Standard 5.4 Strategic Planning & Assessment: Candidates make effective use of data and information to assess how the library program addresses the needs of their diverse communities.

“Two forces are successfully influencing the education of a cultivated man: art and science. Both are united in books,” –Maksim Gorky. Highly effective school library programs are those that educate students by supporting the curriculum through collection development and collaboration. After completing an evaluation of the Life Sciences/ Insect section (the 570’s of the Dewey Decimal Classification System) at my current school library, I found that an overwhelming majority of materials in this section are not in a professional selection source or Wilson’s core collection. Second grade teachers and students use materials from the Life Sciences/Insect section for daily science instruction. At the end of the insect unit, students choose an insect they would like to learn more about. Students use databases and books to research information for a paragraph and poster presentation. To evaluate this section of the collection, I created a Collection-Centered Assessment and Use-Centered Assessment. These assessments were crucial because they allowed me to evaluate the materials based on Carroll County curriculum standards and professional selection resources. Making effective use of data and information allowed me to assess how the library program addresses the needs of the diverse school community.

To support the curriculum, and adequately prepare students for the Maryland State Assessment, it is essential that students have access to a wide range of quality materials. I collected data through a collection-centered assessment. To gather my information I looked at the number of second grade students, the average number of students per class, the number of insect books available, the percentage of those books found in professional selection sources, and the average copyright date. Through my direct analysis, I found that the school library lacked a scope of a variety of insects. There were about thirty books on this topic, but not all were age appropriate for second grade readers. To provide my diverse school community with needed materials, I would be sure to include groups of various age groups and reading levels within them. Some books were at very basic levels with only 3-4 words per page. Most of the materials covered a basic range of what insects are, and lacks the details needed to research specific insects. In fact, ten books (one-third of the collection) are simply titled ‘bugs’ or ‘insects’, while seven books focus on identifying and finding insects, making it difficult for students to sufficiently find the most appropriate resources for their project. While looking at the copyright dates, many of these books dated back to the mid-90s, and to my surprise, two books were copyrighted 1988! Thirty- nine percent of the books in the insect collection were past the recommended time frame for weeding the life science books. This data shows that the school library’s 570s are in desperate need of weeding. As I reflect anew on how to remedy this issue, I would weed the majority of the older titles and all books that were not in a professional selection source. Although the recommended shelf life for the life sciences is every ten years, some of the more current books are no longer visually pleasing and are not included in retrospective professional selection sources. 

My second strategy for collecting data was a use-centered assessment. During this assessment, I evaluated how to better serve the second grade students who heavily use this section. The second grade science teacher uses books, databases and audiovisual materials each quarter. The books available in the school library are not adequate resources to support the second grade science curriculum. I decided to give an opinion survey given to all second grade students. The purpose of the survey is to gather information to see if the materials provided meet their interest and learning style. The survey asked students if they preferred to gather information through reading a book or looking it up on the computer and what types of insects they would like to know more about. Although I never had the opportunity to administer the surveys, in the future I will review the information collected in the surveys to determine my next steps for ordering. When selecting quality books, there should be a wide range of insects covered to provide more selection to cover the students’ diverse interests. I realize the importance of collecting data to evaluate the effectiveness of the library program.  Charts and diagrams like those created in my analysis will be vital when advocating for my budget to the principal.

The data collected through both assessments illustrates that this part of the library collection no longer meets the needs of the curriculum. Based on my Community Analysis, nonfiction books are popular with our elementary students. These books can provide high interest topics for lower level readers, in the upper grades as well. Fourth and fifth grade students study the environment and habitats, understanding how insects interact with the environment will build a foundation for future curricular topics. Through these assessments I was able to evaluate the materials based on Carroll County curriculum standards and professional selection resources to assess how the library program addresses the needs of the diverse school community.    

Artifact

Collection Evaluation