“Because in a library, just as in a garden, taking out unwanted items makes those left behind stand out.” Ian Chant
Part 1: What is the de-selection plan?
In The Collection Program in Schools by
Marcia Mardis, it says, "Weeding the collection has many benefits
including the creation of more space, ensuring accurate materials, avoiding the
cost of maintaining unwanted items, obtaining and keeping a reputation as a
source of reliable information, and saving time in locating items."
(Mardis, 2021).
However, it is
Baumbach and Miller's definition of weeding in Less is More: A Practical Guide to Weeding School Library Collections
that speaks to me. They define weeding as, "Selection in reverse. It is
de-selection. Weeding is the act of re-evaluating items in the collection and
removing any that are inaccurate, out of date, misleading, inappropriate,
unused, in poor condition or otherwise harmful to students." (Baumbach and Miller, 2006).
They go on to make suggestions on how to start:
• Begin with areas of curriculum change;
• Begin with areas of current interest;
• Begin with areas of the collection that get heavy use;
• Begin with areas in which you have interest and expertise;
• Begin at the beginning (Baumbach and Miller, 2006).
I have developed a weeding plan that both 'begins at the beginning' and 'begins with an area of current interest.' I have decided to evaluate the Dewey organized resources starting at 000 through the 399s. Not only does this subsection include the bulk of books about governance and human rights which was my area of focus in Assignment 2, but it allows me to start weeding ‘at the beginning.’ I have been weeding books on an ongoing endeavour as books have been circulating through the library all year. Books that have fallen apart beyond repair, were water damaged or comically outdated have been discarded.
The rationale for why this area needs to be improved upon is that it is a widely varied subsection of the library. In our library, this subsection is the most diverse in topics within a small physical area. It contains some of the most frequently signed out books (Guinness Book World Records) and some of the least used books (government, folklore). It also contains outdated books on religion and philosophy which no longer reflect our diverse school community. There are three full shelves of 398.2 Fairy Tale/Folklore books that are very old and many of them have multiple copies. The only books that have been signed out from this section have been Greek Mythology, unicorn themed, and dragon themed books.
The most obvious ways student learning has been impacted by the outdated nature of this section are the limited variety of current, age-appropriate resources on Canadian government, the lack of current resources about religions and cultures that are part of our school community and the washed out, crowded folklore section which is unfriendly to access.
In teaching governance to several classes, most recently the grade 5s, I have used two print resources with the classes. Many of the other resources, although the book jackets were colourful and new looking, the contents were not written at an age-appropriate level, and there were no images, charts or photos to help illustrate the concepts.
At our school we have a rapidly growing immigrant and refugee population. We are one of two schools in our district that has space for new students. Ramadan, Eid, Diwali, and Nowruz are celebrations that are not represented well in our library. Before spring break, every book on these topics was signed out. It became apparent that one book on Ramadan was simply not representative. Although this is not the focus of this assignment, I have reached out to other teacher-librarians about some recommendations. The Meaning of Nowruz by Anahita Tamaddon (2020), paperback for $20, and Happy Nowruz: Cooking with Children to Celebrate Persian New Year (2015), paperback for $40, were two books that were most recommended. Ramadan Kareem by M.O. Yuksel (2024) hard cover for $25, and Looking for the Eid Moon by Sahtinay Abaza (2024), hardcover for $25 were two books that were recommended to me from the manager of the Edgemont Kidsbooks. All of these books are written by authentic sources and with the exception of Happy Nowruz, the books are recently published. I am adding them to my consideration list, and may purchase them (probably not Happy Nowruz because it is quite expensive) this year. The remaining titles total $70, without a discount or tax applied.
As for the 398.2 books, the cover jackets are very faded, many of the spine labels are unreadable, and the section is so crowed, students have difficulty pulling books out. Essentially, this section is unfriendly and unattractive to library users.
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Eastview Library Weeding Plan |
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The weeding will take place the week before Spring Break so I can work on this assignment (with accurate data) during the break |
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The Teacher Librarian (me) and two teachers that have collaborated with me in the teaching of governance, and 1 support staff (Education Assistant) will be involved in the decisions |
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The timeline for improvement will be March 11- May 15 to provide time for weeding, decision making, purchasing new resources, and having paperwork completed before year end deadlines
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I will communicate the changes to staff during our June staff meeting and to the returning TL at the end of June when she comes to ‘transition’ back to work |
Policies, Procedures, and Practices That Will Inform My Work
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| By Jennifer LaGarde (2013) www.librarygirl.net |
I love acronyms so CREW, MUSTIE, and FRESH are first and foremost in my mind (and on my bulletin board in the library office) when I think of weeding the library. To be honest, the lengthy documents are overwhelming for me. I find the ‘handbook’ and brochure length documents more helpful. North Dakota State Library website has very helpful articles, videos and documents for weeding libraries. They have shared a generic library weeding policy adapted from CREW that I have based my policy on.
