LIBE 463 - Collection Evaluation Report

 

LIBE 463 – Assignment #2 – Collection & Evaluation Report

Collection Mapping

·       Evaluating the collection is important for reflecting on current activities and prioritizing current work.

·       Evaluation should include a range of quantitative and qualitative techniques in which the program level and user-level impacts are examines on an ongoing basis.

·       Evaluation is also a means of communicating the library’s importance for al stakeholder’s

(Mardis, 169) 

When reviewing resources Riedling reminds us that "printed resources are often considered to be out of date before they reach the student. All sources should be checked for currency" (24). This is especially necessary for us to remember when reviewing non-fiction resources that students utilize for research and inquiry projects. Table 5 is taken out of Achieving Information Literacy: Standards for School Library Programs in Canada. It outlines the guidelines for book collection per number of students. Mardis also reminds us that “generally a school library should have at least 10 books per student” (117).

Circulation Reports

2019-01-07 to 2021-01-04

 

Collection Statistics

-        There are 17,541 books in our library collection.

-        With 569 students there are about 30 books per student.

-        The largest section of our library includes the fiction section which is made up of 5,506 items (31.39%%).

-        The second largest section is the easy reader section (picture books) which contains 3,553 items (20.26%).

-        This year was a high year for circulation with 46,154 items.

-        The highest circulating section is the easy readers section (32.32%).

-        The average age of books in the collection is 16 years (2005).  

Qualitative Data

“In recent years collection mapping has been one of the most popular evaluation techniques used by school librarians” (Mardis, 176). For this report I will be creating a mini-map of a selection of books from my school Library.

To complete this part of my selection it will necessary for me to be familiar with the curriculum and standards. For this selection of books, I will be narrowing in on the Grade 7 Science Curriculum and specifically looking at the Big Idea of “Evolution by natural selection provides an explanation for the diversity and survival of living things” (B.C. Curriculum). The content students are expected to learn include the following:

·       Organisms have evolved over time

o   change in traits of populations over time

·       Survival Needs

o   all organisms need space, food, water, and access to resources in order to survive

·       Natural Selection

o   the natural process by which certain traits that have a greater fitness for their environment lead to a reproductive advantage; this process happens within a population over time because of genetic variation

https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/science/7

The following is my review of the 576.

Section #	576
Copies	14
Average Age	~ 2006
Circulation	23.16%

 

Call 576 - Reviewed Book List

Title	Year Published
Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution By: Steve Jenkins	2002
Usborn: Genes & DNA	2003
Darwin and evolution for kids: his life and ideas By: Kristan Lawson	2003
Our Family Tree: an evolution story By: Lisa Westberg	2003
Eyewitness Books: Evolution	2009
Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be By: Daniel Loxton	2010
Evolution: the story of life on Earth By: Hosler, Jay	2011
Evolution revolution (2 copies)	2016
How have animals evolved and adapted? By: Jennifer A. Swanson	2016
Early Life on Earth	2018
One Day a Dot By: Ian Lendler	2018

In our school we utilize the Dewey Decimal Classification to organize our non-fiction books. The 500 section houses all the books that cover the topic of Science. It is interesting to note that according to circulation statistics our 500-599 section is the third most circulated section of our school library with a circulation percentage of 19.16%. The shelf which stores the 576 selection is extremely cramped as it holds books that cover other science topics as well. Overall, what I have noticed is that the non-fiction shelves are overflowing with books, which makes it incredibly difficult for students to browse the books easily. When students are browsing in the library they rarely move towards the non-fiction section. When a book is taken off the shelf it is difficult to put back due to the minimal amount of room on each shelf. Students are also not well versed in using the Dewey Decimal Classification to locate non-fiction titles. To help students with the location of non-fiction books we have pulled some books off the shelf and placed them on the top of the bookcase to indicate what can be found on the shelving below. The shelf of the 576 section took up a small amount of shelf space, housing only 14 books. This is problematic because evolution is a main topic and big idea in the Grade 7 curriculum and our school has 4 Grade 6/7 classes. Unfortunately, this selection of books is not even enough to house a class set of book copies. Looking closer at the age of the books it should be noted that only 27% of the titles in the 576 section were published in the last 5 years. This material is not circulating regularly off the shelf and it should also be noted that the books are primarily signed out by teachers for classroom use, this could mean that the books are not interesting to students and are just used to meet learning standards. Overall the books are well kept with no noticeable physical damage. Almost all the books were in colour and housed vivid visuals. Weeding Guidelines and De-selection Criteria (2017) recommends weeding books over the age of 10 in the 500 section of the Dewey classification. Although the books average to be around 15 years (2005) of age, information about evolution has not had a major shift and thus most of the information is still up to date. Science books always have specialized words and information thus when looking through the books I found them easy to use with information that is well organized and presented.

