ETL503 is about to finish and although I did not feel positive about my first assignment I actually did really well and got a good grade. For the second assignment we had to write a collection policy for our school library. I liked this task because it is so very practical and directly related to “real life”.
My reflection:
Kennedy’s words “(…) the task of formulating a policy is seen as a learning experience for those who undertake it (…)” (2006, p. 14) has proven true for me during the last weeks. The extension of my knowledge has been significant and writing a collection policy has been one of the most pertinent activities for me in learning about the role of the Teacher Librarian. I have gained knowledge regarding:
Responsibilities: I learnt that the Teacher Librarian is responsible and accountable for the decisions s/he makes (Kennedy, 2006, p. 11) in every aspect regarding the collection in their library.
The responsibilities are versatile and complex when it comes to selecting resources with the aid of selection tools and using selection criteria who guarantee that the resources added to the collection meet the needs of the curriculum, the students and the teachers (Hughes-Hassell & Mancall, 2005, pp. 46-47). The contrary process of weeding the collection follows the same guidelines – learner-centred deselection forms the centre of decisions (Dillon, 2001, p. 248).
Another responsibility is to set in place an acquisition process in which I provide optimal funding for maintaining and further developing of the collection (Debowski, 2001, p. 310), quickly and cost-efficiently obtain selected resources (Crotty, 2012) and be aware of new ways of purchasing electronic resources (Latham & Poe, 2008, pp. 261-264).
Learning about evaluating a collection helped me gain a greater understanding of the various categories and formats a collection should maintain to cater for the needs of all users. It also became very clear that a collection evaluation is long overdue in my library and needs to be one of my priorities in the near future (Hart, 2003, pp. 88-91).
Flexibility: Electronic resources are the way of the future for school library collections. As Johnson (2010) notes, many people now learn and communicate using non-print media. TLs need to be flexible and ready to embrace technology to provide access to quality online resources. Developing a quality online collection also means that students are gaining access to useful, reliable and appropriate learning resources and will be able to develop digital literacy.
I learnt that a library collection policy needs to provide transparency in several ways. The policy is a “public relation document” (Kennedy, 2006, p. 15), answering the question why and how resources in the library are selected and managed for the school community. It also guarantees an open, traceable and comprehensible way of dealing with complaints about challenged materials (Williams & Dillon, 1993, p. 104).
It was reassuring that collaboration with teachers is not limited to planning and conducting research or literature classes, but also extends into developing and managing the library collection (Cherepon & Sankowski, 2003, p. 71). This will not only help me to learn more about the curriculum, students and teachers needs, but will also give me the chance to demonstrate expertise to my teaching colleagues and the broader school community.
In conclusion I can say that I found the process of writing a collection policy challenging and professionally rewarding, especially as it will be my working document for the future.
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