A Case for Popular Culture in Academic Library Collection Development

Blick, W. M. (2015) Pulp Poets and Superhero Prophets: A Case for Popular Culture in Academic Library Collection Development. Community & Junior College Libraries, 21:1-2, 5-10, DOI: 10.1080/02763915.2015.1111069

Notes on the article:

·        Argues for popular culture materials in academic libraries

o   Not for leisure purposes

o   For sociological and relevant issues

o   Keeps students interested by learning through medium they like

§  Maus + Watchmen referenced

o   Find balance between functionality and diversity

§  Argues academic libraries focus to much on functionality rather than diversity

I found this article particularly interesting as the literary and sociological importance of non-traditional media is a particular interest to me. The article specifically argues that materials like comic books, graphic novels, film, and music can be of importance for academic collections for popular culture references. I posit that this can takes a step further and that video games and manga can be analyzed for similar purposes, but it is nice to see this process being discussed on an academic level.

I think this article did an excellent job justifying its case for these types of materials in academic library collections. Part of its justification was that Academic libraries tend to focus too much on functionality rather that diversity.

Manning, Laura

SPRING 2020

Early Literacy

Roach, E. (2019, May 23). Education in Mexico. WENR. https://wenr.wes.org/2019/05/education-in-mexico-2. https://wenr.wes.org/2019/05/education-in-mexico-2

"First published in 1987, World Education News & Reviews (WENR)
is an authoritative news and information source for professionals in international education.
Published 10 times a year by World Education Services, a not-for-profit organization
specializing in the evaluation of foreign academic credentials, WENR keeps readers
abreast of education developments around the world and includes practical “how-to”
articles on credential evaluation, international admissions, and recruiting."
From their Website:
https://wenr.wes.org/

I found this 32-page article written/posted by Eric Roach to be very enlightening about
the politics of the Mexican education system. It helps us to understand the
differences and barriers to education in Mexico.
For the purpose of my research, I focused on ages 3-9 years old.

"Since 2008/09 academic year, all Mexican children are required by law to attend three years of early childhood education beginning at age three." This has resulted in 72 percent of Mexican children having a public preschool education nationwide an increase of 42 percent in six years.

Public libraries are not an integrated part of Mexican culture. Children's reading rooms are available. They are collections of children's book for onsite use only. Mexico City has some big collections, IBBY for example, yet they are not local library systems. What a luxury a local

Library is!

Supporting Early Literacy in Mexico by teachers and parents is tricky. Books are expensive here. There are not a lot of options for used picture books. And the beliefs around early reading vary widely. Oral language and storytelling is traditionally how Mexicans teach their children. In classrooms presentations are created at an early age. I believe the answer is to create online public libraries for Mexican children. This would support their reading learning in an age when being literate is more important than ever. It could also support indigenous languages by keeping their stories for future generations.

Manning, Laura

SPRING 2020

Children's Collections

"Where are the children in children’s collections?"

Aggleton, J. (2018). Where are the children in children’s collections?

An exploration of ethical principles and practical concerns surrounding

children’s participation In collection development.

In New Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship (Vol. 24, Issue 1, pp. 1–17).

https://doi.org/10.1080/13614541.2018.1429122

Are children to be consulted on the development of children’s lit collections?

Are children’s collections developed mainly on the views of adults

rather than the interests of children?

Are collections of children’s lit, also collections of children’s culture?

Highly disputed!

What is the principle of children’s participation in the development of

collections of children’s literature? 

If children’s lit is a collection of children’s culture,

then should children be more involved in the development of their culture?

These are the questions Aggleton’s paper explores.

When adults create children’s literature, it is created from an adult

perspective and includes the ideals of the adult about childhood. 

The adult is creating from a personal place of what their childhood

may or may not have been like or what they believe is an ideal for childhood. 

Children’s literature is predominantly written, published, bought and sold by adults. 

Is this a problem? 

It is if you believe that children’s literature is a reflection of children’s culture. 

Who is creating the narrative? 

Also, examined by Aggleton is the fact that children’s literature is often used to

teach, socialize and oppress children.  

Children’s literature created by children is rarely seen in children’s collections.

In fact there is a great book called

I Am Jazz that is written by a transgender young adult who describes her

experience and feelings growing up.

This book is highly disputed and banned in some libraries.     

Is children’s literature, children’s culture?

Continuing with I Am Jazz as an example, this book represents the changes in

our culture, human rights and human development.

When a book such as this is banned we are essentially

telling children the world they are experiencing is not valid.

If they have a transgender friend, and this book changed the way

they think about that friend then this is the most power literature

- the power to change the way we think.

I learned a lot from this paper.  I have not considered the argument that children's lit is derived mostly from adult perspectives and this represents the child culture of the time it is written.  In Judy Blume's MasterClass she describes her process of keeping the perspective of the child at the front of her writing, resisting the urge to rewrite according to what adults consider appropriate. 

Collection developers can advocate to include in their collection books written by children for children about the culture they live and breathe in.

x

Public and School Library Collaboration

Public and School Libraries Collaborate

Gonzalez, Rogelio


Keasler, C. (2016). Working Together: Simple ways public and
school librarians can collaborate. School Library Journal. Retrieved from
https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=better-together-simple-ways-public-and-school-
librarians-can-collaborate

Public libraries and school libraries have the opportunity to develop
partnership and become much more effective if they were to work
independently. The article  Working Together: Simple Ways Public
and School Librarians Can Collaborate provides insight in ways school
and public libraries can work together (Keasler, 2016). Through collaboration
students and parents could be able to transition from school and public
libraries without having to decide which organization to invest their time.
Public Librarians can bring the library to school and encourage students
to visit the library during times that do not conflict with school activities (Keasler, 2016). 