Evaluation Report

Strengths

-        Each book in the collection appears to be in good physical condition.

-        The visuals in the book are eye catching, there are many colourful photographs in each book and on every page.

-        The information in the book is still up to date.

-        There is diversity in the reading material which can meet the needs of a diverse readership.

o   Three picture books - “One Day a Dot” (2018), “The Family Tree” (2003), “Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution” (2002)

o   Graphic Novel - titled “Evolution the Story of Life on Earth” (2011).

-        Multiple kids can be signed out from our District Learning Resource Center (DLRC) which matches the topic of Evolution.

-        Along with these physical resources, students also have access to student friendly electronic databases such as World Book Kids and National Geographic Kids.

Weaknesses

-        The collection houses only 14 books, however we have 4 Grade 6/7 classes.

-        The average age of the collection is 15 years old (2006).

-        There are no e-books available for this topic.

-        No video resources available for the topic.

-        We do not have any specific websites or articles for students on our school library website designated to the topic of evolution. 

-        None of the resources have a First Nations author or reflect a First People’s perspective on the topic of evolution.

Recommendations

In conclusion, this subset of the collection needs to undergo some further collection development. There is a noticeable lack of resources to support the Grade 7 Science Curriculum and the Big Idea “Evolution by natural selection provides an explanation for the diversity and survival of living things” (B.C. Curriculum). To improve this collection one of the first steps will be to weed out older books and then order further resources for the collection. Some children’s picture books that could be added to the collection include:

·       Grandmother Fish by Jonathan Tweet

·       How Jackrabbit Got His Very Long Ears by Heather Irbinskas

·       From Lava to Life (Book Two): The Universe Tells Our Earth Story by Jennifer Morgan

·       Older Than the Stars by Karen C. Fox

·       The Story of Life: A First Book about Evolution by Catherine Barr

As our students are learning to become readers of information it will be necessary to continue teaching them about gathering information online. Students can benefit from a list of recommended websites such as the one below. We must keep in mind that students need to access information that is at their reading level so they do not reach their frustration level quickly.  

·       Big Five Mass Extinction Events

·       kidinfo.com

·       bbc.com

·       brititshmuseum.org

·       pbs.org

·       si.edu

·       wonderopolis.com

To provide further support for teachers and students who are studying this unit the teacher-librarian could add a section of the video links to their online website which provides useful information on the topic of evolution. Keep in mind there are many videos on evolution, fossils and extinction however some are not language appropriate for Grade 7 students and you will need to watch the videos ahead of time to make sure they are right for your students. Some useful videos include:

·       Bill Nye: Evolution

o   https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=svHQ4BQY__o

o   https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=QECq6M3nPew

·       Adaptive Radiation: Finches

o   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v =Fl4iCDYYot8

·       Evolution 101

o   https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/nvev-sci-evolution101/nova-evolution-lab-evolution-101/

·       Darwin: Reluctant Rebel

o   https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.evo.darrebel/darwin-reluctant-rebel/

·       4.5 Billion Years in 24 Hours

o   http://dovga.com/video/2333/the-evolution-of-lifeon-earth/educational

·       What is Evolution?

o   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhHOjC4oxh8&ab_channel=StatedClearly

·       What is Natural Selection?

o   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SCjhI86grU&ab_channel=StatedClearly

Further material that could be added to the collection includes material that represents First Nations ways of knowing and eBooks. Although the 576 call section of the library is small it is in a good starting place to start implementing changes and growing the collection.

Reflection

This assignment has made me reflect on how we do not really know the breadth and depth of our collection until we take the time and effort to make a plan and evaluate it. In the future when I step into my first job as a teacher librarian it will undoubtedly be important to set a plan in place for evaluation. This is especially true when going into a new building where I might not be familiar with everything and everyone. Our collections job is to serve the needs of its users, while our job as a teacher librarian is to make sure it does so. Mardis reminds us that “several techniques can be used to evaluate school library collections” (185). In any evaluation it is important to use both qualitative and quantitative measures and “two or more methods can be utilized together to obtain meaningful results” (Mardis, 185). There were different methods I utilized when creating an evaluation of the collection.

