Outstanding Books for the College Bound and School Libraries

Amy Jessica McMillan

INFO 266

April 24, 2016

Dando, P. (2011). Outstanding books in school libraries. Carstensen, A. (Ed.). In Outstanding books for the college bound: Titles and programs for a new generation (pp. 21 - 28). Chicago, IL, USA: ALA Editions. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

While many public and school librarians are acquainted with the Young Adult Library Association's online list Outstanding Books for the College Bound, they may not know there is a book by the same title. The book version expands on what is available online by describing how librarians can use the Outstanding Books list in different library settings, including public, academic and school libraries. In the chapter "Outstanding Books for School Libraries," Dando gives an overview for why school librarians should use this list when considering what to stock on their shelves. According to Dando, the Outstanding Book list helps librarians find the perfect match between "classics, YA literature, and resources to support the curriculum" (p. 21). She also gives advice for how to incorporate the list into a school library program through summer reading, curriculum connections, and teacher or classroom collaborations. There are sections about marketing the Outstanding Books list, which books are best for book talks, and which to use with book clubs.

From what I read, the Outstanding Book list is perfect for high school readers who want to challenge themselves and widen their interests. For those who work with junior high students, there are still many titles appropriate for early adolescent readers. The ones that jump out to me from the English list are The Curious Incident of the Dog at Nighttime by Mark Haddon and The Book Thief by Mark Zusak. I recommend that junior high school librarians do a little more research on the titles before providing a revised Outstanding Book list to their patrons. Still, Outstanding Books could help all educators interested in vertical articulation between grade levels because it provides clues as to what students will be expected to read in high school and beyond. In fact, I liked this list so much I added the following titles to my own Goodreads "want to read" list: Bill Bryson's Shakespeare: The World as a Stage; an anthology of literature titled Rotten English, edited by Dora Ahmand; and Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design by Deborah Nadoolman Landis. If Outstanding Books made me want to stretch myself as a reader, I imagine it will inspire younger readers in the same way.

As an English teacher (and aspiring school librarian), I generally like to have students read whatever they want, provided they read widely and consistently. However, I agree with Dando when she says, "...teachers have an obligation to ensure that the reading relates to their curriculum and is substantial enough to merit study and analysis" (p. 221). The lists and annotations provide by Outstanding Books for the College Bound does just that. I not only recommend this book, but I think it a must-have for all librarians who work with young adults.

A library of design: Electronic collections inspire modern research spaces

Pierucci, Jessica

Hampton, N. (2015). A library of design: Electronic collections inspire modern research spaces. Codex: The Journal of the Louisiana Chapter of the ACRL, 3(2), 68-79. Retrieved from http://journal.acrlla.org/index.php/codex

Summary

This article discusses the transition to focusing on curating an electronic collection at the Xavier University of Louisiana Library Resource Center. The library lost part of its collection when 18 inches of water flooded the first floor during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The library did not have money available for easy replacement of lost materials at the time so the library relied on gifted items and interlibrary loan instead. In 2013, noticing the print materials left were not well used, the library undertook a collection evaluation and determined the best and most cost efficient way forward was through collecting electronic versions of many materials, including many journals, and getting rid of print versions to open up library space for a new information commons area where shelving could be removed after weeding. Feedback showed the project transitioning to more electronic resources and using the freed up library space for an information commons was overall a success.

Evaluation

The article is a great example of what I see as a likely future of academic libraries where parts of the print collection that duplicate the online collection move to just online, freeing up the library's physical space for study space. The article specifically discusses the transition of the library's journals, which I think are a prime candidate for removal from the print collection when the material is accessible, and more easily searchable and findable, online. Where I work we've weeded to only keep the last five years of print journals where we have online access and in the future I would be unsurprised if there's a decision to cancel all of these print subscriptions where we have online access to avoid duplication and free up shelf space for other uses. I really liked seeing how well this transition worked at one school and the benefits of having a nice new collaborative space for students to use in the library. I'm curious to see more examples of this transition and how it plays out in different types of library spaces in the coming years.

Providing Perpetual Access

Tutko, Lonny

Glasser, Sarah. April 8, 2015. Providing Perpetual Access https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvRnp_cgGzU Duration 54:06.

Very interesting video on ALCTSCE Youtube channel about libraries’ struggle to acquire and maintain perpetual access to publications from subscription database providers.

