5.++Selection+of+New+Materials



Reflection:

I learned much more than I expected to with this assignment. My biggest revelation is that I enjoy weeding a lot more that I enjoy selecting new materials. I knew that not being able to actually touch and browse a resource was going to be an issue for me, and it was. I found myself searching for anything that would give me a better glimpse of the resource, even a page or two that I could look at. Sometimes I would find a book but then not be able to find any professional reviews and I would second guess my choice. It made me realize how this process will be magnified when I am selecting materials for all subject areas not just the one I am using for this assignment. I did try to choose resources that would offer multi-curricular options as I felt this made the resource even more useful and justifiable.

I was surprised to find that most of my selections could be purchased at significantly reduced prices on Amazon. I expected that ULS or other "jobbers" would have comparable prices but this was not the case. Sometimes the book would be more than $10 cheaper, this is very significant to me. I then found that I just kept looking at Amazon because I would qualify for free shipping so why order one or two resources from somewhere else if I could get it here.

Another thing I learned or observed was that there seemed to be more educational reviews of elementary or middle school materials. This is probably because there is not much difference between non-fiction for teens and adults. I really liked the BC Books for BC Schools lists as they had nice visuals and write-ups that seemed to offer more mature selections. I did not ignore books for middle school aged students as I felt this would be an important addition to our library. Books with interesting and fun formats can provide lesson starters for teachers and initial research points for students. I also sought books/resources with interesting perspectives - immigrants, children, minorities - as the Social Studies 10 teacher and I had been discussing project ideas for her classes and these topics would be relevant.

Something else that surprised me, although it shouldn't have, was how few of the resources I was considering we already had in our library. When I initially did my searching I completed my spreadsheet and then went to the library catalogue to see what we already had. I only found four of my selections in our current collection. I shouldn't have been surprised since the average age of our collection is 1987 and I did not consider any resource older than 2000 (and only ended up selecting 4 that are 2000-2005)

One area I feel my selection is lacking is digital/on-line subscription type resources. I was interested in McIntyre Media's "Films on Demand" but could not find a price for this service. I think this would be great for our staff and another great way to use the iPads I would like to purchase. Many of the basic on-line encyclopedias we already subscribe to so I think my solution is to create pages on my library blog next year for each subject area. What I envision is pages, like "Social Studies 10", where students will find links to web-sites and on-line resources that they can use. This could then also be a valuable resource for staff and something they could add to from their own searches.

Overall, what I learned the most from this assignment, is that I have a lot to learn! I have so many ideas in my head and am so excited to become the teacher-librarian next year but I am realizing the importance of my time management and delegation skills. I will need to prioritize as I am starting from scratch in many respects. Although I am still unclear if my budget is good in comparison to other high schools of my size, I know that I want to make sure it doesn't decrease and so making wise material selections will be key. This process provided me with skills to show how and why I am spending the money that I do have. Being able to justify my choices, not only with my own professional judgment, but with qualified, professional reviews, will be important.