I feel that collection development becomes, to some extent, a reflection of the librarian in charge. So many factors play into the books that are chosen for any given library.
My collection was passed on to me by a wonderfully talented and amazing librarian and all around great lady - Jane Amtmann. I used to joke and tell Jane that I wanted to be her when I grew up. Jane knew her collection. I mean really KNEW her collection. She could point to where a book would be, suggest another book you may never have thought of and knew the Dewey Decimal System blindfolded. She never left the building without her circulation desk being cleared. In addition to that, she was well traveled. She was also a member of the Maryland Black Eyed Susan book selection committee for many years. This is our state book award. Jane loved (and probably still does) books.
When it became obvious (to Jane, my principal and I) that Jane would be retiring midyear, she was gracious enough to share with me her way of doing things without ever making me feel as if changing anything she had in place would be a big no-no. She shared the hows and whys of the way she set up the library and the procedures she had put into place. It was much like being a student teacher again. Having a safety net already in place meant flying solo wasn't so scary. I also was blessed to move from a classroom to the library within the same school. This meant many of the students in the upper grades were former students of mine and it was exciting to see how they had grown since kindergarten.
But just like getting your own classroom, getting your own library means putting part of you into the space. While you share it with students and faculty, it is still the librarian's domain and the content within is curated and maintained by the librarian. The buck stops here so to speak. So I did make some changes in the remaining months in which I was the librarian. Happily, when Jane visited at the end of the year, she was gracious in her praise.
Each librarian has their own approach to building a collection and no two collections are the same. Imagine if you will, a row of brand new townhomes all built to spec. On paper, the dimensions and shapes and structures are the same. But when you walk in the door, you see the personalities of those who live there. Different colored walls, floor coverings and even the use of each space within the home. Each librarian's collection is based on standards for collection development as dictated by their school system and national standards. But they are also based upon the librarian's personality and, in the hands of a skilled librarian, the personalities of the population they serve.
Jane loved Black Eyed Susan books. She purchased many copies of each year's offerings to ensure that students had an opportunity to read them. Her collection was arranged to reflect how she circulated books (particularly to her youngest patrons). I have been in libraries where collections were dominated by Everybody books. I have also been in libraries where there seemed to be no more space available on any shelf in the Nonfiction section. Clearly, these libraries reflected the personalities of the librarians.
So as I sat to order my books for this year, just like in previous years, I factored in many things.
1) What did my students say THEY wanted to read about? What books and authors did they think were missing from our collection?
2) What books did teachers ask for throughout the year?
3) What books were in my new curriculum that were missing from my collection?
4) What were the deficits showing in my Titlewave analysis?
5) What books were on the "best books" lists that always circulate at the end of the calendar year?
But this year, I also had a secret weapon. I had my genrefied library! SCORE! How easy it was to look at a shelf and see that ALL the jokes books were, yet again, checked out. Additional joke books ordered - check! I could quickly move about the library in the Fiction and Nonfiction sections and note the shelves that were looking lean, see what books were being checked out ALOT and what sections had books that still weren't moving despite my merchandising and the genrefication. That told me that the books in that section were not appealing in some manner. Those very same books may be a hit in a library just down the beltway. But for my students, the interest is not sparked.
Finally, I order thinking about certain students. I think about that student that LOVES Stella Batts. Did I get the latest book for her? And those boys who check out military books EVERY week. Did I order some new books for them to keep them reading? Can I find some military fiction appropriate for my students? I've noticed an upswing in checkouts in the mystery fiction section. What can I get for that section?
I also have to think about quality literature vs. what kids want to read. Those two things are not mutually exclusive. There are many wonderful books that have stood the test of time and that students still fall in love with on a daily basis. It thrills my little reader heart when I see a child fall in love with Laura Ingalls Wilder's books because those books hold such a special place in my life and I have such fond memories of reading them as a child. But I would argue that Captain Underpants is just as important to some child and that one day, some of my students will grow up and tell their children that they remember reading Captain Underpants when they were in elementary school. For the record, LOVE Captain Underpants because he makes reluctant readers into happy readers.
I was a member of a book award selection committee comprised of school librarians and public librarians. What an eye opening experience! I felt like, to some extent, we were speaking two different languages. It took one meeting where someone said, "Is our goal "quality" literature or literature that will make kids want to be readers?" That was the main crux of our dissention. The school librarians wanted kids to READ. We wanted them to read anything and everything. So we voted for books like Who's Butt? by Stan Tekiela. Why? Because it says "butt" in the title, has amazing photographs, easy text and facts about each unusual animal as well as insight into being a wildlife photographer.
I also realize that I have a lot of power as a librarian. Book talking a book can make it zoom off the shelf. But if it isn't truly appealing, it won't leave the shelf again after the first round of checkouts. I have to make sure I am buying for them. What they will read and what they don't even know they want to read yet. And as they say, you win some and you lose some. I have some books I was SURE kids would love and they fell flat.
So I have pushed send on my order and I, and the students, will await the big white boxes of books hoping that I have more hits than misses. Waiting is so hard.....
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