School Library Analysis
5.4 Strategic Planning and Assessment
Candidates make effective use of data and information to assess how the library program addresses the needs of their diverse communities. Description
This product is a comprehensive collection analysis which looks at how the library collection meets the needs of the school population. Using census data and interviews, I provided background information about the student population and the community. Then using circulation reports and physical inspection of the collection, I described the strengths and weaknesses of the collection. Analysis Without a community analysis, it is difficult to know if the collection is meeting the needs of students. I gathered a lot of data in the process of compiling this analysis and as a result I learned a lot about the school community. In addition to census data, I interviewed teachers for information on student languages spoken and home computer access. To understand the collection I walked around the media center and looked at many of the books. Investing the time was worthwhile because it gave me a better understanding of the library collection. This activity solidified the idea that no two library collections will be the same, because each school population is unique. The only drawback of this analysis is that it was time consuming. Using reports alone provided limited information. Reflection I performed this collection analysis on the school my children attended and where I was a regular substitute teacher. Even though we lived there, I still learned a lot about the community and the students served by the school. It helped me understand the diversity of materials the media specialist purchased for her collection. Now as a media specialist at another school, I know very little about my student population. This year I plan to write a school analysis on this school so I can learn more about my students and develop my new collection to best meet their needs. |
Artifact
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