4.3+Collection+Management

= __**4.3 Collection Management **__ = A number of key subjects highlighted the tasks involved in collection management, especially ETL 503 ‘Resourcing the Curriculum’ and ETL 505 ‘Bibliographic Standards for Education’. Real practical experience was given through the ETL 507 placement. ETL 503’s task of developing a collection policy provided an important chance to delve deeply into the intricate details of managing a collection. The opportunity to critically analyse an existing policy in the light of relevant standards was beneficial in furthering my understanding. When reflecting on this assignment, I was very aware that I needed practical experience in understanding the management of acquisitions, cataloguing and end processing. In developing a collection, it is of utmost importance for TLs to know the context of the library completely, including the needs of users and this should remain a fundamental goal for librarians (Kennedy, 2006). A library that exists only for itself will do little to make users believe it is there as a service to them (Schrier, 2011). Addressing the needs of users should inform every decision in a school collection development policy. Providing a service attitude to users continues to be a strong, irreplaceable skill of TLs (Hassett, 2007). I learned to not view a collection as either print or digital, but as a hybrid collection (Kennedy, 2005). This addresses a varied range of learning styles. If built responsibly, the library collection can be just as inviting to users as the physical space, developing a sense of belonging for users (Mardis, 2011). Along with learning in ETL 504, this taught me not to be afraid of using the library space in different, non-traditional ways. In the search for appropriate resources, I was introduced to a variety of databases. As a classroom teacher I tend to find my own resources and rely very little on the expertise of the TL; however, ETL 503 highlighted the importance of the relationship between TL and classroom teacher in accessing and selecting more relevant and useful sources of information, including digital resources. In evaluating the collection I learned that the Library Management System (LMS) can only supply some evaluative information. Credaro (2001) suggested including user surveys give clearer solutions which makes the relationship between the users and the collection even stronger. The ETL 507 placement provided an opportunity to view a weeding program utilising information directly from users rather than from statistics provided by the LMS. With this practical example, I could analyse the benefits of using both methods to give a more rounded approach to evaluating resources and weeding the collection. ETL 505 introduced me to the fundamental organisation of the collection, something of which I have little experience. It provided the necessary initiation to cataloguing, including the importance of correctly using subject headings in producing sufficient data to support users’ ability to search and navigate (Oliver, 2010). The world of information is rapidly changing. We are overwhelmed by information (Harris, 2011) and we must be able to retrieve it proficiently through effective organisation (Taylor, 2004). To maintain efficient access for users, cataloguing must also be as sophisticated (Intner, 2011). This subject provided the essential opportunity to analyse the differences between Resource Description and Access (RDA) and Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules 2 (AACR2). The change over will filter into school libraries and it is important to understand the advantages and disadvantages. Real experience in MARC coding was given through the ETL 507 placement. I was able to manage the accession of resources from the processes of acquisition, inputing cataloguing details, including MARC codes and Library of Congress markers, using the LMS to print call numbers, apply these to the resource, and finally shelve correctly. I appreciated the importance of subject headings and appropriate cataloguing to allow users to access the resource efficiently, which is what collection management is all about.

**__References__**
Credaro, A.B. (2001). Collection evaluation in school libraries. In Warrior librarian. Retrieved January 10, 2012 from [] Harris, F. (2011). The School Librarian as Information Specialist: A Vibrant Species. Knowledge Quest, 39(5), 28-32. Hassett, B. (2007). Playing with legos in the sandbox and other uses for a library. Library Media Connection, 26(3), 24-26. Intner, S.S. (2011). More RDA: The language. Technicalitites, 31(3), 8-11. Kennedy, J. (2005). A collection development policy for digital resources? The AustralianLibrary Journal, 54(3). Retrieved from [] <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; vertical-align: super;">Kennedy, J. (2006). Collection management: A concise introduction (rev. ed.). Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; vertical-align: super;">Mardis, M. (2011). A big vision depends on a long memory: One professor’s take on 21st-century school libraries. School Library Monthly, 27(6), 45-47. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; vertical-align: super;">Oliver, C. (2010). Introducing RDA: A guide to the basics. Retrieved from Ebook Library. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; vertical-align: super;">Schrier, R.A. (2011). Digital librarianship & social media: The digital library as conversation facilitator, D-Lib Magazine, 17(7/8) July/August 2011. Retrieved from @http://dlib.org/dlib/july11/schrier/07schrier.html <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; vertical-align: super;">Taylor, A. (2004). Organization of recorded information. In The Organization of Information (2nd ed.). (pp. 1-24). Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">4.2 Information Literacy
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