Collections: Development and policy

The role and nature of school library collections

School libraries are “dynamic, changing resource centres that must respond to the needs of students and teachers” (Cox, March 8, 2017). Professional association, state and territory education department documentation indicates school library collections must meet diverse user needs (ALIA & ASLA, 2009b; Booth, March, 2017; Carlier, March, 2017; Cox, March 8, 2017; Croft, 2017a) “in the provision of the information-related resources integral to the planning, implementation and evaluation of the curriculum of the school” (NSW Department of Education, 2016). Furthermore, an ACT Education Directorate publication asserts that each school context is unique which dictates the school library collection contain physical and digital resources specific to the needs and preferences of that community (ACT Education Directorate, 2016, pp. 7). School libraries must overcome challenges to develop balanced and equitable collections which meet the information and recreational needs of users and support the development of literacy, critical and creative thinking skills (ALIA & ALSA, 2009b).

Collection Development policy as a strategic document

Collection development is described as the “thoughtful process of… building a library collection in response to institutional and… user needs” (Johnson, 2014, pp. 1). Much like a government’s constitution which describes the law, Collection Development policy sets out the specific guidelines (Disher, 2014, pp. 34) for what will and will not be collected by the school library (ASLA & ALIA, 2001, pp. 25-33; Braxton, 2016; Debowski, 2001a, pp. 126-136; Disher, 2014, pp.34; Hughes-Hassell & Mancall, 2005; Johnson, 2014, pp. 1; Kennedy, 2006, pp. 1-10; Osa, 2003, pp.135-136; Punshon, 2006, pp.9-25). Therefore, policy determines the strategic priorities for the school library and its collection (Gregory, 2011, pp. xiv; Mathur, May 6, 2017). Public availability the Collection Development policy is essential to ensure the school community are fully informed of the decisions that will be made by the teacher librarian in relation to the collection (Croft, 2017f) in addition to maintaining the professionalism of the teacher librarian in accordance with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (ASLA, 2014; Pickworth & Uther, 2015, pp. 122-132).

Development of strong and current Collection Development policy acts to support the rights and responsibilities of users in relation to intellectual freedom, ethics and censorship (ALIA, 2015; ALIA, 2009b; ALIA, 2009c; Croft, 2017d; Croft, 2017f; Evans & Zarnosky Saponano, 2012b, pp. 303-318; Koren, 2011, pp. 153-158; McNicol, 2016, pp. 329-342; Williams & Dillon, 1993, pp. 102-105). Core conventions and policy regarding student rights exist, for example the United Nations, Convention on the rights of the child (1989), IFLA/UNESCO School Library Manifesto (2006), Australian Library and Information Association, Statement on free access to information (2015) and Australian Library and Information Association & Australian School Library Association, Statement on library and information services in schools (2016a), however these may not be of practical use in a school library context in and of themselves, particularly in relation to censorship. Inclusion of user rights and responsibilities within the school Collection Development policy provides firm ground for teacher librarians to make thoughtful judgements on behalf of users and can aid defense of these should it be required (Williams & Dillon, 1993, pp. 102-105).

Collection Development policy and the future of collections

A rapidly expanding information landscape (Cox, March 19, 2017), developments in technology (NMC/CoSN, 2017) and publishing (Cox, March 4, 2017) make collection development in 21st century school libraries a complex exercise. Through reference to industry, academic and practitioner literature, teacher librarians remain current in the latest teaching and learning trends and influences (Softlink, 2016). Inclusion of trend predictions and their implications for the collection within policy documents helps to ensure that the most appropriate content, format and delivery mode can be budgeted, selected and acquired for the collection into the future (Croft, 2017g).

Similarly, evolving curriculum and the natures of teaching and learning can challenge the future suitability of collections. Whilst it may be tempting to build collection policy around specific curriculum content or teaching styles, this can be unwise as these can change in a relatively short time and resources become outdated (Croft, 2017g). A more appropriate strategy may be to develop collections according to broader, more enduring concepts and skills, for example the general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities of the Australian Curriculum (ACARA, n.d.) or the transdisciplinary themes of the PYP (IBO, 2009). Thus, Collection Development policy should be specific enough to meet the current needs of users, but flexible enough to adapt to future needs.

References

ACT Education Directorate. (2016) School Libraries: the heart of 21st century learning [Online publication]. Retrieved May 2017 from ACT Education Directorate Employee Intranet: https://index.ed.act.edu.au/teaching-and-engagement/files-te/pdf/School-Libraries-21st-Century.pdf

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). Australian Curriculum, version 8.3. Retrieved from ACARA website: http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/

Australian Library and Information Association, (2015). Statement on free access to information. Retrieved from ALIA website: https://www.alia.org.au/sites/default/files/documents/FreeAccessToInformation_2015.pdf

Australian Library & Information Association and Australian School Library Association. (2016a). Statement on library and information services in schools. Retrieved from ALIA website: https://www.alia.org.au/sites/default/files/Statement%20on%20Library%20and%20Information%20Services.pdf

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