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| Image by BCPSLIS: Collection Maintenance Weeding and Library Inventory |
Canadian School Libraries Adapted from CREW: A Weeding Manual for Modern Libraries
The following documents have guided me in my library deselection decisions:
Weeding Guidelines and De-selection Criteria by SD #35 Langley School District Teacher Librarians and Library Technicians (2017).
Weeding the School Library: The Counterpart to Selection by The California Department of Education, (no date).
Just Weed It! Library Girl's Tips for Keeping Your Collection...FRESH. Jennifer Lagarde (accessed March 22, 2024).
The CREW Method; Expanded Guidelines for Collection Evaluation and Weeding for Small and Medium-Sized Public Libraries, Texas State Library, (1995).
North Dakota State Library's website Collection Development and Maintenance has a link to a generic library weeding policy that is adapted from the recommendations by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission in the 2008 publication CREW: a Weeding Manual for Modern Libraries, revised and updated by Jeanette Larson (accessed March 22, 2024).
Getting to it!
With my favourite music playing in the background, and a rag for dusting shelves, I started going through the library books one by one. It didn't take long to make a pile of resources that I recommend for de-selection from our library. I made De-selection Book Slips adapted from those used by the North Dakota State State Library to identify why books were being de-selected. Not only, did I clean and tidy shelves as I worked, I found a book that had an inaccurate spine label, puzzle pieces, and a dead mouse.
| De-selection Book Slip Date: Misleading, inaccurate, misrepresenting Ugly, irreparably worn, water damaged Superseded by newer edition, duplicates Trivial, inappropriate level or interest Irrelevant to community Elsewhere (in classrooms, online) Not authoritative Too many books on this topic |
This weeding assignment is organized into two parts: government books from all sections of the library, and Dewey 000-399. I am going to address the government books first, then the books in Dewey order until 399.
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| Fiction, non-fiction, and Indigenous Governance Books |
I pulled all books related to governance including non-fiction, fiction, graphic novels, and Indigenous resources. The two most useful books in teaching are Who's In Charge: How Governments Make the World Go Round by DK, and The President of the Jungle by Andre Rodrigues. The books about prime ministers, although older, are still accurate historically and have informative photos. All of the Indigenous books are fairly new and accurate. Weeding the Indigenous resources has been an ongoing process for me since I started at the school so only authentic sources remain on the shelves, while also expanding the collection myself.
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| Books That Include Indigenous Governance |
I have recommended de-selecting: Parliament: Canada's Democracy and How it Works by Maureen McTeer (1995), and Parliamentary Alphabet A-Z by Library of Parliament (2007).
The Parliament: Canada's Democracy and How it Works book is both in the library and in my personal collection, however, I have never actually used the book in my teaching. It has a beautiful cover and looks promising but contains page after page of black and white text (much like actual government documents). It is not reader friendly to me as a teacher, nor students, which is why both my copy and the library copy of the book look brand new. They have never been used! Using the MUSTIE checklist, it is considered 'Trivial' as it does not meet the reading level or reading interest of students.
The Parliamentary Alphabet A-Z book is a free book that is given to teachers from the BC Legislature. It is not useful or attractive to students. The pages have baby-ish images that do not connect to the parliamentary vocabulary and the book only lists the words and does not offer a definition or meaning. For example, Hansard is a parliamentary word that should be introduced to students, and on the H page there is a cartoon of hippo and the word Hansard and nothing else. It is no surprise that neither book has been signed out in over 10 years. Using the MUSTIE checklist, it is also considered 'Trivial' as it does not meet the reading level or reading interest of readers.
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| Incorrect spine label |
The most challenging part of the deselection process occurred when I started looking at the 398. 2 Fairy Tales and Folklore section. It was easy to weed duplicates of books or books in poor condition due to excess age and use. The harder decisions were based on authenticity and relevance.
As I mentioned earlier the Greek Mythology books are popular. The Children’s Book of Mythical Beasts by Dorling Kindersley (2020), is badly damaged and beyond repair. I have removed it according to MUSTIE for being 'Ugly.' A newer hardcopy edition can be purchased for approximately $ 25.
