Learning to Work with Vendors Working with book/material vendors can be stressful if you are socially awkward like my co-librarian and me. For the most part, we’ve been navigating the process by working exclusively with one specific vendor, but I can’t help wondering if we’re missing out. In the summer our library services holds a book/material Vendor Day meet and greet. I attended once, before I realized this type of situation is way outside my comfort zone. Even though vendors are just doing their jobs, they all want something from me (my budget money) that I probably won’t give them. Typically, our library receives a few calls and emails from regional vendors looking to make contact and potential sales. I have a few customizable phrases confirming my stance with a firm and polite rejection, because I imagine working in sales feels like working in Glengarry Glen Ross. For anyone who feels anxiety dealing with vendors, I have a few suggestions: Emails and phone inquiries. Author: Mica Johnson Like this:
The School Library Media Specialist: Information Access & Delivery The teacher librarian sustains a healthy collection through an effective maintenance program. I hate to throw things away. How do I know when something should be pitched? There's a really old video on first aid that the fifth grade teacher is still using. It's inaccurate in some sections. The collection must be examined periodically to determine what materials need to be repaired, replaced, or removed. You also need policies that help you in the reconsideration process. What is weeding? Weeding or deselection is selection in reverse. For example, the book on the left titled Space Flight: The Coming Exploration of the Universe by Lester Del Rey (1959) was found in the science section of the library. Purging is officially withdrawing an item from the collection. A policy is an important part of the weeding process. What happened to "The Wizard of Oz"? Weed now or weed later? The answer to this question is WEED NOW! How do you deal with guilt over tossing materials? Weeding involves guilt.
*(Selection & Reconsideration Policy Toolkit for Public, School, & Academic Libraries | Tools, Publications & Resources "The library is a growing organism" S.R. Ranganathan (1931) Home | IntroductionWhy Do I Need a Policy? | Politics and Timing of Policy Creation | Selection Policies for Non-Public Institutions Basic Components of a Selection PolicyLibrary Mission | Support for Intellectual Freedom | Objectives | Responsibility for Selection | Selection Criteria | Acquisitions Procedures | Special Collections | Selecting Controversial Materials | Gifts and Donations | Collection Maintenance and Weeding | Policy Revision | Reconsideration Reconsideration ProcedureGuiding Principles | Statement of Policy | Informal Complaints | Request for Formal Reconsideration | Sample Reconsideration Form | Sample Letter to Complainant | Reconsideration Committees AppendixIntellectual Freedom Core Documents | Challenge Support and Reporting Censorship | Bibliography of Additional Selection and Reconsideration Policy Resources Thank you Helen R. Endorsed by the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee | January 2018
Assessing your school library collection Why assess your library collection Assessment is part of developing a great collection. You want to find out if your collection: meets the needs of your studentssupports your school's teaching and learning programmes, including new curriculum developmentsreflects strong partnerships between library and teaching staffis balanced, inclusive and relevantreflects changes relating to availability, accessibility and demand for resources in print and digital formatsrepresents value for your learners and therefore a return on investment. Regular assessment of school library resources helps you target funding and guides your selection decisions. topics that support the school’s curriculum and for student inquiry or researchgenres and formats that provide a broad reading experienceall the relevant reading levels in fiction and non-fiction. When to assess your library collection Assessment, like weeding, is most manageable when it is part of an ongoing process. Weeding your school library collection
Diversity in Collection Development | Advocacy, Legislation & Issues Collection development should reflect the philosophy inherent in Article II of the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights: “Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.” Library collections must represent the diversity of people and ideas in our society. There are many complex facets to any issue, and many contexts in which issues may be expressed, discussed, or interpreted. Librarians have a professional responsibility to be inclusive in collection development and in the provision of interlibrary loan. Collection development responsibilities include selecting content in different formats produced by independent, small and local producers as well as information resources from major producers and distributors. Over time, individuals, groups, and entities have sought to limit the diversity of library collections.
Let's Talk Collection Development! Even though we’re back in school, our library budget money won’t be distributed to us until December. We can’t change this timeline, so we’ve tried to make the best of it by using the first few months of school to really talk to staff and students about what type of books or other materials they’d like to see in the library. We’ve always been open to suggestions, but the timing has to be right for us to add items to an order. Otherwise, the request has to wait until we have funds to make another order, which could be in a week or six months. I love collection development, but sometimes when I talk about it with other teachers I feel like all they hear is Old lady librarian going on about card catalogs or some nonsense. Even though technology can be awesome, we’re still buying books and expanding in specific areas. We’ve chosen to expand in 3 main ares, and concentrate on replenishing books in a series. Contemporary Classics. Missing Books. Author: Mica Johnson
The School Library Media Specialist: Library Media Program: Introduction What is collection mapping? Collection mapping is the process of examining the quantity and quality of your collection and identifying its strengths and weaknesses. A number of authors have written about the process. The outcome of the process can serve as a guide during the collection development process. A collection map is a visual representation that graphically displays the breath and depth of the library collection. There are three basic assumptions about collections that relate to collection mapping. The collection should have breadth. Collection maps are used for many collection-related projects. What is a base collection and core collection? Collection mapping involves examining your collection and comparing it with some standard. A base collection is an arbitrary standard denoting the number of works recommended for a minimal level collection. A core collection is a base collection that is often associated with specific titles. What should be in the collection? Make It Real
*AASL Selection & Reconsideration Policy Toolkit Toolkit Cover (Print Version) Since 1998, the American Library Association’s (ALA) Workbook for Selection Policy Writing has provided guidance to school librarians. After two decades, the document needed a makeover! Kristin Pekoll, assistant director at the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), had a vision. She wanted to expand the workbook’s usefulness beyond school library professionals to include public and academic librarians. The Process and the People In February 2016, Kristin asked three persons representing school, public, and academic libraries to meet during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston to discuss the project. Overview of the Online Toolkit The “Selection and Reconsideration Policy Toolkit for Public, School, and Academic Libraries” is ready to use. The toolkit is organized into 4 basic areas: 1) Introduction–Why Do I need a Policy? Color Coding (Print Version) Also in Print Advice from the Toolkit Team The toolkit is intended as guidance. Images Author: Helen Adams
Libraries and Collection Bias Sarah Mahoney, Group 6 Whether they are aware of it or not, everyone has biases. This is human. We all have beliefs that are important to us and they color our actions and choices both consciously and unconsciously. One particular area of the library that this has an unfortunate habit of creeping into is the area of collection development. It is hard to believe that collections cannot be perfectly unbiased. The first step “…in reducing bias at the individual level of the selector is for selectors to become aware of their biases (Quinn, 2012, p. 294). Biases are normal and they are part of what makes people human. References American Library Association (2008, January 22). Evans, G. Quinn, B. (2012, July).