Assignment 3: LIBE 463 Collection Evaluation Report

Introduction

I decided to explore the 300s section of the Frost Road Elementary collection and have targeted in on the shelf which contains materials about recycling and the environment. I also investigated some materials in the 500s and 600s sections which related to the topic of the environment. I also examined some materials in the Easy section and the 700s, section which were arts and crafts materials as they related to the environment. I kept in mind the needs of my students and the following PLO’s as I perused these materials:

E2 demonstrate responsible behaviour in caring for their immediate and school environments (Grade 1)

- demonstrate care and concern for the environment in their actions (e.g., reduce, reuse, recycle; avoid disturbing plants and animals during nature walks)

- describe ways they care for their environment at home (e.g., putting away their toys, helping with household chores, recycling)

E2 describe their responsibility to the local environment (grade 2)

- contribute to class discussions about environmental issues (e.g., pollution, over-use of non-renewable resources)

Quantitative Data:

I was able to access the “Destiny” system on the TL’s computer in the library at Frost Road Elementary to run some reports to help me evaluate the collection. The first report I created was to identify the materials in the collection related to recycling and the environment and the dates they were published. This search revealed that there were 25 materials in the collection related to this topic. I totalled up the publishing dates for all of these titles and divided it by the number of materials in the collection and found that the average age of the materials is 9 years old, (published in 2002). The range of publishing dates was 1989 – 2010. According to the guidelines handout we have been given in class this means that in general the collection falls within the acceptable 5-10 year range but it is coming close to the end of it. This tells me that the collection is on its way to becoming older and purchasing newer materials will need to be considered soon. Of these 25 materials, about half of them were purchased within the last five years with five of those resources purchased within the past three years. This makes me think that the TL in this school appears to in the process of updating her collection to keep it current. An examination of the older materials in the section will need to be done to see if they need to be weeded to keep the collection current.

I also created two reports showing the circulation statistics for these materials – one within the past 3 years and one within the past 5 years. I referred to our circulation guide in choosing these dates. The Surrey Teacher Librarian Handbook also has a guide which I referred to as well. From examining these reports, I notice that overall there is a low circulation rate amongst these materials. In the past three years, most (84%) of the materials have only been circulated once or twice with only five materials more than that.  In the past five years, the materials have been signed out an average of 7 times. This makes me ask why these resources are not being circulated and further investigation will be required. Some things I would consider are the location, accessibility, and display of the resources. As well I might want to consult with the teachers to get their perspective on why the materials are not being used. Perhaps they have their own resources and so students are not accessing these? Perhaps this aspect of their curriculum is not a big focus for them? I notice that the arts and crafts books related to the environment have declined in circulation over the two time samplings. This might indicate that it is time to weed some of those older craft books that are no longer being used. All of the materials have been circulated at least once. I also notice that the Easy books have a much higher circulation that the fact books. This might indicate a need for more picture books on this topic. Perhaps pairing up a fact book along with an easy book and advertising them together will increase interest in the latter type of book. There were only three videos which had only been circulated two times each so before ordering more I would check with classroom teachers to see if there is a need for it. Or perhaps a really good quality video is required.

Qualitative Data:

My first observation is that the collection is well organized. There is room on every shelf to easily remove and return materials from. The materials looked new and appealing. There were no materials that were falling apart or had any other apparent problems.

The teacher resource collection had the following pros and cons:

1)      Con - it is stored in the main part of the library right along with the regular collection.  This might be more difficult for a classroom teacher to access during the day because his or her students are in the library during their prep time. It will be difficult for the teacher to focus on getting what he or she needs because of the potential for a lot of interruptions from students who will be working right alongside her in this shared space.

2)      Pro – having the professional resources stored within the library might will help the TL to be aware (if he or she isn’t already) that a teacher is searching for resources on a topic of study and can then can be of assistance to find more resources for that topic or possibly open the door for collaboration. If the professional resources are stored outside of the library, the TL will miss this opportunity to notice what a teacher is searching for.

3)      Con – there were no books in the professional collection on the environment and the collection that is there appears dated.

