are so well worn that the front covers are wrinkled and soiled like soft leather.
   Many of the books date back to the 1960s or beyond. I recently found two published in the 1950s. That means they are approximately 60 years old. Relevant? I doubt it. Cutting edge, up-to-date info? Definately not.
   I have hinted many times that the shelves need weeding. I've even had a go myself and been chastised for it.It's not seen as a priority. 'Getting kids to read' is the priority. As the library stands now it is a cob-webbed old tomb of obsolete knowledge. I wonder how many more kids would explore the library shelves willingly if they were filled with clean, shiny, new books filled with contemporary information.
 

ETL503 Funding the library program

It is sad to see the demise of audio books at the school I work at but as there is no demand for them, they have become an obsolete technology. Where once funds were allocated for them they can be redirected into more DVDs or perhaps into purchasing e-books for the library.
   Every year the TL needs to evaluate the collection and see where there is high demand and high use, and where other items are neglected and dusty. Items need evaluating to see where the collection is over-represented or deficient. If this information can be shown to the funding body it gives clout to the TL's budgetary claims.
   I like the idea Robyn Young (2008) has of using charts and graphs to visually represent the budget and to represent such relationships as the price of an average book versus the amount spent on books per student for the year.  Also the number of resources per topic per student in each curriculum area is an important evaluation tool.
   Clearly, the TL needs to know his/her collection. They need to make funding decisions based on balancing the collection and providing a range of resources for the curriculum. The TL must keep a close eye on incoming items, checking them off against invoices and making sure she is aware of how much of the budget is available at any time of year. It's not easy and there will be mistakes, so keeping a good record system helps and some computing systems are available to manage this. I don't know how it all works at the local secondary school, but the TL assures me she has a generous budget and I often see her ticking things off a list when they come in. Hopefully one day I will be privy to the budgeting process.

Reference:  Young, R.R. (2008). Eight Easy Steps to Maintain and Increase the Library Media Centre Budget. Library Media Connection. Jan

ETL 503 Copyright and other musings

   School has finished for the year but study marches on. One thing I had the pleasure of reading last week was information from Smartcopying: The Official Guide to Copyright Issues for Australian Schools and TAFE. As an author I was already aware of the fact that anything I create is automatically covered by copyright in Australia. However I didn't know the nitty-gritty of viewing films/DVDs with regard to copyright. I was especially interested to see the emphasis on how using a film for the purpose of parody/satire is considered OK. I think there is room to expand on this as a teaching resource.

Source: Beth Montgomery

   One of the other students wrote in the forum that notices can be posted near the photocopiers at school to educate staff regarding copyright. This is a good idea, as is presenting a few PD sessions on copyright issues.
   The whole issue of artistic ownership interests me as I can see it from the creator's side. When you spend hundreds of hours creating a text you don't want people using it for free. You want them to pay for it. Are teachers aware that authors only recieve a small payment of the total price of each book sold? For instance, one of my books sells for $17.95. I receive about $1.60 from each sale. It's easy to see why most authors keep their day jobs. If you sit down and do the maths for how much work the average author puts into a book and the financial reward they receive at the end of it all, it would equate to something as ludicrous as 15 cents an hour. Don't they at least deserve that, over and above nothing, which is what they currently receive when you rip off their work by indiscriminate photocopying.
   Enough of my rant. As I look forward to 2013 I wonder if this will be the year when the school library purchases a few e-books.  Will the school library embrace social networking? Will it find new ways to improve the Internet connection at the school? Change may be slow but change is inevitable. Let's hope our school can be bold and embrace the digital age at last.

ETL 503 Acquisitions

Our school library is a long way from the nearest quality bookshop. If we wanted to access a Collins Bookstore for instance, we'd need to travel for an hour and a quarter to get there. Selection and acquisiton for us will never be an exercise in browsing vendor's shelves. There is however a small independant bookshop that now operates 40 minutes drive away. It specialises in a range of cheap non-fiction titles and a smattering of local history. For the Social Science curriculum this kind of material is golden.
   What about satisfying the rest of the curriculum? There is always the ubiquitous Big W which stocks celebrity best sellers, pulp fiction, memoirs and fad cookbooks. As a fan of Young Adult Fiction I am always disappointed in this store. Vampire romances bore me and I have had enough of the Wimpy Kid and Rangers Apprentice. Where is all that brilliant top grade teen fiction?
   Well some of it magically appears each motnth when the standing orders come through from Lamont Books. Otherwise we have to search for it, peruse Magpies and Viewpoint and order more titles (usually from Lamont) or occassionally we are gifted with a suitable tome.
   As for electronic acquisitions, much of it is still new to us and the library staff are scratching their heads over what to do about ebooks. No doubt it will all become clearer once our TL quizes more TLs in the region about what they are doing. So far the policy appears to be 'wait and see', but the major obstacle to e-resources is making sure we have reliable internet access. Over the recent five week block that I worked at the school the internet was down for two weeks out of the five. Why buy resources that you can't access, is the TL's view. She's sticking with print for now.
   The TL has a policy of supporting the local independant bookstore as much as she can, picking up super cheap copies of popular titles at big W and acquiring the rest of the collection via Lamont. Of course I haven't touched on the Audio visual content of the library. I'm afraid I don't know what the system is to do with these items.