ASSIGNMENT 02
Selection Sources

Purpose

THE PURPOSE of this assignment is for you to learn about professional selection tools for books and nonbook materials. You will use the selection tools again in Assignment 4 Materials Order.

NOTE: This assignment meets the following ALA/AASL/CAEP School Librarian Preparation Standards (2019). Save and revise all assignments to use in the SLM 550 Portfolio course.

Resources

Resources for Selection Criteria

• Access your county school district’s selection criteria.
• Student Exemplar, Megan Frable for high school
• ALA Selection & Reconsideration Policy Toolkit for Public, School, & Academic Libraries
  • Click on Selection Criteria link and scroll to find School Library Selection Criteria
  • Also review Public Library Selection criteria for Electronic Information Sources
• Kerby, Collection Development, pages 24-27 (NOTE: My text is out of date regarding Horn Book Guide. It is no longer being published.)

Resources for Professional Selection Reviews

• Student Exemplar for Booklist by Nicole Layton
• Sample Templates Selection Sources—suggestions, NOT demands. Headers don't match current instructions
• Mackin and Follett Titlewave—request free logins and learn how to access professional review sources. (NOTE: Mackin and Follett are book jobbers, not professional selection sources.)
• Kerby, Chapters 3-4
• Mardis, See Appendix
• Subscribe for free trial subscriptions to professional selection sources, especially Booklist, Horn Book, and School Library Journal
• Hoover Library—Access professional selection source journals such as School Library Journal, Booklist, School Library Connection, Kirkus, and the Wilson's Core Collection databases. PLEASE READ detailed instructions! The journals are in the Proquest Education databases. (At your public library, access Gale General One File. The selection sources may be available via your school databases or by contacting your district library supervisor.)
  • Finding book reviews at Hoover. See https://lib.hoover.mcdaniel.edu/schoollib/book-reviews
  • Go to Hoover Library. See left menu bar. Click Research Guides. Follow the instructions.
• Professional Selection Sources and Yearly Recommended Lists
  • Audio File (Book) Reviews
  • AASL Best Digital Tools for Teaching & Learning
  • ALA/ALSC Awards: Newbery Medal Home Page / Caldecott Medal Home Page / The Pura Belpré Award / The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award / Geisel Award / Odyssey / Coretta Scott King
  • ALA/ALSC Notable Lists: While the titles are a year old, use the lists to order items for your elementary school library that you originally missed. Lists include: Notable Children's Books / Notable Children's Recordings / Notable Children's Computer Software / Notable Children's Videos / Notable Children's Websites / Great Graphic Novels for Teens
  • ALA/YALSA Awards Printz, MAE, and more
  • ALA/YALSA Booklists: While titles are a year old, use these lists to order items for your middle or high school library that you originally missed. YALSA Booklists include: Outstanding Books for the College Bound / Alex Awards / Best Books for YAs / Quick Picks / Popular Paperbacks / Top 10 Best Books / Top 10 Quick Picks / Selected Audio Books /
  • ALA Rainbow Award for Gender
  • Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature
  • The Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18
  • Best New Media, A Guide to Subscription Web Sites, and Educational Software and Games
  • Best STEM Books K-12
  • Booklist
  • Horn Book Magazine has evolved. IF you choose it, find the latest information, and please, please use its current, correct name.
  • Kirkus
  • Maryland Black-Eyed Susan
  • Maryland Blue Crab
  • Multicultural Review
  • Notable Books for a Global Society
  • Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
  • NoveList Plus is not a professional selection source, but it is useful. Learn it. Available via EBSCO at the public library.
  • Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12
  • Schneider Family Book Award
  • School Library Journal includes Criticas and Curriculum Connections
  • USBBY Outstanding International Books Lists
  • Wilson Web Databases. Go to Hoover Library page; click on A-Z Databases and select H.W. Wilson. Print versions: Children’s Core Collection, A Selection Guide; Middle and Junior High Core Collection; A Selection Guide' Senior High Core Collection, A Collection Guide (formerly Senior High School Library Catalog); and Nonbook Materials Core Collection.

Background

Selection Criteria

In SLM 503, you wrote your selection criteria for your school by reviewing your district’s stated selection criteria for library materials and ALA’s Toolkit on Selection. Retrieve this assignment. Since you’ve recently completed a school analysis and curriculum chart, you may find that you need to revise the selection criteria to meet the learning and personal interest needs of diverse learners in a variety (including digital) of formats.

Professional Selection Sources

Far too many school librarians don’t purchase quality materials because they don’t use professional selection sources. Few librarians can even identify the unique characteristics of professional review sources. Many librarians are content to order nonfiction titles based on the catalog copy or from very friendly salesmen who come to your school. Warning! Unless these books have received favorable reviews, your kids will not check them out after the first time. To wisely spend library funds, you must know which sources to trust.