There are only three videos on the topic of the environment and they have a low circulation rate. Having some current and high interest videos or digital content might be an area of need for this library.

The books that were on the shelves were for the most part, very good books for the age range of the students I am targeting. Most of the books had lots of wonderful visuals and text features and not an overwhelming amount of text. Most of the pictures could stand alone and information could be gathered simply from looking at the pictures. This is something that would be very beneficial given the high ESL population in the school who might have more limited English language skills. There was only one duplicate material and the materials addressed a spectrum of concepts related to the environment. From examining the materials on the shelves it appears that this TL has done a conscientious job of weeding out MUSTY materials and ordering materials that are appropriate to the needs of the students in the school. Below are two pictures that illustrate these good resources:

Collection Mapping:

I was unable to run a report showing the total collection as it compares to the collection about the environment. However, from visually scanning the shelves I am able to estimate that the percentage of materials on the topic of the environment within the library is very low (it only took up about half a shelf). Given that in general these materials have a low circulation rate this might be appropriate to the needs of the library given the reports I have run and conclusions I have made mentioned already. Further investigation with teachers and accessing the TL in the library who might be able to access that report would be helpful in confirming this. I have made a table of some of the resources to show my collection mapping:

Collection Map for books under the theme of Recycling:

Resources	Date	Circ: 2009-2011	Call #	To Keep or Not to Keep?
50 Recycled Crafts for Kids	1996	2 checkouts since 2009	745.5ELL	Keep - but possibly weed soon – check with teachers
The Amazing Paper Book	1989	no circulation	676 BOU	Weed
Reducing and Recycling Waste	2005	4 check outs in 5 years	363.72 INS	Keep – relates to curric
Recycling Materials	2008	4 check outs in 5 years	363.72	Keep – exc graphics
Celebrating Earth Day	1992	no circulation	676 GAR	Weed
The Recycling Book	1991	no circulation	745.5 MAC	Weed
Reducing Garbage	2005	3 checkouts in five years	363.728BAR	Keep – exc for ESL
Reducing, Reusing, & Recycling	1990	2 checkouts in five years	628.4 KAL	Weed
Paper	2001	2 checkouts in three years	676 OXL	Keep – exc for ESL
Composting	2007	4 check outs in 5 years	631.8 KOO	Keep
Waste and Recycling	1990	no circulation	363.72 INS	Weed
Plastic	2001	1 check out in 3 years	668.4 OXL	Keep – exc for ESL
Earth Friendly Waste Management	2009	1 check out in 3 years	363.728 WIL	Keep
This is My Planet	2007	9 check outs in 5 years	363.738THO	Keep

Summary of Findings:

In general, the environmental section of Frost Road Elementary’s collection has materials in it that are in good physical shape and they are organized for easy access on the shelves. The collection has many very good materials in it that are geared toward the needs of the students, particularly the high ESL population. However the collection is getting old. The circulation rate is low for the majority of these materials.

Quantitative:

-          48% of the materials in the section were published within the past five years. 72% of the materials were published within the last eight years. 28% of the materials are nine or more years ago.

-          84% of the materials have only been circulated once or twice. 100% of the materials in the section have been circulated at least once.

Qualitative:

-          Many of the items in the collection were very good resources that were suitable to the needs of the students. The materials had lots of engaging images and text features and it wasn’t too text-heavy. Many of the pictures could stand alone and information could be gathered just from those without having to rely on the text as much. This might be beneficial to the diverse and high ESL population within the school.

Reflection:

This was a very useful activity for me to complete as I feel that it gave me a chance to have a “hands on” chance to apply some of the things we have been learning in class. I can see that with more experience this process of evaluating resources will become easier and more intuitive. I have to say that I really enjoyed my first impression of this school library and found it exciting to think that one day I could manage a library such as the one I examined. I was impressed by the picture I got through the school’s website of the partnership between the PAC and the Teacher Librarian. It appears to me that the TL at Frost Road Elementary does a good job of selecting resources for her library and keeping them organized and current. I have been inspired and will keep this with me if I attain a position as a TL.

A sampling of some of my reports: