One of a librarian’s most important tasks is selecting materials that are of high quality and are related to the needs of the school, especially the curriculum. Selecting materials is one of my favorite parts of the profession, and I take the job very seriously. It is important to consult credible sources to determine if an item is appropriate for my collection. Before I took the Collection Development course, I used three main sources as selection tools: School Library Journal, The Horn Book and Booklist. These served me well, and I considered them top-notch publications. When I completed the Selection Sources and Criteria assignment for the class, however, I realized that I had limited myself a great deal. There are so many other credible sources available for the task! I also had a big “aha”moment when it occurred to me that the various selection sources did not need to be used on an equal basis; some could be consulted more frequently than others.
The assignment required us to come up with our top five professional selection sources and ten sources for occasional use. I was forced to look for other options outside of the three I had been using, and I found several that suited my needs specifically. For example, I had some major gaps in my science and social studies sections after the huge amount of weeding I did when I first took the job. I was not aware that there are two selection tools that directly help with those subjects: Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 and Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People. I also learned of some other reliable publications I was not aware of before, such as the Amelia Bloomer Project, an annual book list that honors the best children’s books with feminist themes for readers “ages birth through 18.” How perfect for my school of all girls!
One of the challenges of using all of these newly discovered selections tools is lack of time. I receive the publications and often have to set them aside for a time that is not so busy. Then they pile up, and I find myself behind in my attempt to keep up with all of the latest books and materials that might work for my library. Our part-time cataloguer, who works as my assistant one or two days a week, has been a huge help in this regard. One of her tasks is to go through the professional publications and put some notes or tabs on pages where she finds books that she thinks might be good for my library. This has been a godsend.
The selection criteria aspect of this assignment helped me to zero in on what is important to me when choosing my materials. There was a very general list of selection criteria that was written for all three of the libraries at Roland Park Country School already in existence, but I wrote one that was specific to my library, which is for students in grades K through 5. I included some criteria specific to both fiction and nonfiction on the elementary level. For example, fiction books should have “readability and effectiveness in sustaining the reader’s interest” and “effective use of language and dialog.” Nonfiction books should have “logical organization and presentation of information” and “suitability for the physical and emotional development and the varied learning styles of the students.” These are important measures that I now consciously consider when I order materials.
The assignment required us to come up with our top five professional selection sources and ten sources for occasional use. I was forced to look for other options outside of the three I had been using, and I found several that suited my needs specifically. For example, I had some major gaps in my science and social studies sections after the huge amount of weeding I did when I first took the job. I was not aware that there are two selection tools that directly help with those subjects: Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 and Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People. I also learned of some other reliable publications I was not aware of before, such as the Amelia Bloomer Project, an annual book list that honors the best children’s books with feminist themes for readers “ages birth through 18.” How perfect for my school of all girls!
One of the challenges of using all of these newly discovered selections tools is lack of time. I receive the publications and often have to set them aside for a time that is not so busy. Then they pile up, and I find myself behind in my attempt to keep up with all of the latest books and materials that might work for my library. Our part-time cataloguer, who works as my assistant one or two days a week, has been a huge help in this regard. One of her tasks is to go through the professional publications and put some notes or tabs on pages where she finds books that she thinks might be good for my library. This has been a godsend.
The selection criteria aspect of this assignment helped me to zero in on what is important to me when choosing my materials. There was a very general list of selection criteria that was written for all three of the libraries at Roland Park Country School already in existence, but I wrote one that was specific to my library, which is for students in grades K through 5. I included some criteria specific to both fiction and nonfiction on the elementary level. For example, fiction books should have “readability and effectiveness in sustaining the reader’s interest” and “effective use of language and dialog.” Nonfiction books should have “logical organization and presentation of information” and “suitability for the physical and emotional development and the varied learning styles of the students.” These are important measures that I now consciously consider when I order materials.