By cultivating a positive relationship both institutions stand to gain and
provide better resources for their community members (Keasler, 2016).
They also can organize events that do not conflict one another which prevents
community members from choosing one over another. School libraries and public
libraries have the ability to purchase relative resources that effectively target
an audience. In this case, children and teenagers can reap the benefits. In a curricular
focus or during a fleeting fad public libraries have an opportunity to build a positive
relationship with community members and faculty at schools in their zone (Keasler, 2016).
This is known as capitalizing or “striking when the iron’s hot,” a metaphor for
promoting the library during events or a craze to capture an audience's attention
(Keasler, 2016). 

The coordination with schools and public libraries illustrates the importance
of teamwork in which other entities can do the same. Collection development
can be inclusive with partnership and collaboration with different organizations
that have similar objectives. In addition, the collaboration also guarantees that
resources within the library will be utilized as they are intended. Moreover, 
partnering up can also be cost effective in that school libraries and public libraries
split the cost in necessary supplies (Kealser, 2016). Whether it’s programs or
supplies  participation can boost up circulation and program success. Creating a
collaborative community can change the effectiveness of school and public libraries. 

Collaborative Resource Sharing between Public and School Libraries

Perez, Rosa

Reference: Smith, D., Shea, M., & Wu, W.N. (2014). Collaborative resource sharing between public and school libraries. Interlending & Document Supply, 42(4), 159–164. https://doi-org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/10.1108/ILDS-09-2014-0045

In this article, the authors explore the importance of collaborative resource sharing between public and school libraries. The study focused on collaborative collection development and interlibrary loans between public libraries and school libraries. The methodology used to conduct the study was a survey sent to 265 youth service librarians across the USA. The results show that the majority of the libraries involved in the study believe it is important to collaborate with their neighboring school libraries. They believe in collaboration because it helps both institutions save money and shelf space. By sharing resources the libraries can stretch their limited funding and purchase more materials and programs for patrons. Furthermore, this collaboration is a good promotional tool for public libraries. Students already use the school library but may not use the public library during school breaks because they are unaware of the programs and resources available. But through this collaboration, they are made aware of the resources they have access to during those breaks. This increased awareness increases foot traffic and usage in the public library. The school library benefits from the additional resources they can provide to their students. The collaboration is beneficial to both the public library and the school library but the ultimate beneficiaries are the patrons being supported by both institutions. 

This article reminds me of the current collaboration my school district (Anaheim Union High School District) has with the Anaheim Public Library. This connection called ACES (A Card for Every Student) allows all AUHSD students to access the Anaheim Public Library’s online resources by using their student ID card. This resource is helpful because it helps fill the digital gaps that the AUHSD libraries face. ACES allows students to access ebooks, audiobooks, databases, and homework help platforms among other resources. 

How Are Academic Institutions Innovating Under Pressure

Bimson, Amanda

Carpenter, T. A. (2020, April 7). How are Academic Institutions Innovating Under Pressure. Retrieved April 13, 2020, from https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2020/04/08/academy-innovating-under-pressure/

Carpenter did a good job defining all the pain points that colleges and universities are going through at the time of a crisis like the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020. He explained how these institutions are having more of a technology gap in such a technologically advanced time is poignant. Some institutions already had some shutdown orders in place from previous issues he used as examples, however nothing had prepared them for the magnitude of what was being thrown at them now. Once they did the quick and dirty work of determining what and how to teach, it became apparent the need for documentation and definitions were needed for not only the staff but also the students. What was shown as a positive outcome of this crisis was how the support for such a time was already there from “educational technology support organizations,” librarians, and other institutions.

Why did this connect with me? I found this intriguing for a few reasons. Firstly, the concept of online learning should be present in every institution. Not every learning organization is prepared or even has a form of online learning. But if we can take away one point from the whole of the issues that COVID has brought to light within the learning communities, it is that online learning should be incorporated into every institution. Secondly, I work for one of those “educational technology support organizations” that have stepped up and provided assistance in the wake of this global need for online learning and access to information. To see the good from inside and out of an organization adn to hear how truly helpful and how much you have contributed to a crisis of this scale is a rewarding task. Finally, focus on guide production was a useful thought. Educators right now are having so much thrown at them and they have to learn quickly or be caught in the dust of others. Guides from their organizations, with the help of others per Carpenter, are essential items to start now and update often. This situation is not going to change any right now. So these guides will be what can save them in the longer term as their institutions make business decisions about how to proceed with the future of their organizations.

The future of books in an academic library

The article Books and ebooks in an academic library discusses the perdictions the authors had about eBooks popularity in the future. The authors suggested that eBooks will become more popular by 2020 and will increase the number of academic libraries transitioning their collections to have more online materials than physical books. eBook purchases from academic libraries are increasing. The article also discusses the future of journal articles. Print articles are still continuing to be produced, however libraries and scholars are using a lot more electronic resources (Wells & Sallenbach, 2015). This has cause academic librarians to allocate their resources and use their budget to purchase more electronic resources and less physical materials.

I believe that electronic resources are becoming more popular, but they're are still a lot of people that prefer the physical copy of a book. Right now the academic library I work for is focusing their budget on electronic resources.

References

Wells, D. & Sallenbach, A. (2015) Books and ebooks in an academic library. 64:3, 168-179, DOI: 10.1080/00049670.2015.1041216

-Daly, Briana