Standard 5: Program Management and Administration
Candidates plan, develop, implement, and evaluate school library programs, resources, and services in support of the mission of the library program within the school according to the ethics and principles of library science, education, management, and administration.
5.1 Collections
Candidates evaluate and select print, non-print, and digital resources using professional selection tools and evaluation criteria to develop and manage a quality collection designed to meet the diverse curricular, personal, and professional needs of students, teachers, and administrators. Candidates organize school library collections according to current library cataloging and classification principles and standards.
These are all sources of information that speak to a particular audience. Having LibGuides and digital curations allows students greater access and easier access to materials needed in many subjects. Many times when one student is looking for information on a subject or a certain book series or author, chances are another student is looking for it as well. The digital curation and the LibGuide are great tools to have at the students's disposal.
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While these took me a bit of time to set up, they are very useful tools to have as a part of the library’s digital resources. It allows the students access to subjects that include a variety of resources, all in one area. Also, the student is able to peruse the information at their own pace rather than have to wait on its availability.
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Digital access to materials and resources is part of 21st Century Learning. These types of digital resources can also help to make the library an information hub for the school, once again, making it easier for students and teachers to fnd the information they are looking for. It will provide accessibility to information in a well-organized and coherent manner. Since they are digital resources, they can also be available to a number of different people at the same time.
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While the subject matter of the digital curation is young readers book series and information about the books and the authors contained therein, this appeals to a younger but still vast audience. The LibGuide is on service dogs and the information included within it is geared to a rather wide audience, not as limited as the digital curation. Both digital resources however, can prove invaluable in the school library.
5.2 Professional Ethics
Candidates practice the ethical principles of their profession, advocate for intellectual freedom and privacy, and promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility. Candidates educate the school community on the ethical use of information and ideas.
The ALA website has a tab on it labeled, “Professional Ethics,” (American Library Association, 1996-2018). Membership in these library organizations is a must. Aside from the resources they provide me as a librarian, they are a direct link to the professional ethics we must follow.
“The Code of Ethics is the document that translates the values of intellectual freedom that define the profession of librarianship into broad principles that may be used by individual members…” (American Library Association, 1996-2018).
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Looking at the reflection paper that I completed for LIS 600, you can see that I place great value on being ethical and fair in my library practices. I try to help keep the school library's collection relevant, varied, and diverse. We must be models of ethical practices for our students everyday. We must not practice self-censorship, but rather allow the students to decide whether or not they will check a book out. The library is a place where ethics should never be pushed under the table but be seen through our actions as the librarian.
5.3 Personnel, Funding, and Facilities
Candidates apply best practices related to planning, budgeting, and evaluating human, information, and physical resources. Candidates organize library facilities to enhance the use of information resources and services and to ensure equitable access to all resources for all users. Candidates develop, implement, and evaluate policies and procedures that support teaching and learning in school libraries.
The Needs Assessment project was a way for us to take measure of what the library’s needs were at that time and what could be done to meet those needs, using best practices. It created a collection of data that supported our findings of needs for that library and then the possible solutions for them.
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Using best practice research is a great way to gain a desired result for the library. Through this project, we were able to look at a library, determine what its needs were, and then make suggestions to gain the outcome we were looking for. Using best practice research focused us in on the needs of the students by sending them surveys about the needs of the library as they saw it. We also sent out surveys to the teachers. The data collected from our research helped us determine the best ways to meet the needs of the library as viewed by the students and teachers.
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The Budget Proposal was another tool that I learned how to create and use so as to help me present the case for the library's needs in front of my leadership. It gave them a view of what the library was in need of, and the possible costs of these needs. Linking this together with the Collection Analysis Plan can add viewable statistics and estimations on the costs of the library's needs.
5.4 Strategic Planning and Assessment
Candidates communicate and collaborate with students, teachers, administrators, and community members to develop a library program that aligns resources, services, and standards with the school's mission. Candidates make effective use of data and information to assess how the library program addresses the needs of their diverse communities.
This medical website was created to meet the needs of a fictitious medical facility. Websites with relevant information geared towards a specific group is an example of this standard. Websites make great tools for libraries as they put all similar information in one area. Similar to a LibGuide, a website makes information accessible and convenient for its users. Unlike a LibGuide, a website can include other information that can put the user in direct contact with a real person.
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Websites can add value to a school in that they can bring valuable information together in one area, and they can connect the user with a person through the use of chat rooms, text messaging, and social media. Being able to search for information on your own, but then having the ability to ask questions of someone to help navigate you through the website or with other problems, is a great function of any website.
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The CAMP's parts I and II are useful in presenting ideas and possible areas of resources to meet these needs to financial officers and administration of the school. The librarian can focus on an area or areas of need, gather data to support these thoughts, and then find possible resources. The CAMP's above show the need for science materials for kindergarten leveled students and how the sources could be obtained. While I am still in the process of hearing back about these resources, I believe the CAMP's helped me make a more valid argument for these resources.