AASL Standard 4
Organization and Access
Candidates in school librarian preparation programs model, facilitate, and advocate for equitable access to and the ethical use of resources in a variety of formats. Candidates demonstrate their ability to develop, curate, organize, and manage a collection of resources to assert their commitment to the diverse needs and interests of the global society. Candidates make effective use of data and other forms of evidence to evaluate and inform decisions about library policies, resources, and services.
4.1 Access: Candidates use digital tools, resources, and emerging technologies to design and adapt learning experiences. Candidates engage all learners in finding, evaluating, creating, and communicating data and information in a digital environment. Candidates articulate, communicate, model, and teach digital citizenship.
4.2 Information Resources: Candidates use evaluation criteria and selection tools to develop, curate, organize, and manage a collection designed to meet the diverse curricular and personal needs of the learning community. Candidates evaluate and select information resources in a variety of formats.
4.3 Evidence-Based Decision Making: Candidates make effective use of data and information to assess how practice and policy impact groups and individuals in their diverse learning communities.
Evidence
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Required: LIS 653 CAMP Assignment
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4.1, 4.2, 4.3
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LIS 617 Passport to Multicultural Literature
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4.1, 4.2, 4.3
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How It Aligns
The LIS 617 Passport to Multicultural Literature is a Live Binder website designed to help teachers, librarians, and parents design meaningful multicultural learning experiences for students. The website includes links to well-established, trustworthy third-party websites that curate their own lists of multicultural literature for students, and examples of books in two categories (Latine and Muslim) that might be of specific interest. The website designed to help those people supporting learners find and evaluate appropriate titles, while providing access to supporting materials. While the website itself does not present new research on this topic, the third-party websites linked provide meaningful, open access evidence-based research on policy practices and impact in libraries.
The LIS 653 Collection Analysis and Management Plan is a data-driven assessment of the student population and library resources at the elementary school where I did one of my field work experiences. It includes a demographic analysis of the student population and the books available using Follett Destiny reports in part one. This school is a high-achieving, public suburban school, which over the years has seen an increasing enrollment of Indian American students. The analysis in part two focuses on books that include content related to India or the Indian experience. I found that this collection was lacking in representation of the Indian experience, and formulated a budget that would include acquisition of more resources in this area in part three. Use of student data and circulation metrics are an essential part of curating and managing a collection that serves a diverse population.
What I Learned
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How to use the Follett Destiny system to creative reliable, valid measures of overall circulation and investigate specific topics necessary for planning purposes.
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Expanded my own understanding of current student literature that addresses the Latine, Indian, and Muslim communities.
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How to document the link between a data-based finding of need and a specific collection management plan and budget in a format suitable for administration.
Impact on Students and Connection to Best Practices
The two projects described here are a Live Binder website and a collection analysis and management plan for an elementary school library, both of which pay special attention to aspects of multicultural literacy. The Live Binder is a digital tool intended to serve diverse curricular and personal needs for readers seeking texts in their own voice. The collection analysis and management plan is a data-driven report in support of planning and budget for the school library. This careful analysis of the school library collection and population supports evidence-based decision making in the school.
References
American Library Association. (2006). Evaluating library collections: An interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/evaluatinglibrary
Kennedy, E. (2023, June 1). Culturally diverse collections: Tips for a more inclusive school library. American Libraries Magazine. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2023/06/01/culturally-diverse-collections/