The Effect of Censorship on Collection Development in School Libraries

 Kent, Amanda

Follen, J., Goff, M., & Salazar, K. (2018, May 16). The effect of censorship on collection

 development in school libraries. SSRN. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3172616&download=yes

Summary:

    Three students from the School of Information, University of Texas Austin, conducted three case studies regarding the effect censorship has on collection development in middle and high school libraries. The article discusses the pressure librarians and teachers feel to keep material on the shelves that serve the students but also worry about offending the parents. With the ongoing complaints from parents to remove books that they feel are inappropriate, librarians tend to self-censorship to avoid conflict. The themes that parents tend to want censored the most are LGBTQIA+ themes, graphic violence, language, drug use, and sexual content. The case studies conducted involve a book that had the N-word, the author of a young adult novel, and the aftereffects that banning a specific book in school causes. The article speaks of the perspectives of the parents, students, and librarians.

Opinion/Thoughts/Evaluation:

    Censorship of books in collections has been an ongoing battle. I found this article interesting because not many resources provide the perspective of the challenger or parent. The article brings up good points regarding the challenger's actions and mindset. I do not believe in book banning and, along with librarians, feel everyone should have access to information. Reading about complex topics brings understanding and empathy, but from the parent's perspective, it has negative consequences such as "bad moral behavior." Another interesting aspect is the acknowledgment that little research is done regarding the child's perspective. The children are usually caught in the middle but are unheard. The article brings up a great point of how children want to read a book based solely on the fact that it is now banned and that those interviewed do not agree with their parents. It is important to understand the mindset of parents so that collection development policies can be implemented that benefit everyone involved.

Evaluating School Libraries Collections at the Site and District Level as a Tool for Advocacy

Christina Young

Takeda, J. (2019). Evaluating School Library Collections at the Site and District Level as a     Tool  for Advocacy. Knowledge Quest, 47(3), 14–21. Retrieved from     http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?   direct=true&db=lls&AN=133682940&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Summary - In this article three school librarians in the Beaverton, Oregon School District use data to affect “transformational change” in the way libraries are perceived and budgeted for in their district. They begin by creating a matrix to show how their work is aligned to district goals and national standards. Because in their district library budgets are determined at a building level by principals, they then presented collection and circulation data along with mission statements and their standards matrices with elementary principals. In framing their work with principals, they focused on three main themes: choice reading, diverse books, and access for all. They were encouraged by a menor to provide a twenty-seven word, nine second, three part message and presented:

Our libraries support student growth as learners. We encourage students to explore their own interests and provide access for all to carefully selected resources that are current and diverse. 

Because the district had recently invested in classroom libraries for language arts classrooms the librarians pointed out the differences between classroom libraries and school libraries and the importance of funding and maintaining the school library. The article goes into detail about the types of reports they used and provides templates for users of Follett’s Destiny.  In their final reports to the principals  the librarians advocated for budget recommendations across the district: $2,000 per elementary school library, $3,000 per middle school library, and $5,000 per high school. As of the writing of the article, the budgets had not been determined. 

Evaluation - As I am creating my vision of my future library in project four it is interesting to read about how librarians in another district  are using data similar to the data I collected for projects three and four and presenting it to their districts to advocate for funds. One important take-away was how they framed library books as “consumables” in their presentation to principals. Library books are not meant to last forever and need money to be replaced. Other interesting take away was about how to introduce teachers and parents to diverse books as “mirrors and windows”.  A final take-away was report templates they provided in the additional resources section of the article. Finally, one sad reality check: their district serves 41,000 students in 53 schools. All of the elementary and middle schools are served by paraprofessionals. High Schools are served by paraprofessionals and a library and instructional technology teacher (LITT), although it was unclear if the LITTs were one per school or three for the entire district. 

Overcoming the Obstacle Course: Teenage Boys and Reading

Overcoming the Obstacle Course: Teenage Boys and Reading

Jones, P., & Fiorelli, D. C. (2003). Overcoming the Obstacle Course: Teenage Boys and Reading. Teacher Librarian, 30(3), 9.

This article addresses the difficulty of reading among teenage boys in the U.S. Jones and Fiorelli summarize the current research that explains the reading and non-reading habits of boys. In it, they list suggestions about the following topics:

• What boys see as obstacles

• What the teacher-librarian can do

• Building a guy-friendly collection 

• Twenty great fiction books for grade 7 boys

• And a collection of success stories from teacher-librarians. 

• They also provide references to 30 sources where we can delve deeper into this topic. 

Evaluation: The issue of boys not reading is one that has been troubling me and should be one that all secondary teacher librarians should be addressing. This resource provides valuable information that can kickstart a librarian's effort to increase readership of adolescent boys. This allows us to take immediate action.

Checking out tomorrow’s school library collections

Gates, Angela

Stephens, W. (2014). Checking out tomorrow’s school library collections. Young Adult Library Services, 12(3), 17-19.

I thought this was an interesting article on collection development trends in school libraries. The author interviewed three library professionals—a university faculty member, an instructional media/technology coordinator, and a school librarian—to assess their thoughts on the future of collection development.

One of the points made in the article that I found particularly relevant to what we have been studying lately was the idea that rather than trying to represent everything, school libraries should develop collections based on the unique needs and requirements of the schools that they serve. One of the interviewees is quoted in the article as saying that a school library’s collection should be “unbalanced”—meaning that the school library should not attempt to devote equal resources to all parts of the collection.  For example, a school library that serves a high population of students without access to books (either at home or through a public library) might want to devote more of its resources to the fiction collection.  The school library that I volunteer in serves an elementary school that has a quarterly science or social studies thematic curriculum (e.g. Geology, Immigration etc.), studied by all the grades in the school, so our library needs a depth of resources in these particular topical areas.

Other important points made in the article were very much in line with what we have been discussing this semester: for example, looking beyond purchasing print materials, particularly for non-fiction materials, and the impact of Common Core standards on school libraries.

Collection Policy and the Library of Congress

       During our last workshop, we explored library policy. This post examines areas of policy within the Library of Congress. By exploring elements used and not used by our National model of libraries we can assess how other libraries adapt policies, and if they align with Library of Congress Practices. They provide the policy framework to support the Library's responsibilities to serve the Congress as well as the United States Government as a whole, the scholarly community, and the general public (LOC, 2008). The collection policy begins by defining who the policy serves. Second, the LOC explains what the collection policy does, “They set forth the scope, level of collecting intensity and goals sought by the Library to fulfill its service mission” (LOC, 2008). While these points are simple, they are strategically important in order to make decisions about collection developments.  Fundamental principal of the collection include:

• The Library should possess all books and other materials (whether in original form or copy) which record the life and achievement of the American people; and
• The Library should possess in some useful form, the records of other societies, past and present, and should accumulate, in original or in copy, full and representative collections of the written records of those societies and peoples whose experience is of most immediate concern to the people of the United States.

This principals continue and a framing of the design begins is easily understood by both librarians, government officials, and the general population. LOC policies continue and branch off to different subjects. Picking a subject at random, the LOC maintains a sense of their frameworks when examining earth sciences. The Library is committed to collecting all subject areas in earth sciences primarily at the research level regardless of formats in order to serve the needs of the Congress, scholars, and the general public, and to carry out the Library’s archival responsibility to collect and preserve historical materials for tomorrow’s researchers (LOC, 2008). The model of policy frameworks for the LOC collection is a great reference for librarians to use when defining their own library policy. 

References:

Library of Congress, November 2008

http://www.loc.gov/acq/devpol/earth.pdf

http://www.loc.gov/acq/devpol/cps.html

The Self-Published Puzzle

LIBR 266

The Self-Published Puzzle.

In the past self-published titles may have had a bad rap, libraries are setting out to redeem these titles, giving the content a platform to reach and audience.  lnnovation continues to be a hot topic for librarians and information students who are studying the development and maintenance of collections. In the article, Solving the Self-published Puzzle, author, by Greg Landgraf , the potential for incorporating self-published titles is examined (2015). A Toronto library uncovers multiple benefits to integrating self-published works. Writers who have books on local interest subjects prove to have a niche within the Canadian patron population.  According to Landgraf’s article, some libraries even promote local writers by designating a tent where patrons can stop by and purchase copies from the authors.  Other libraries have taken the self-published contributions a step further by incorporating self-publishing tools within the libraries in order to support local writers. It seems that the benefits are mutual between the audience, writer, and library.

Solving the Self-published Puzzle

By Greg Landgraf | October 30, 2015

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2015/10/30/solving-the-self-published-puzzle/

Unusual Acquisitions

Journalist, Joshua Bender shares some intriguing acquisition news in his article, "MSU receives donation, now has largest digital library collection in U.S. While this article is short, and fails to confirm who verified this collection to be the largest, the story is inspiring regardless. Michigan State University received an acquisition in the form of a gift. In the spirit of my Presentation 5 project (acquisitions), I thought an acquisition story of interest is a good addition to our Blog Collection. The Rovi Corporation donated digital media in such volume, Bender reports the transport of the material had a price tag around $46,000.00 and took fourteen moving vans. CD"s and DVD's are included in this gift, but one media type holds more interest than the other two combined: electronic games. 

With so many games to check into the system, MSU librarians don't anticipate release one hundred percent of the titles to the public anytime soon. The inspiration from such a gift is how the library is going to adjust to support such a specialized collection. The article mentions the design of spaces for electronic gaming, noting the benefit these activities can play over holiday breaks from school. 

If you would like to read more about Bender's article, please visit:

 

 http://statenews.com/article/2015/10/library-collection

MSU receives donation, now has largest digital library collection in U.S.

 By Joshua Bender

October 21, 2015 11:10 am

 http://statenews.com/article/2015/10/library-collection

50:50 by 2020

Zatko, Ruzena

Lodge, D. (2015). ‘50:50 by 2020’. Australian Library Journal, 64(3), 165-167.

doi:10.1080/00049670.2015.1041217

Summary:

In this article, Damien Lodge discusses patterns in the future of eBooks and eReaders. Lodge is currently a lecturer at Charles Strut University and previously served as President for Australian and Library Information Association (ALIA). Although the article is title 50/50 by 2020, the conclusion ends that the ratio of eBooks vs prints will most likely be 20:80.

The article is informative on statistics of eReaders from 2010 to present. The results show that from 2010 (when eReaders started to take off) the trend has since slowed down and the purchase of readers is becoming more stagnant. Lodge also mentions that major publishing companies are working with libraries in terms of receiving discounts with eBooks.

Evaluation:


            Lodge demonstrated some great points in the future of electronic readers and books, and whether libraries and us print enthusiasts should be concerned. The article covered the pros of eBooks that were mentioned, such as requiring less space, fewer staff, and the savings in budget. Also, an interesting observation is Lodge realizes that eBooks are turning into another format offered at libraries (such as hardcover, audio, etc.) instead of a replacement of print books. On that note, it would be interested to hear other librarians’ feelings about this and if they really care for the perk of less space and staff since this is jeopardizing job security.
           Overall, it does demonstrate that libraries in general are taking the next step to equip their library with eBook for their tech savvy patrons. What the article could have covered is approximately what percentage of libraries are frequently working with publishers and taking advantage of the offers. Also, if and what percentage of libraries still don’t offer eBooks for whatever reason.

Libraries and English Language Learners

Sullivan, Maureen

Libraries and English Language Learners

Lynch, G. (2015). Libraries and English language learners. School Library Journal. Retrieved from: http://www.slj.com/2015/04/diversity/libraries-and-english-language-learners/#_

Summary:

This article highlights a library in Hennepin County, Minnesota to illustrate the rich diversity of its patrons and their particular needs regarding language and culture. It also addresses the challenges involved in developing collections to meet the varied linguistic needs of its patrons. For example, the Hmong written language was only developed 50 years ago, making the availability of items in print very limited. Lynch plugs the need to hire librarians that are culturally and linguistically representative of its patrons, making recruitment of more diverse pool of MLIS students key.

Evaluation: I have experienced this challenge first hand last year, when I was trying to purchase books in Samoan for a small public school in San Francisco with a large Samoan population. I worked with the public children's librarian from the local branch as well, but their collection was also quite small. The fact that many publishers that do carry books in languages other than English are much more expensive, making meeting school library budgets match the language needs of the library especially challenging. However, that doesn't mean that librarians shouldn't strive to procure diverse materials. Our students depend on it.