the role of the collection

The collection is being developed to

satisfy the educational needs of all the members of our staff and student body

ensure every student has access to a variety of quality, relevant and current information resources

meet the recreational reading needs of our students, reflecting their personal growth and developmental needs

provide resources in print, audio-visual and electronic formats to support, enrich and enhance the curriculum, taking into consideration the varied learning needs and styles, recreational and study interests and maturity levels of the students

provide materials which will enable the acquisition of factual knowledge and the development of literary appreciation, aesthetic vales and ethical standards

provide materials offering a breadth and diversity of viewpoints on various issues so that students may develop their critical thinking skills and make informed judgements

provide materials representative of religious, ethnic and cultural groups and their contribution to our heritage

enhance teachers' effectiveness by providing access to recent curriculum and professional development materials

place principle and reason above personal prejudice in the selection of the highest quality materials to ensure a comprehensive collection suitable for the needs of its users.

It contains

fiction books, including magazines, comics, picture books and novels of all genres to cater for the students from pre-school to young adult

non-fiction titles to support the curriculum and to extend students’ knowledge

a reference collection to provide continuous access to basic knowledge

a teachers’ reference collection to support the curriculum and to enhance professional knowledge

Whilst the bulk of the collection is in print format, audio, visual and electronic resources form an important part of it. We have an extensive video collection of both fiction and non-fiction titles, and these are used under the provisions of the licences purchased on behalf of ACT schools by the ACT Department of Education.

The school website is also an integral part of our collection and pages containing links to pre-selected sites about specific topics are created to support curriculum delivery. These are available on the site to enable student access from home

the selection of the collection

The selection of quality educational resources that support, extend and enrich the education of students, while providing good value for money, is an important aspect of the collection development process of any library

Acting on authority delegated by the principal, the teacher-librarian has the responsibility for the professional co-ordination of the collection, as it is acknowledged that that person has the best knowledge of existing resources, the overall school curriculum and what is available from the publishers. Staff and students are invited to make suggestions for new purchases to assist in selection but suggested titles must meet selection objectives and criteria.

Selection is based on

  • curriculum requirements
  • leisure reading requirements of our students
  • recommendations from sources such as Curriculum Materials Information Services; OZTL_NET;LM_NET and other teacher-librarian communities
  • lists of recognised children’s literary awards
  • reviews in reputable professional journals and publications
  • personal appraisal
  • staff and student requests

general criteria for selection

General selection criteria include
  • selecting resources that will foster growth in factual knowledge, literary, aesthetic and cultural appreciation; moral and ethical values and which will aid in daily and future decision-making.
  • providing adequate resources at appropriate levels for resource-based and student-centred learning and to meet personal and recreational reading needs ofthe students
  • resourcing new curriculum and interest areas
  • ensuring that resources provide optimum value in terms of curriculum relevance, accuracy, authority, reliability and accessibility.
  • selecting information resources according to the principles of intellectual freedom and provide students with access to information that represents diverse points of view
  • ensuring resources encompass a variety of media and information formats to suit varied learning purposes and styles, including:
    • print resources eg. books (reference, fiction non-fiction), periodicals, newspapers, pamphlets, ephemera.
    • graphic resources eg. charts, posters, pictures, maps
    • models, realia, kits.
    • audio-visual resources eg. video cassettes, audio cassettes, slides, film.
    • electronic resources eg. computer software, multimedia, CD-ROM, DVD.
    • online resources eg. Internet sites, databases, indexes.
  • considering students with particular needs, taking into account race, ethnic group, culture, gender, socioeconomic group, physical and intellectual capacity.
  • assisting staff in their teaching roles by providing resources and materials for professional development, particularly resources which
    • model best practice.
    • provide a variety of teaching strategies and teaching aids.
    • reflect current trends in curriculum development and assist in further professional development.
    •
  • ensuring all resources regardless of format demonstrate

Authority

  • qualified and/ or experienced author
  • reputable sources of information
  • recognised publisher/producer
  • information presented must be accurate
  • some resources which reflect stereotypes and/ or bias may be purchased in order to demonstrate these concepts but they will be clearly marked as such.

Physical Format & Technical Quality

  • quality materials
  • sturdy construction
  • attractive presentation and clear reproduction
  • software must be compatible with our current thin-client network and must be tested before purchase

Arrangement of Material

  • content is easily accessible.
  • instructions and support materials are adequate, clear, comprehensive and effective

Appropriateness

  • content, language, symbols and concepts are at a suitable level for the intended user.
  • some fiction that has more sophisticated themes will be purchased but will be kept in a separate Senior Fiction section and be available to Yr 5/6 students only. Such books will be clearly labelled.

Cost

  • value for money
  • potential to be used across a number of curriculum areas and levels
  • a reasonable distribution of the budget across all sections of the collection although one section or another may be specifically targeted at any one time or in any one year

Availabilty

  • currently and readily available to schools at a reasonable cost
  • if necessary, some resources, particularly those forteachers, can be sourced offshore

Format

  • the most suitable medium to present the subject matter
  • duplication of some resources to present the subject matter in a different format to meet the learning styles of the students
  • hardback and paperback print resources will be selected

Currency

  • information presented must be up-to-date. Generally no resource should have a publication date of more than ten years previously if a suitable replacement is available.