The de-selected books are:
The Blue Raven by Ted Harrison (1989)
The Honey Hunters by Francesa Martin (1992)
Why the Tides Ebb and Flow by Joan Chase Bowden (1979)
How the Ostrich got a Long Neck By Verna AArdema (1995)
Who’s in Rabbit’s House by Verna AArdema (1977)
The Seven Chinese Brothers by Margaret Mahy (1992)
What’s So Funny, Ketu? By Verna AArdema (1982)
Part 2: What Next?
Earlier this year I collaborated with a teacher (actually a few teachers) in the teaching of Social Studies: Canadian Issues and Governance. The grade 5 Big Idea, 'Canadian Institutions and government reflect the challenges of our regional diversity' delves into the levels of government (First Peoples, federal, provincial, municipal), and their main functions and funding. The resources that I would recommend to enrich the teaching and learning of this curriculum include new resources on teaching Indigenous Governance, and some current titles on politics and democracy. I have also found some new online resources that could also be helpful in teaching governance as well.
I really liked the idea of 'book slips' to communicate why books were being weeded and it worked well for me. With that in mind I significantly simplified my two page original Selection Criteria Rubric into book slips that fit three to a page. Although the slip is simple, and meant to convey basic information to me (as a reminder), teachers and administration as to why the book has been purchased, a deep evaluation of the selected books has been based on suggestions from Focused: Apply the Selection Criteria, Learning Resource Selection Model, and Canadian School Libraries Collection Diversity Toolkit.
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Selection Book Slip Date: Title: ___________________Year__________ Author: _______________________________ Publisher / ISBN: _______________________ Cost: ___________ Supplier ______________ Curricular Connections: __________________ _____________________________________ Content (emotional & intellectually
accessible, students can relate, currency) ______________________________________ Design (easy to locate information,
organized layout, visually pleasing) ______________________________________ Perspectives/Bias? _____________________ User need/demand (who made request,
for what purpose?) ______________________________________ |
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Notes: |
Simon Rose is an Indigenous author who has published several books on Indigenous governance. I recommend two of his newer books, First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Governance by Beech Street Books (2020) and Indigenous Life in Canada: Governance by also by Beech Street Books (2018). Both books have a table of contents and an index. In the introduction of both books he thanks all the elders and Indigenous community members that he consulted with in writing the books. As an author he seeks for accuracy and authenticity. The books are written for grades 4-7 students and include current photos, and graphics. Both hard cover books can be purchased for approximately $35 (including tax and shipping).
The book Politics and Government for Beginners is written by various authors and published by Usborne Books (2018). A hard cover can be purchased for approximately $20.The book has a table of contents and an index. The pages feature a variety of formats including infographics, speech and thought bubbles, and coloured text boxes. Scenarios are written in kid friendly language and from different perspectives. Some of the discussions are actually quite funny, but accurate. My first thought is that sections of this book could easily be adapted into role plays for students to teach government concepts to each other.
Although written from an American perspective, Democracy for Dinosuars by Laurie Krasny Brown (2022), is a worthwhile addition for teaching governance to students. It is written for 6-8 year old children but is relatable to older students and adults. This non-fiction guide encourages readers to be engaged in the world and shows how democracy works and why it's important to participate. It explores principles in a democratic society: freedom, fairness, the rule of law, equality, and respect for free speech. One of the scenarios in the book explores how students can advocate for keeping their school library open. A hardcover can be purchased for around $26, a softcover for $ 13.
Several classes in our school study exceptional women, and Black Excellence. The Bold and Brave: Ten Heroes Who Won Women the Right to Vote by Kirsten Gillibrand (2018) is a useful resource to learn about governance and democracy. It is written from a female, American perspective but focusses on human rights and democracy. A hardcover can be purchased for under $20.
Another book that I recommend is The Politics Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained. It is written by many authors and published by Dorling Kindersley (DK). It is written for older students and adults but is very creatively written and laid out so the information on the pages is very accessible to all reading levels. Clear explanations, famous quotes, cartoons, timelines and charts help cover the history of politics around the world. A hardcover book can be purchased for under $35.
I have recommended that our school purchase Kayak, a children's Canadian History Magazine. Our school district used to have access to it through our older, more robust BC Digital Classroom subscription through Focused Resources. Four issues are published a year, and a one year print subscription is $15. I am not sure why I have access but I seem to be able to view the entirety of past issues online for free. Rights and Freedoms, Black History Month, and Canadian Women Activists are a few of the previous issue titles.
Some newly 'discovered' online resources about governance are Children First Canada, Discover Canada: How Canadians Govern Themselves, and Women in Parliament: 100 Years in Canada.
