Quality Multicultural Materials

This article discussed the importance of having multicultural materials in every library collection, and what Lincoln, Nebraska did to ensure that they purchased quality titles for their students. The endeavor is titled Mosaic, Multicultural Book Collection and it started out as a small book exhibit and has evolved over the years to remain relevant with new and improved technology. The first major change incorporated QR codes attached to titles that link to book trailers or “snippets of historical videos in hopes of igniting interest and expanding learning.”  Multicultural makerspace materials, audio files of music from all over the world, and virtual reality headsets were also included. The project then further developed to be a virtual display so that anyone can access it at any time: https://lms.lps.libguides.com/MOSAIC2018    The project is committed to using materials that are high quality and do not confirm negative stereotypes. Haeffner & Harvey outline the process of how materials are chosen “many hours of research and consideration are involved in the review process to ensure that titles do not perpetuate stereotypes or misinformation” (p. 19). I love the idea of this resource and can’t wait to use it in my own school library and share it with my colleagues. 

References

Haeffner, C., & Harvey, J. (2019). Mosaic: One district's approach to maximizing use of multicultural collections. Teacher Librarian, 47(1), 18-21. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lls&AN=140246715&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed March 14, 2020.

The Importance of Databases

This was a great article on collection development that focuses on databases and the essential role they serve in a school library. The article states “databases provide learners with a one stop shop for cross-curricular, up-to-date, vetted information in a structured and easy to manipulate format for class projects” (Ivory & Viens, 2019)  The article discusses the importance of collaboration with classroom teachers and the public library when it comes to choosing databases, “collaboration with teachers on their recurring research projects is a critical factor in determining which databases we purchase each year” (Ivory & Viens, 2019). When classroom teachers share their curriculum, the library teacher can subscribe to corresponding databases that will give students access to the information they will need in their courses. The articles also notes the importance of collaboration with the public library so that efforts are not duplicated, and funds can be spent on databases the public library does not carry. The article also gives useful suggestions such as making a bookmark with the various databases and passwords so that kids can access the databases outside of the school. The article also recommends schools purchase a domain license for $12.99 per year and then create a link with an easy to remember name such as “databases.colganlibrary.com” that goes directly to the databases which saves users from having to go through several pages before locating the databases. 

References

Ivory, A. I., & Viens, L. (2019). Databases, collection development, and student learning. Knowledge Quest, 48(2), 16-23. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lls&AN=139376352&site=ehost-live&scope=site.