6+Collection+Development

=Collection Development=

Excellent Teacher Librarians...

 * 2.1 || //engage and challenge learners within a supportive, information- rich learning environment // ||
 * 2.1.1 || //create and nurture an information-rich learning environment which supports the needs of the school community // ||
 * 2.2 || //collaboratively plan and resource curriculum programs which incorporate transferable information literacy and literature outcomes // ||  ||
 * 2.2.3 || //support learning and teaching by providing equitable access to professionally-selected resources // ||
 * 2.3 || //provide exemplary library and information services consistent with national standards // ||
 * 2.3.2 || //provide exemplary reference and information services to the school community // ||

To develop and maintain a quality library collection that improves learning outcomes for students it is necessary to implement collection development policies that guide the TL in decisions regarding the resource selection process. This process is a cyclic one. Firstly, it is necessary to analyse the existing resources, enabling the identification of areas that are in need of development. From then, following resource selection procedures, utilising selection criteria and finally evaluating the effectiveness of the resources in achieving the predetermined goals completes the cycle. This process ensures that the budget is wisely allocated and all purchased resources are justified, assuring the greatest library contribution to the learning and teaching at the school.

Working collaboratively with class teachers affords the TL rare insight into the curriculum developed across the school (O’Connor, 2007 ) and enables the TL to identify areas within the curriculum that existing resources would best be utilised. At site 1, the extent of collaboration is limited to the TL meeting the demands of the teachers and students with the very generous budget. At no stage does the TL have any influence over the planning of the curriculum so that available resources can be used. Nor does the TL utilise her knowledge of new, innovative and engaging resources to make suggestions that may be included. Instead, she is merely the provider of the resources selected by the class teachers.

The collection at site 1 well exceeds the benchmarks to meet the basic demands as stipulated by ASLA, ALIA (2001, p. 31). However, there are no procedures for accurately analysing the quality, relevance and variety of the collection nor are there policies that govern the acquisition of new resources. The yearly stocktake is insufficient in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the collection. Observations indicate that the collection consists of many out-of-date resources, there is a desperate need for digital resources in order to meet the various needs and interest of the students and the 11 available data bases are not utilised by the students, nor are the students aware of how to use them. In addition, the absence of a collection development policy and resource selection criteria have led to the purchasing of resources without due purpose or justification. The only criterion that is utilised in the selection of resources is the preference to use local, independent bookstores. The resource purchases are therefore left to the discretion of the TL, at the request of the class teacher however, the seemingly unlimited budget has meant that there has never been a need to reject a request for a resource.

A strategy that could address this uncritical expenditure and assure that the collection at site 1 is of the highest possible quality would be the formation of a resource selection advisory group (Queensland Government, 2010 ). This group, would comprise of the TL, a member of the school management, classroom teacher representatives and possibly parents and would be responsible for the development of collection development policies that support the philosophies and priorities of the school (ASLA, ALIA, 2001, p 26 ). Included in these policies would be a learning resource selection plan that would: identify and establish directions for future resource growth that target the curriculum and extra-curricular needs of students; identify emerging technologies and make recommendations for the integration of these with the learning resource selection; ensure that resource selection strategies support student learning outcomes; provide advice on sensitive or potentially controversial materials; ensure that available items are assessed prior to the purchase of new items; ensure that new items purchased meet the resource selection criteria (Queensland Government, 2003 ).

Developing and utilising a set of appropriate resource selection criteria would enable the TL to justify expenditures and assure the quality of the developing collection. These criteria would need to address: appropriateness for the target audience; accuracy, relevance and currency; curriculum relevance; breadth of applications; longevity of use (Queensland Government, 2008 ); and the most important of all, contributions to student learning outcomes (ASLA, ALIA, 2001, p 29).

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the resource collection in improving student outcomes is the next step in the resource selection cycle. Using the library management system Oliver to analyse the collection composition and use, endows the TL with valuable strategies to inform of areas in need of improvement. These areas may include: the variety of resource formats, digital, non-digital, text and non-text; the extent to which the resources target the different learning abilities and ages of the students; the mapping of resources to curriculum areas; those resources not used or not borrowed; loans in specific areas; and growth in particular areas of the collection. Johnson ( 2004, p. 68 ) explains that collection development activities are defined and planned in terms of the environment. Consequently, there is also a need to revise the collection development policies, learning resource selection plan and the resource selection criteria to ensure that the changes in external conditions are accounted for. The implementation of relevant collection development policies that are responsive to the changing needs of the students and teachers and that guide the library staff with the analysis of current resources, identification of needs and selection of new, appropriate resources will ensure optimal budget expenditure. 