Collection Program / Issues

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Collection Program / Issues

• Chapters 3 and 4

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Collection Program

• Process to develop and maintain collection
• Knowledge of existing collection or creation
• Community awareness
• School curricular needs
• Establish collection policies
• Basis for selection

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Collection Program

• Criteria for evaluating materials
• Planning selection process
• Identifying and obtaining tools
• Examination of materials
• Involving others in decisions
• Resource sharing
• Acquisition policies
• Maintenance program / evaluation

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Figure 3.1

• See figure 3.1 for an overview of the collection
  program process

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Existing collection

• Arrangement
• Make sense?
• Stored in unmarked drawers or cabinets?
• Signs clear and accurate?
• Put yourself in students position
• May extend outside library media center

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Knowing community

• Geographic area
• Economic status
• Cultural makeup
• Social characteristics
• Influence collection

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Assessing need

• Whom does collection serve
• Informational needs
• Teachers instructional needs

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Developing/selecting

• Collection development policies
• Guide acquisition, selection, and evaluation
• Media Program Policies
• Identify the reason for doing something
• Media Program Procedures
• Identify how to do something

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Developing/selecting

• Collection Development Policies/Procedures
• Overall development and management of collection
• Other policies and procedures
• Needed to guide the selection of each item

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Identifying criteria

• Criteria
• Standards used to evaluate an item
• i.e. literary quality, currency, accuracy, appeal
  and value to students, curricular application,
  and format
• Selection process (objective)
• Deciding if an item is a valuable addition
• i.e. personal examination, favorable reviews

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Resource sharing

• Networks
• Libraries sharing information
• i.e. One library will house most print reference
  works, while another has high interest/low
  vocabulary materials
• Cooperative purchasing programs
• Cataloging/processing
• Databases

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Acquisition

• Policies
• Who supplies materials
• Efficient, most economic
• Procedures
• Process for obtaining materials
• Order, receive, and pay for items
• Format
• Which is best? Print or electronic?

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Maintaining

• Replacing, removing, repairing, rebinding, and
  retaining
• Equipment
• Good working order?
• Sufficient supplies?
• Must items be completely unusable before
  replaced?
• Conduct regular inventories to check condition

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Evaluating

• Value of collection?
• Assess quantitatively
• Sheer number of items
• Assess qualitatively
• How well it addresses needs of users
• Create evaluation system that is manageable and
  comprehensive

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Collection Development

• A continuum in which one activity influences and
  affects others
• Policy establishes priorities that affect
  selection and acquisition activities
• Media specialist establishes policies that
  provide guidance with flexibility to anticipate
  and meet changes

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Financial support

• Operate within limits of budget allocation
• Line-item budgets may affect efficiency
• Collection development may set priorities to
  overcome these issues
• Outside funding (grants) may be available

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Finances

• What books? Electronic?
• Print encyclopedias?
• Quick purchase? Will you be ready?

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Facilities issues

• Constraints
• Storage
• Lighting
• Electrical outlets
• Workstations vs. shelf space
• from The Collection Program in Schools, by Van
  Orden and Bishop, 3rd edition, 2001.

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Chap. 4 Issues Responsibilities

• Material selection reflects
• Intellectual freedom
• Students rights
• Must consider
• How does intellectual freedom apply to those
  under 18?
• Should limits be imposed?

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Questions

• What constitutes a balanced collection?
• Should all sides of issues be represented?
• Should popular materials have priority over
  materials with greater literary value?
• Do any barriers exist?
• Media specialists and professional
  responsibilities?

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The Law

• School law is a course within itself
• The Basics
• Wide variety of views for students
• Many claim that children have 1st Amendment
  rights
• Be an advocate, rather than a protector
• Help students find, evaluate, and use information

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Selection and Censorship

• Selection
• Carried out by professionals
• Looks at wide variety of choices
• Measures educational goals seeks to include
• Censorship
• Individual judgment
• Seeks to exclude
• Personal criteria

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Censors vs. Selectors

• See table 4.1 on pg. 42.

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Complaints

• Oral
• Oral challenge to the appropriateness
• Written
• Formal, filed with the institution
• Public attack
• Statement challenging material value
• Censorship
• Legal change in material access

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Censors

• Are not evil
• Usually sincerely concerned
• May not have background to objectively evaluate
  materials
• May believe certain materials will corrupt young
  minds

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Internet and Censorship

• Internet also falls under censorship scrutiny
• Filters
• Initially were not reliable (sometimes blocked
  appropriate sites)
• Have improved the last few years when used in
  conjunction with proxy servers (greater locus of
  control)
• Schools must have AUP

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Selection

• Media specialists must be aware of own biases and
  preferences
• Must be able to evaluate materials regardless of
  personal views
• Collection should fulfill the needs of all
• Materials present wide range of views

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Funding

• Media specialists responsibility
• Must obtain maximum to strengthen collection
• Alerting those who make budget decisions to
  condition, replacements, and maintenance

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Popular vs. Literary

• Read pg. 48-49
• What is your view on the information presented?

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Barriers

• Be aware of the barriers
• See list on pg. 49
• Address barrier issues
• Software that appeals to girls
• Have adaptive devices available
• Schedule equitably
• Use new technologies to support equity
• from The Collection Program in Schools, by Van
  Orden and Bishop, 3rd edition, 2001.

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Activities

• 1. What would be a justification for subscribing
  to Grolier Encyclopedia On-Line, and also
  purchasing the print set for your library?
• 2. How would you explain the difference between
  selection and censorship to a concerned parent?

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Activities

• 3. Pick two scenarios from pg. 51, and provide a
  response to each.

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• The end