LIBE+463+Assignment+6

=Final Reflection=

====I started this course knowing that I was moving into the teacher librarian (TL) position at my school in September. At the time I was excited but also terrified that I did not have any specific knowledge about my new job. Prior to this course, I had completed one other online course, administration of school library programs, so I knew about the different roles of the TL. However, trying to understand specifically what those roles involved and how to complete the tasks they included, was intimidating. However, there are a number of things I have learned through this course that will enable me to better complete all the different roles as TL.====

====Five items from this course that I would like to highlight as important learning for me include: 1) the importance of focusing on a specific content area as an goal when developing a collection, 2) the importance of completing a community analysis, 3) the value in completing a collection evaluation, 4) the necessity of having policy in place regarding weeding and selection, and 5) the importance of including users in the process of collection development.====

====While I would love to completely overhaul my collection (its average age is older than the middle school students it serves), as a first year TL, that is not a reasonable goal. It is reasonable, though, to pick one subject, such as science, and focus on that in the short term. This will allow me to analyze, consider and develop that one area of the collection before continuing the process in another subject area. Having the course assignments designed in the progressive manner that they were clearly illustrated to me that there is value in focusing on one subject area at a time. I was amazed by what I could accomplish in three months without being in the library. I am excited for what I should be able to accomplish in three months working in the library. Furthermore, even though I focused on one small section of the collection, I learned about other sections along the way. So, although I was focused on one subject area, as a result of the course assignments I better understand the contents of my entire collection. I learned it is beneficial to focus on small achievable goals, not just with collection development, but with all TL responsibilities as. Planning small steps will allow me to achieve my goals, feel success and stay motivated to continue to move forward.====

====I really enjoyed completing the community analysis and learned how important it is. It provided so much insight into my users, both the students and the teachers. I learned a great deal about the demographics of my city and the homes my students come from. This is important because our students are unique within our the city. I need to be mindful of that when considering all aspects of my library program, not just collection development. I also learned a great deal about my colleagues. I was interested to find out that 25% of the teachers in my school have a Master’s degree. The information from the community analysis will be important for future planning, however, I do recognize that it is also important that I repeat a community analysis periodically since students move on and teachers change schools. The community analysis was also important to consider the community surrounding the school and potential partnerships that could develop between my library program and different organizations that I had not considered before.====

====Through this course I learned the value of completing a collection evaluation. During the collection evaluation assignment I learned specifically about the different tools that can be used to gather data and information about the collection including the items contained in my collection and how students and teachers use collection materials. I realize that there is an abundance of data that can be collected; however, it is important to select different tools and methods for collection that best suit the goals of the collection evaluation. For this course I found collecting data from our automated system useful to provide an overview of the collection, however, the program was limiting and did not provide information specific enough for my purpose. Similarly, I found the information collected through user surveys valuable, however it was time consuming to tabulate by hand. In the future I would definitely investigate more efficient methods for gathering data such as using an online survey program, etc. Even though there were some challenges with collecting data, going through the process of collection evaluation allowed me to get to know what it included, but also some of the gaps. This information will be valuable for me next year.====

====The necessity of having policy in place regarding weeding and selection was illustrated through this course. Although this fact was presented in the course readings, ultimately, for me, it was emphasized during the time I was working on the weeding and selection assignments. Our district does not have formal policies on weeding and selection. However, because of the learning I had done through the course (to that point) and the policies I had reviewed from other districts, I felt I had a basic foundation to explain to others if questioned about my decisions. This did in fact occur when I was weeding the science section. By having the guidelines I was using I was able to both keep myself focused on the task (being less emotionally involved) as well as explain to two other teachers who questioned my removing books (with a publication dates in the 1980s) the rationale for my decisions. In my case, although it was not liked, my decisions were accepted and the lack of school policy was not an issue. However, these two encounters show that a TL can easily be challenged and, thus, it is important to have a policy to stand behind. It is also vital that the policy is developed by a committee so more people understand the process of weeding and selecting and, thus, are less likely to challenge decisions.====

====The final item I would like to highlight learning was not related to one specific topic, but rather a theme that ran through all topics covered in the course. I believe this is because of the importance of it and the fact that it needs to be considered in all aspects of collection development. The purpose of the collection is to support student learning (Bishop, 2007). In order to do that it needs to be relevant to the clientele in the school – appropriate to students’ abilities and supportive of teachers’ classroom activities. Thus, I learned the importance of including users in the process of collection development in a variety of ways and on a variety of levels. For example, the community analysis allowed me to consider my students in a variety of contexts I may not have otherwise considered. Likewise, the collection evaluation was more complete by considering how students currently use the collection and how it supports teacher’s classroom activities. Although for the purposes of this course I did not include students or teachers in the process of weeding, I do see value including them in the future. For example, after outlining the policy, having teachers go through a small section/shelf to determine if any books can be removed. It is also essential that I include users in the process of creating library program policy. Their input will be valuable, as well as the process will better help them understand why I make the decisions I do. Similarly, even though I will be making the final selection decisions, having student and teacher input during the process will ensure I am developing it in a manner that supports learning, and allows my users to feel a greater connection to the collection since they suggested many of the items that are included.====

====Although I have highlighted only five things I learned from this course, I learned much more. I learned specific tools to use and tips to consider for the daily tasks of collection development. I learned things about myself such as the aspects of collection development I enjoy, what I struggle with, what I am efficient at, and things I will do differently next time. I focused on one specific area of my collection for this course but I will be able to apply what I have learned to my larger collection in general. I feel fortunate that my learning in this course was not theoretical and I will be able to continue with the weeding and selection assignments that I started within my assignments. I have many books that need to be removed from the library automated system, and a few orders that will need to be made early in the school year. I am excited that next year I can expand from the science grade level I focused on in my assignments to include the other two grades in our school. I would also like to set the long term goal to focus on one subject area each year until the collection is more relevant to my users. Ultimately, I will use the process of collection development outlined in this course as a framework for maintaining my collection in a manner that best supports my users.====

====I mentioned previously that at the time I started this course I was excited about stepping into the TL role at my school but also terrified. I would say that as a result of completing this course I am now just excited about September. In addition to all the knowledge that I gained though the last three months, the most important thing I will be walking away with is my increased confidence. Although I know I will stumble through my first few years as TL (and maybe all of them), I feel more confident to be able to do the job and know I do have a toolbox of knowledge and skills I can draw from as a result.====