One of the first and simplest methods I utilized was to examine the collection directly. “A physical examination of materials can reveal the size, scope and depth of a collection. An assessment of the timelines of materials and their physical condition can help identify which items need to be mended, repaired, bound, replaced, removed or discarded” (Mardis, 173).  When observing the non-fiction shelves in the school I noticed that they were mostly full and not many books seem to be taken out regularly. The overall binding of the books also seemed to be in good condition especially in the 576 section which I observed more closely. The next step to take was to perform an age analysis. Although it is difficult for one number to represent the whole collection, an age analysis could be done for chunks or sections of the library at a time. In my case I performed an age analysis of a selection of books from the 576 section and noticed that the average age was around 2006. This information could help us when figure out which parts of a section need to be updated first. I found this the easiest evaluation to perform since it was quick to calculate the average. The collection mapping technique which was utilized at the beginning of the assignment was the hardest for me to compile since I did not have the access to use a library system. At the moment we do not have a district teacher librarian and thus circulation data and statistics about collection breadth, depth and size was difficult to locate. I had to reach out to a number of people before I was able to locate information that could help me. However, I do believe that the collection mapping evaluation is valuable in creating a larger overview of the whole collection. Since I was familiar with the section of the curriculum I was utilizing I did find the mini-map experience useful as it zoned in on a smaller part of the library collection and gave me and overview of what changes could be made to the specialized collection. “Often the areas selected correspond with particular areas of the curriculum; therefore it is important to have knowledge about the curriculum. Frequently curriculum mapping is performed prior to collection mapping. To make certain that a collection meets the needs of a school, a librarian should relate the collection mapping to local, state, and national standards.” (Mardis, 177). I enjoy that the collection map is easy to read, follow and understand but it also quickly shows the strengths and weaknesses of the collection. Another useful evaluation technique was to perform a circulation study. Mardis states that the “analysis of circulation data can help you examine the collection as a whole, or any part of it, in terms of publication data, subject, or user group. You can use this information to identify (1) low-usage materials, which may be ready to be removed from the collection; (2) high-usage materials, which may be titles to duplicate; (3) patterns of use in selected subject areas or by format; and (4) materials favoured by specific user groups” (179).  For this assignment it was difficult to locate circulation data as I had to reach out to a number of people to help locate this information. Circulation data is useful because it shows how well the collection is utilized and thus if it is supporting the curriculum.

I understand that although it is my job to oversee the evaluation of a collection it is also helpful to have input from staff and students. When given more time in the future I would also like to try and utilize the user-opinion survey. In this more systemic and formal method I could hope to create a user survey’s for both teachers and students which could give me valuable feedback about gaps or needs about my collection. Keep in mind that “User opinions can [also] be gathered informally to help identify users' needs. Examples of informal surveys are asking students as they check out materials whether they found what they wanted and recording their answers” (Mardis, 180). As a reminder it is important to keep in mind how we word our questions so we can avoid showing biases however this method can also take a long time, so it is not recommended if you need to complete a weeding job quickly. Another method that I have seen used in the past are shelf-availability studies. In this case the teacher librarian would “hand out a brief questionnaire that asks [users] to identify [any] titles that they could not find” (Mardis, 180). I think this is a very useful method although it may take a lot of time. To make your library welcoming it could be beneficial to have this questionnaire available as an exit slip close to the library door, so users remember to fill it out.

References:

Curriculum.gov.bc.ca. (2018). Science 7 | Building Student Success - BC's New Curriculum. [online] Available at: https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/science/7 [Accessed 9 Feb. 2021]

Mardis, Marcia. The Collection Program in Schools: Concepts and Practices, 6^th Edition (Library and Information Science Text) (p. 35). ABC-CLIO. Kindle Edition.

Riedling, Ann; Houston, Cynthia. Reference Skills for the School Librarian: Tools and Tips, 4th Edition. ABC-CLIO. Kindle Edition.

School District, Langley. Weeding Guidelines and De-Selection Criteria, SD#35, 2017.