Patron-driven acquisition and the educational mission of the academic library

Lin, Connie

Walters, W. H. (2012). Patron-driven acquisition and the educational mission of the academic library. Library resources & technical services, 56(3), 199-213. Retrieved from: https://journals.ala.org/lrts/article/view/5528/6796

Summary: Patron-driven acquisition (PDA) is one type of acquisition system based on allowing patrons to select and purchase books for library collections without staff oversight. The goals of PDA programs are to provide immediate access to materials patrons might need and create a book selection responsive to patrons’ requests. However, Walter argues that PDA programs do not improve the quality of academic library collections due to the several factors like students’ inability to balance their own immediate desires with their long-term educational needs and lack of equal collection representation. By creating such PDA programs, Walters argues that while it is efficient in information delivery, it creates unbalanced or biased collections that fail to represent the full range of library stakeholders and may not support mission statement or goals of the library or institution.

Evaluation: Walters presents a persuasive argument against using patron-driven acquisition in academic libraries with examples from actual academic libraries. He categorize the libraries in the various types of patron-driven acquisition programs and provides helpful questions to keep in mind if a library decides to head down that road.  I thought this was a strong article about problems that arise from patron-driven selection process. Walter presents clear reasons and examples pull from real life situations. The author also admits that there has been no empirical study or comparative approaches that directly deals with the question of patron-driven selection’s impact on the collection, but provides advice for someone if they wanted to go ahead and do a study. Walters also does not write off patron selection all together – instead he just cautions giving patrons a no-holds bar access without librarian oversight. However, this is a specific article focused on academic libraries only. There is no mention of PDA programs in public libraries and I would be curious about their impact on selection.

The Brooklyn Public Library, a national winner

Acosta, Greta


Institute of Museum and Library Services. 2016. Retrieved from: https://www.imls.gov/news-events/news-releases/ten-winners-nations-highest-museum-and-library-honor-announced


I read some great news today. My very own library, not my place of employment but my research topic and the library to which I belong in the service area, is one of ten honored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Join me in congratulating The Brooklyn Public Library!

I'm not at all surprised. This library has it all: a performance space, collections of ephemera and art, a recording studio, and so much more. The library is also very involved with the community from convict release programs to summer camp for kids.

Cumbersome Foreign Language Acqusition Processes and the Librarians who Overcome Them

Ward, J. H. (2009). Acquisitions globalized: The foreign language acquisitions experience in a research library. Library Resources & Technical Services,  53(2), 86-93.

This article looks at foreign language materials acquisitions, how they are influenced in the U.S. by “political changes, . . . the effect of the global marketplace’s growing need for personnel well trained in foreign languages and cultures[,] and the subsequently expanding boundaries of research” (p. 86), and how the focus in the library needs to be on the people who turn acquisitions into resources. 

The article includes a very interesting overview of the differences between the selection and acquisition process in the U.S. with North American vendors and the process when books are ordered from other countries.  The process is complicated by the publication norms in the vendor’s country, the extra fees incurred, and sometimes by irregular shipping standards.  Then there’s language proficiency.  In larger libraries, the selecting librarian, who might have the language skills, isn’t the librarian who will unpack the shipment, or catalog the books, or process them for circulation.   

Ward describes how Tech Services departments might solve these issues using both vendor-library cooperation and Tech Services staff members communicating with each other throughout the process.  Vendor records, while not necessarily in common U.S. formats, offer the librarians reference points for order records and the catalogers something to work with when building more accurate records; collaborative projects that included vendor records--OCLC, the Biliotheque national de France, and others--are described to illustrate the point. For the intradepartmental cooperation, Ward offers a case study of Rutgers University Libraries and the various issues that arose for those working to select, order, and process Western European, Asian, and Eastern European language materials.  The various vendors' dynamics, and the language skills that were needed at different points in the process, meant that “the workflow to acquire foreign language titles is typically characterized by less automation, longer processing times, and more frequent human intervention” (p. 93).  Focusing on the human factor and encouraging collaboration across the process is the simple but effective solution that can help get much needed foreign language materials into the hands of the patrons. 

H. A.

Collect or Curate?

Mitchell, Ruth

Mardis, Marcia A. (2015). Collect or curate? Open education resources and the future of the school library catalog. School Library Monthly, 31(4), 29-31.

With more and more Open Education Resources (OER) available, there is a need for teacher librarians to curate information for students and teachers.  In addition, school librarians can curate the information to provide access to up-to-date and accurate information.  According the American Association of School Librarians, “the digital content has probably become just as important as the print materials; the increasing reliance on OERs will only increase the need for the development of a strategy for onsite curation of existing and locally created material”. Mardis and her associates created Web2MARC software that creates a MARC record from the URL’s webpage that can be downloaded to the school’s library catalog. In addition, it matches the resource to CCSS and NGSS. According to the article, "the school library catalog can be a vehicle for promoting interdisciplinary connections".

Using Web2MARC sounds like an easy way to add "connections" and standards to the school library catalog for all users.