I am going to preface this saying that personal, online reflection is not a strong point of mine. I prefer pen and paper over anything else which has made writing my own blog and forum posts a challenge. I hope to do an adequate job, here, showing my understanding of the subject content and how it affects the future. In order to do this, I will be answering the following three areas:

1. The role and nature of school library collections;
2. The importance of a Collection Development Policy as a strategic document; and,
3. How a Collection Development Policy assists in future proofing the collection.
   
   

A school library collection is important to any school regardless of its context as public or private, primary or secondary. A school library collection needs to fulfil a wide range of needs, from fiction to non-fiction resources, digital and physical formats and what level they are appropriate for and whether they suit the needs and context of the school (International Federation of Library Associations, 2015, p. 32).

When developing the collection, there needs to be input from teaching staff, especially when looking for teacher specific resources (Hong, 2019). While a Teacher Librarian makes every effort to become knowledgeable in all areas across the curriculum (both Australian Curriculum and South Australian Certificate of Education, in my case. The Year Eleven and Twelve curriculum, may vary from state-to-state), there are small nuances that they may overlook and the teaching staff in that area can pick it up.

Students also play a role in the development of the collection by recommending areas or themes that they would like to see more of. Students can also give their input by simply having a conversation with the Teacher Librarian about a recent book that they are reading or have heard is good or even by saying something as simple as “the library looks boring” (Spigt, 2019).

By simply keeping conversations going with teaching staff and students, Teacher Librarians can learn a lot about what is required within a collection or what areas need improving. However, while recommendations can (and should) be made, how is the collection governed; giving the final “yes” or “no” when deciding what to include?

The school library collection is governed by a Collection Development Policy; which outlines the requirements and selection criteria for the collection. This document is vital to the successful implementation of collection development and management and helps the Teacher Librarian keep the collection current, relevant and true to its purpose and needs (Johnson, 2009, p. 16).

The Collection Development Policy is a (and if it is not, it should be*) a requirement of all school libraries or resource centres; with all staff that work within the library knowledgeable about the contents of the document. I believe that sections of the document should be reviewed annually; with a larger review occurring every three to five years. These policies are evolving to include digital content outside of websites or journals but to now include videos, music and mobile device applications.

A Collection Development Policy is also in place in order to “future proof” the collection. This, in part, segues into copyright which all staff (Teacher Librarian or not) should be aware and mindful of. If copyright is taken into account when acquiring resources (especially digital) for the school collection, plagiarism could occur and this means that the Teacher Librarian is not displaying appropriate conduct for the students. We, as Teacher Librarians, have to be mindful of our own personal censorship due to personal bias, as mentioned in a blog post by another student in this topic (Keogh, 2019).

Libraries also are becoming less ‘book central’ with the inclusion of computer labs or areas to charge students own devices. Many are also including 3D printers in that area to make it a truly multi-functional space. Teacher Librarians are becoming more and more diverse in their skill set and this is something that should be encouraged within both study and work.

Overall, I have learnt an incredible amount over the course of this semester and while I have been lax with my own blog posts, I have found the discussions with fellow students and their own posts incredibly enlightening.

*Outside of study and retail work, I work within an Out of School Hours Care and many believe that the school does not have a Collection Development Policy.
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References
Hong, C. (2019). Collection Development Responsibility [Blog]. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/librarianbecausebookwizardisntanofficialtitle/2019/05/14/42/
International Federation of Library Associations. 2015. IFLA School Library Guidelines.
Johnson, P. (2018). Fundamentals of collection development and management (4th ed.). Chicago: ALA Editions.
Keogh, C. (2019). Censorship [Blog]. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/teacherlibrariancordelia/2019/05/22/censorship/
Spigt, J. (2019). Collaborator, Steward and Thinker [Blog]. Retrieved from http://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jannet/2019/04/08/59/

When it comes to this reflective practice blog post, I feel that I will fall short and not be truly effective. I have struggled with being reflective publicly during this semester, and therefore have not posted much in the way of weekly forums or blog posts. This is something that I hope to improve on as I continue my study.

Information Literacy is defined by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals as “Information literacy is the ability to think critically and make balanced judgements about any information we find and use. It empowers us as citizens to reach and express informed views and to engage fully with society” (2016). To generalise it, this means that we look at the information in front of us and decide not just how we should use it but how we can do so with the wider community (whether that be the workplace, school or family) in mind. One thing that needs to be kept in mind, is how students access the information. Those with dyslexia or dysgraphia, in particular, can struggle to comprehend the information adequately due to struggles with their level of literacy comprehension. A Teacher Librarian can assist the students by working with the subject teachers to locate resources that are literacy level appropriate, subject appropriate and engaging for the students. They can also work with teachers to help students to scaffold their learning. This leads one to different Information Literacy Models.

It should be made clear that Information Literacy Models do not refer to programs that concentrate on merely teaching the Information Literacy skills. The Models are meant to take the skills to the next level and produce high quality work that show creativity and thought.

