Transcript Slide 1

S.E.W. What?
Selecting, Evaluating & Weeding
the School Library:
A Lively Discussion
PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE
State College, PA
May 1, 2009
10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Mona Kerby
Coordinator of the School Library Media Program
McDaniel College
Westminster, Maryland
[email protected]
http://www.monakerby.com
Resources
• Collection Development for the School Library
Media Program: A Beginner’s Guide. Chicago:
AASL, 2006. ISBN: 0-8389-8375.
• www.monakerby.com -- I’ve made links to
articles I’ve written, this Powerpoint, an
evolution of previous Ppts on this topic, and a
blog called School Library Questions.
Our Purpose
• To learn from all of us—see how the majority
of you believe and to see if we can learn from
the few who have a different perspective;
• You are busy—in the next 1 hour and 15
minutes, can you provide me insight on how I
can truly help you;
• We’re seeking some “Aha” moments. Let me
goad you a bit, put you on the defensive as a
way to think.
Essential Question
What’s your proof that you have
an outstanding collection?
S.E.W. Session Objectives
• Share your responses on survey—size of
collection & what sources you’re using;
• Provide selection sources & weeding guidelines;
• Suggest ways for me to help answer our
essential question or modify it:
How to do you prove that you have an outstanding
collection? Or, what does it look like?
Volunteer note-takers?
Who are you?
Out of 48 responses—
• 14 are elementary librarians
• 16 are middle school librarians
• 18 are high school librarians
OLD CHART, Outdated?
Suggested Percentage of Book Collection per Dewey Classification
000s
100s
200s
300s
400s
500s
600s
700s
800s
900s
F
E
Generalities
Philosophy
Religion
Social Science
Language
Science
Technology
Fine Arts
Literature
History
Fiction
Easy Fiction
K-6
2-5%
.5
1-2
5-10
.5
10
10
5
5
20
20
20-25
7-12
6-8
1-2
1-2
10-15
2-5
5-10
5-10
5-10
5-10
20
20-25
-
First draft. What else to include? Numbers?
000s
100s
200s
300s
400s
500s
600s
700s
800s
900s
F
E
Bios
Playaways?
Generalities
Philosophy
Religion
Social Science
Language
Science
Technology
Fine Arts
Literature
History
Fiction
Easy Fiction
Paperbacks?
Cds?
K-6
2-5%
.5
1-2
5-10
.5
10
10
5
5
20
20
20-25
Graphic?
SC
7-12
6-8
1-2
1-2
10-15
2-5
5-10
5-10
5-10
5-10
20
20-25
REF
About your collections
Elem.
Middle
High
Ref.
0.03
0.09
0.11
000s
0.01
0.01
0.01
100s
0.01
0.01
0.02
200s
0.01
0.01
0.02
300s
0.07
0.07
0.12
400s
0.01
0.00
0.01
500s
0.12
0.07
0.07
600s
0.06
0.06
0.08
700s
0.07
0.07
0.07
800s
0.03
0.03
0.10
900s
0.10
0.17
0.18
F
0.29
0.40
0.21
0.21
11,247
0.09
15,112
0.00
16,100
E
TOTAL
Quick comparison of % old and new chart
OLD K-6
Ref
000s
100s
200s
300s
400s
500s
600s
700s
800s
900s
F
E
-2-5%
.5
1-2
5-10
.5
10
10
5
5
20
20
20-25
Elem
OLD 7-12
High
3%
-6-8
1-2
1-2
10-15
2-5
5-10
5-10
5-10
5-10
20
20-25
-
11 %
1%
1
1
7
1
12
6
7
3
10
29
21
1%
2
2
12
1
7
8
7
10
18
21
-
Graphic novels
TOTAL
Elem
Middle
High
56
90
63
How many databases do you have? Is this
essential? Available from other source? Thoughts?
Should I ask how many databases you need?
Elem
Middle
High
1-5 titles
12
10
7
6-10
1
3
5
11-20
2
1
3
More than 21
0
2
3
Total
15
16
18
0 titles
Would you need the same number of books if you had
access to online subscription databases?— What does
this tell us? Is there a better way to ask this? What do I
need to consider?
Elem
Middle
High
Yes
15
14
10
No
0
2
8
A Visionary?
“If you were to look at my collection, you
may call it unbalanced. I am a believer
that some sections/topics are better
accessed via online information, and I
direct patrons to those routes versus the
print collection.”
--A Pennsylvania School Librarian
April 2009
Using Professional
Selection Sources
% reading PRINT professional selection sources
90 % are not using multiple sources to select
54% use Booklist
40% use Library Media Connection
79 % use School Library Journal
15 % VOYA
5 Book Links, 3 BCCB, 2 HB, 3 HB Guide, 7 VOYA
4 ALA lists, 4 Titlewave, 4 Teacher-Librarian,
2 SLMAM, 2 Novelist Plus through POWER Library,
1 Library Sparks, I don’t use professional journals for book reviews.
Do you find that you are spending less time reading the
print version of selection journals, and instead, you are
now relying more on reading the online reviews?
Elem
Middle
High
TOTAL %
Yes
7
14
13
56 %
No
8
2
5
44 %
A minor opinion?
“Reading reviews is done at home.
Taking a shot in the dark with
Titlewave is time consuming and
can't be done except at computer. I
like my fuzzy slippers and snuggled
on my couch to read reviews.”
What you said about selection
• 92 % don’t formally evaluate new purchases
• 71 % say don’t have enough time for selection
and evaluation (elem 1 yes/14 no; middle 6
yes/10 no ; high 7 yes/11 no)
• Importance of collection responsibility—28
say most important; 19 say important; 1 says
less important
Another Visionary?
“In the "old" days, it was easier to “know” the
collection—before significant technology and
our ever-changing roles. I believe collection
development is a primary responsibility for
library media/specialists.
If not, districts could send curriculum
information to an outsourcing source for
selection and acquisitions.”
Comments, continued
• 88 % would be interested in some type of recommended list.
• ”I religiously build lists based on reviews and try to keep
abreast of the trends in students' reading and support them.”
• “Selection of fiction books relies heavily on cover.”
• ”Collection development is not viewed as a priority by
administration who wants to know why librarians have so
much free time.”
• I can't give statistics by Dewey because we use the A R
program and identify books by AR level.
Comments
• List you are describing sounds similar to the ALA Best of the Best
books.
• Don't need a top 100 books of year as Booklist does that as does
AASL and we have two workshops at each PSLA conference
Books of Note and Best of the Best that provide attendees with
best book of previous year.
• I also rely on the PSLA Conference book sessions for good
reviews. I attend the Best of the Best books for K-8 and spend
time at the book preview exhibit.
• PA librarians have free access to Power Library and to School
Library Journal, Booklist, etc.,
NEXT
Professional Selection Sources
Evaluating Collection
Weeding Guidelines
But now, take a quick stretch break.
Booklist
• Journal subscription rate $79.95 /22 issues
• Approximately 125 reviews for K-12 readers per
issue
• Reviews recommended books and all multimedia
• Professional reviewers are on staff
School Library Journal
• Journal subscription rate $124.00 /12 issues
• Approximately 300 reviews for preK-12
readers per issue
• Reviews books, web sites, multimedia
• Reviews can be positive or negative
• Volunteer reviewers from around the country
Horn Book Guide
• Subscription rate $50.00 /2 guides yearly
• Approximately 2,000 titles in each
• Reviews books (no multimedia) of current
appropriate materials for preK-12
• Rating system of 1 (outstanding) to 6
(unacceptable)
• Professional reviewers and expert editors
Evaluation
• By improving average age
• By improving the matches to a professional
retrospective selection source
• By increasing curriculum matches
• By increasing circulation statistics
• By analyzing student interest
Curriculum Chart
Third
Fourth
Language Arts
Poems
Norse Myths
Myths & Legends
Biography
Autobiography
Fiction
Non-fiction
Poems
Folk tales
Speeches
King Arthur
Novel
Short story
plot/setting
Geography
Maps & Globes
Rivers of world
Ancient Vikings
Spanish exploration
Thirteen colonies
Maps & Globes
Longitude/latitude
Relief maps
Mountain Ranges
Created by Judy Ward for Dorchester County School District
Comparing it to Curriculum
Dewey/
Subject
#
Grade
Level
508
Seasons
K, 1
523.4
Planets
2, 5
595.7
Insects
2
remaining
after
weeding
# of
quality
titles
# teacher
requested
# to meet
curriculum
needs
Weeding—Briefly
I give suggestions for:
• Picture Books
• Fiction
• Dewey divisions—some sections can be older
than others
Weeding Schedule
YEAR ENDING IN: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
Class
Interval
000
5 years
√
√
100
5 years
√
√
200
5 years
√
√
300
3 years
√
√
√
A Virginian visionary?
• “I think there needs to be a reassessment of the
balance between fiction and nonfiction. Most
nonfiction books are expensive and have a limited
shelf value. Most students gravitate toward web
resources. I’d like to keep a core collection of
nonfiction books, a good list of web resources and
databases for research, and a larger collection of
fiction books to support independent reading -promoting literacy at its roots.”
--A Virginia school librarian, Fall 2008
Closing Thoughts—My Plan
• Check circulation records of positively reviewed
books and notable lists
• Devise a quick evaluation of recent book orders
• Consider refining survey, asking only about % of
books by Dewey collection, and post on LM_Net
Your Plan
• Establish a state S.E.W. day?
• Discuss at district and state level the # of online
sources vs # of book sources
• Ask Follett, Mackin, Baker & Taylor to add these
review sources—and perhaps you can make a
commitment to only selecting books with 2-3 positive
reviews:
–
–
–
–
–
Booklist
School Library Journal
Horn Book Guide
Wilson’s Catalogs
Notable Lists or New York Times Best Sellers?
In Closing
Continue pondering our essential question:
What’s your proof that you have
an outstanding collection?
Please email me any suggestions at
[email protected]
Thank you.
Owney, the Mail-Pouch Pooch
Saturday morning 11:15