There is nothing wrong with using Follett Titlewave or Mackin as they are grand time-savers. BUT they are NOT selection sources--they are book jobbers, also called vendors. Learn how to adjust the settings so that you only select items that have multiple positive reviews. But here is the but—if you don't know the specifics of the professional selection tools, then you're not going to make wise choices for your students. You might as well throw away money.

In this assignment, show your knowledge of the unique characteristics of our professional selection sources. All the sources are available via Hoover so there is no reason to subscribe to a free trial, although you certainly can. It should be clear that you have examined the sources, not just reviewed the advertising information on their websites. Not examining the sources carefully is the major reason for loss of points.

Selecting materials is one of the most rewarding responsibilities you'll have. Your future success depends on knowing our professional selection sources.

Your Task

Learn as many selection tools as you can. To help identify the distinguishing characteristics, choose one book published this year and find the reviews from your top sources and examine them. The comparison will be fascinating.

Select professional sources that will ensure library resources for (1) print, non-print, and digital materials, (2) resources for curricular, pleasure reading, and creativity, and (3) diverse learners.

It is okay to quote directly from the sources on this assignment!

1. Include Booklist as a preferred selection source. See student exemplar and find for yourself all the following information. Then insert this information into the same format you're using for the your Gold and Silver Lists. This means you'll have a total of 4 selection sources in the Gold List.
2. Now, identify your Top 3 Essential Selection Sources (Gold List).
   1. Name—Include URL. How did you review it? By reviewing on the web’s advertising page, by using a trial subscription, by examining all its contents via Hoover Library?
   2. Publishing information—(1) What format is it published in? But only describe characteristics of the online version. (2) How often is it updated on the web? (3) How much is an online subscription? (4) How many reviews of new materials are published yearly? (5) If selection source is a database, does your district provide access?
   3. Type of reviewers, contributors—Are they mostly volunteers, or staff members, or? You may want to bullet the list.
   4. Scope of the reviews—(1) Include comprehensive description of all the genres that are reviewed, including databases and digital apps. (2) Include age levels (3) Does the source provide reviews to materials that are current, retrospective, or both?
   5. Distinguishing Characteristics of the reviews —What are the distinguishing characteristics that aid a selector—(1) How is it organized, (2) Type of rating included. (3) How many words in a review. (4) Use of color-coding, graphic stars, or book images? (5) Are things like Dewey numbers included, age levels, name, and location of reviewer?
   6. Special Features—What are special features of the tool? Does it have articles? (1) Does it have a yearly list of editor’s choices? If so, name these lists. (2) Does the tool provide bibliographies on special subjects? If so, name recent lists.
   7. Strengths and Weaknesses—If you can't think of a weakness, don't include anything!. (1) Identify the strengths and weaknesses of tool. This might have something to do with how the review is written, rating system, how many reviews, or the reviewers.
   8. Brief rationale on why you selected it. (1-3 sentences, maximum)
      
3. State Top 5 Secondary Sources (Silver List). Include the same information as above. These sources may possibly be yearly lists.
4. Explanation of Choices.
   1. Explain how and why the 8 sources you chose will ensure that new and high-quality materials will be purchased to meet a variety of user needs—personal learning interests and curriculum—in a variety of formats.
   2. Compare Reviews:
      1. Select 1 new title (from the current year if taking this class in the fall, or from the immediate past year if taking this class in the spring) that has been reviewed in 3-4 preferred sources. Cut and paste the reviews. Grab these reviews from Titlewave.
      2. After the pasted reviews, briefly compare the distinguishing differences of the reviews.
   3. Briefly explain your plan for purchasing (or not purchasing) eBooks to meet your learner needs.
5. Include your district's selection criteria for books and nonbooks. A plain bulleted list is fine! No need for cute graphics.
   1. List your own professional selection criteria for books. Your criteria must support all learners, be succinct, easy to remember, and while based on your district, should be written without jargon.
   2. List your selection criteria for nonbook materials, including nonprint, audio, media, websites, apps, or tools. Aim for both comprehensiveness and brevity.
6. Vendor Settings. Titlewave (or Mackin). Provide brief instructions on how to adjust the settings to select materials that have received multiple positive reviews. State the review sources you’ll use. No images are needed—unless you need them for yourself. Suggested length is one paragraph, about 1/2 of page.
   

Upon Completion

The assignment is due at the end of Module 2, on Sunday night at 11:59 p.m. On or before the due date, post it in Blackboard by clicking on the Menu Bar's "Turn In Assignment" and following the instructions.