There are many different Information Literacy Models, however the New South Wales Information Search Process (NSW ISP) and Guided Inquiry Design Process (GIDP) are the ones I’ll be commenting on here. NSW ISP utilises the different stages of inquiry learning; “defining, locating, selecting, organising, presenting and assessing” (New South Wales Department of Education, 2019), in order to help students increase their Information Literacy skills to a high level. Students are encouraged to move back and forth between stages as their research and inquiry progress. The GIDP, in comparison, has the stages of “open, immerse, explore, identify, gather, create, share and evaluate” (Caspari, Kuhlthau & Maniotes, 2019). This too, helps students to bring their Information Literacy skills to a high level; however, I feel that it (GIDP) opens students to the idea of it in a more gentle manner. I feel that the GIDP allows students more freedom to begin their inquiry by immersing themselves in the topic before identifying what they require in the way of research. NSW ISP, on the other hand, seems to “throw” the students in the deep end by asking of them in the first stages of the process what they require in the way of information.

The Teacher Librarian role within Inquiry learning is varied. They are a support person for the teacher and for the student when it comes to research and resource acquisition. They can help both parties gain access to areas that they otherwise could not. They can help scaffold learning and make the Inquiry process more accessible for students that have learning disabilities or other factors that impact their ability to fully participate in the Inquiry learning.

I have learnt a lot over this semester in ETL401 and while my reflective practice my not necessarily reflect it; I hope that I am able to somewhat convey my understanding of the subjects content.
 
References
Caspari, A., Kuhlthau, C., & Maniotes, L. (2019). GID – Guided Inquiry Design. Retrieved from https://guidedinquirydesign.com/gid/
CILIP Information Literacy Group. (2016). Definitions & models – Information Literacy Website. Retrieved from https://infolit.org.uk/definitions-models/
New South Wales Department of Education. (2019) Information Search – North Sydney Public School. Retrieved from https://nthsyddem-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/learning-at-our-school/library/information-process.html

​If anyone has any questions, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment!

Two blog posts in one night, lucky people! I’m a night owl and have decided to get these typed up and posted so I don’t stress out about them any more than what I already have.

For the record, I do not advocate swearing or foul language in something to go online (especially if it could potentially be assessed – sorry Judy and Lori!) but the title fits this post.

This semester has kicked my ass.

I’ve just finished my four-year undergraduate degree which was completed internally. I was face-to-face with classmates and tutors every week. I was hounded every week, constantly reminded about homework and what was due the following week. I had a routine of a one-hour bus trip, coffee, class, lunch, class, one-hour bus trip home. Work, prepare for the next class, repeat.

Now, I’m a Master’s student, studying online for the first time and well on the way to earning that make-believe gold in procrastination.  I’ve struggled to find a routine that works, I’ve struggled with keeping up and I’ve found that emails are fairly easy to ignore (before typing this up, I cleared out my emails, ninety unread in my inbox and I’m not willing to admit how many were CSU … oops!).

I have, however, worked out that I am still good at all-nighters and at cramming. I’ve found that I HATE timezones with a passion and that I’m being pushed in new ways to actually get work done.
In amongst all of this, I’m enjoying it. I’m glad that I have only two subjects, I’m slowly getting a routine that works and while it still means I drink way too much coffee to wake up properly (night owl over here); I’m getting caught up. I’m starting assignments (still miss the one thousand word ones of my undergrad!), before they’re due and I actually (kinda!) know what I am doing!

I guess what I am trying to say is that I’m learning more than just being a Teacher Librarian. I’m learning that my partner can easily bribe me with Krispy Kreme doughnuts to get my work done. I’m learning my new routine and that cleaning the entire house does not get work done.
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And I’m also learning that I should not be drafting blog posts at 11: 11pm on a Tuesday night. Time for sleep folks!

I’m someone who hates putting things into writing on a laptop/device – especially if it is something like a blog. I mean, who wants to read the vitriol that inevitably comes out of my mouth?

Even with my study, first, in my Bachelor’s degree (officially a Flinders grad now!) and, today in my Master’s degree, I still print off stuff then scribble all over it; rather than annotating it online or in a Word document.

During my Professional Experience Placements (or Prof. Ex.), I had two different experiences. My first required hand-written drafts. The students would type them up them print them off and I would start drafting by hand. I loved it, I thrived with the handwritten drafting. Generally, I would use either a blue or red pen in order to make my annotations and thoughts more visible. My second placement required that all drafts were completed on the computer. My mentor teacher gave me the proforma to use and I followed that fairly well. I did learn quite a bit while using it too; but I felt that doing it all online, in a Word document, was impersonal. I could churn out two or three in around an hour depending on the number of errors, clarity and length of the piece. I also found myself struggling to stay focused on the screen while drafting assignments. As a Pre-Service Teacher, I struggled with drafting online and as a student, I hate it.

I still now, will type up my assignment, put it in 1.5-2.0 spacing and print it off and draft it. This blog post is being written at 10.45pm on the 7th of May 2019 in a notebook. I’ll type it up tomorrow (8th May) and post it.

(Quick side note here: I had full intentions of typing it up then but then got sidetracked by assignments. Assignments won out over typing up the blog posts.)

I find with reflective pieces of writing, that pen and paper is the way to go for me. It’s tactile and I can formulate my thoughts better because I’m not stopping to double check myself. I’m not being distracted by Facebook or Instagram (however, you can bet whatever you like that when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announce the name of their son, I’ll be looking on social media!). It’s just me, my thoughts, pen and paper.
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So why the little blog posts? Partly, life is nuts. Two jobs, study, plus other commitments. But also my thoughts on the modules aren’t on the computer; they’re on paper. In a notebook which  I will type up and share but they’re not drafted and polished which annoys me; but I guess it helps with the reflection, right? Raw, unedited, real and (hopefully!) show what I have learnt.