Children First Canada is a charitable organization that involves youth in shaping their place in Canadian issues. One of their mottos is 'Not for youth, with out youth.' In other words, involve youth in decisions that effect them. The website includes links to videos about National Child Day, Child's Rights Resources for teachers, and a Toolkit for Indigenous Youth in Canada.
Published by the Government of Canada, Discover Canada: How Canadians Govern Themselves is part of an online, or print document that is given to new immigrant families to help them become Canadian Citizens. It is online (or print) book with a table of contents, and index. It covers pretty much everything a student is expected to learn about Canadian governance in a jargon free, way. It is available in many languages and can be read, or listened to in an audio format.
The Library of Parliament, Hill Notes, features a web article titled Women in the Parliament of Canada: 100 Years of Representation written by Clare Annett and Dominique Montpetit (2021). The article explores the history of Canadian women in politics. It includes timelines, and graphs. All the names and elections are hyperlinked to additional resources. The article is also available in French.
The approximate cost of purchasing all the new recommended 'governance' resources is $173. Both Iron Dog and Kidsbooks offer school library discounts and there are no shipping fees. Both vendors can pretty much get any books for me but it does take 1-3 weeks. The only resources that they would not be able to get for our school would be Kayak, and possibly the two books published by Beech Street. I believe that purchasing these books will improve the currency and help meet the curricular needs of our school library. I absolutely have the money remaining in my budget (based on last year's numbers) to purchase these books, the Ramadan and Nowruz books, and the travel guides (mentioned in my first assignment).
Here We Are!
The books for de-selection will be placed in a 'holding area' in my office for a while. Eventually they will meet their 'end' with the removal of all school and school district identification (wide black permanent marker), and a satisfying DISCARD stamp in the front and back cover. Some of the books may be picked up by teachers, and the others will either be recycled by removing the covers, and putting them deep in the school blue bin, or dropping them off at the book recycling centre.
I have found through my time in the library that students 'know what they want.' They like to learn from books and request mostly non-fiction books that teach them specific skills. Students have requested First Aid books, Sign Language books, photography books, books on animal care, picture dictionaries (to learn Spanish, French, and Korean), books about cultures-all of these requests were for pleasure reading, not because they were assigned to learn about the concepts from their teachers. I have deep respect for the intellect of my students. I am confident that the weeding recommendations and selection recommendations meet my student's interests and personal learning needs. I know that they will prefer resources that contain a variety of literacy expressions (bold headings, graphics, photos, comics, colourful page blocking, etc) to plain black text on white paper.
Most of our students are drawn to graphic novels (741.5 is the most highly circulated subsection of our library) which makes me confident that The Politics Book, and Politics for Beginners, and Kayak Magazine will be of interest to students. Many of our girls that have immigrated recently are very interested in books about powerful women. Books about Malala (we have many) and female activists like Greta Thunbuerg are popular so I think that Bold and Brave will draw recreational readers, as well as interest when students write research assignments. I have checked our school library catalogue in Follett to make sure that these titles are not already in our collection, which they are not. I am not sourcing digital books at this time because our school district is in the process of looking at purchasing bulk subscriptions to digital books that can be shared across all schools and we have been asked to put purchasing of digital resources on 'pause.'
In the meantime, the non-fiction 000-399 section of the library looks amazing, until the information hungry students return after spring break and lovingly mess it up in their search for knowledge. I look forward to it!
References & Works Cited
Baumbach, D. J., & Miller, L. L. (2006). Less is more: A practical guide to weeding school library collections. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.
British Columbia Building Student Success - B.C. Curriculum (gov.bc.ca)
Mardis, M. A. (2016). The Collection Program in Schools: Concepts and Practices. (6th ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
Chant, Ian. The Art of Weeding | Collection Management | Library Journal June 23, 2015.
Dorling, Kindersley. Who's In Charge: How Governments Make the World Go Round. Dorling Kindersley, New York, 2010.
LaGarde, Jennifer. Keeping Your Library Collection Smelling F.R.E.S.H! (librarygirl.net) October 1, 2013.
McTeer, Maureen. Parliament: Canada's Democracy and How it Works. 1995.
Rohrmoser, Chris. . Parliamentary Alphabet A-Z. 2007. Library of Parliament, Ottawa, 2007.
Rodrigues, Andre. The President of the Jungle. Nancy Paulsen Books Penguin Random House, New York. 2018
Canadian School Libraries, Introducing the CSL Collection Diversity Toolkit – Canadian School Libraries October 30, 2021 (accessed March 23, 2024).
Focused Resources, Focused Education - Selecting Learning Resources for the Classroom (mytrainingbc.ca), Vancouver, British Columbia, 2022.
Webliography
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| The best of all reasons to weed school library bookshelves... |
