Assignment

ASSIGNMENT 03
Collection Evaluation

Purpose

THE PURPOSE of this assignment is to analyze the library by: (1) by amounts, age, and circulation; (2) by quality and weeding amounts, and (3) by diversity.

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.

ALA/AASL/CAEP Components

4.2 Information Resources. Candidates use evaluation criteria and selection tools to develop, curate, organize, and manage a collection designed to meet the diverse curricular and personal needs of the learning community. Candidates evaluate and select information resources in a variety of formats.
4.3 Evidence-Based Decision Making. Candidates make effective use of data and information to assess how practice and policy impact groups and individuals in their diverse learning communities.

Resources

Worksheet: Collection Analysis (Parts 1-3)
Exemplar by Penny Martin using different instructions
Your school library's circulation software
Choose one of these diversity analysis reports: Titlewave, Mackin, and Teaching Books.net
Frequent visits with the school librarian
- Some districts will let you sync your Titlewave account with your school's account, which means you can run the report yourself. That's the case for AACPS. MCPS has adjusted the settings that teachers can just do that for one day.
Please share widely with practicing school librarians:
- CREW Chart
- Kerby Chart of Considerations
Mardis, Chapter 12
See Kerby text, Figure 6.4, p. 65-66; This letter to the principal has been deleted from this assignment.
H.W. Wilson databases at Hoover Library
SLJ's Average Book Prices. Every spring, SLJ announces the year's new average book prices. Google and uses the current prices.

Background

NOTE: EARLY IN THIS COURSE ASK YOUR SCHOOL LIBRARIAN TO RUN THE REPORTS NEEDED. LET THE INSTRUCTOR KNOW ASAP IF YOU NEED HELP. THANK YOUR LIBRARIAN—EFFUSIVELY.

Don't expect to get the reports in ten minutes. Give your librarian grace and time. One possibility is to sync your Titlewave account with the school's account and then run the report yourself. (See explanation above. Some districts will allow you to sync your personal Titlewave account with the school account, and you can run the reports on your own.)

You may need to upload MARC records or titles to Titlewave, Mackin, or Teaching Books.net so that you can run their diversity reports. The differences are insightful!

If this isn’t your library, be discreet with your findings. (In other words, keep your lips zipped.) You’ll likely discover two tragedies:

The quality of the collection is low.
Circulation needs to be higher.
Circulation rates may be low.

Your Task

Complete the worksheet: Collection Analysis. There are 3 parts:
1. Part 1: Collection Overview.
2. Part 2: Analysis by Quality and Weeding.
3. Part 3: Analysis by Diversity and Selecting 3 new, highly reviewed titles.
Put all parts in one Word document when submitting in Blackboard to be graded.

Upon Completion

The assignment is due at the end of Module 3, 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.

	Collection Evaluation Rubric
	Exemplary	Proficient	Developing	Unsatisfactory
Part 1 Collection Overview	7, 7.5, 8 Points Overview Chart is complete, accurate, comprehensive, and helpful. It includes # of items, average age, circulation, #, & % of books with no circulation, percent of sections, and a decision on whether section needs work. Reflection: Findings are comprehensively and insightfully analyzed by (1) sharing multiple “ahas,” (2) comparing collection to Kerby’s Chart of Considerations? (4) explaining your decision if you need this many books if you have databases, (5) identifying the top three sections for improvement by explaining your plan for improvement (a) by age: how much weeding and purchasing is needed to improve the age—what average age is your goal?—and (b) providing strategies for improving circulation, and (6) explaining what you learned and what more you want to learn.	6.5 Points Meets 80% of exemplary criteria.	5.5-6 Points Meets 70% of exemplary criteria.	0-5 Points Meets 60% or less of exemplary criteria.
Part 2 Analysis for Quality, Weeding, and Selecting	7, 7.5, 8 Points (1) QUALITY: An important section(s) of about 1,000 books was analyzed by title, year, and circulation, with 100 titles looked up in Wilson’s. Gave the # & % of titles marked “Essential.” (2) WEEDING: Analyzed by age, circulation, & determined # of titles to remove. Explained process. (3) Listed 5 worst titles with copyright year and explained why. (4) Correctly gave the number of new, highly reviewed books that could be purchased & total cost. (5) Chart completed accurately. Reflection is well-written and characterized by a depth of perceptive synthesis and analysis, powerfully demonstrating growth and future ways to grow. (1) Uses the steps to summarize and analyze this work regarding quality, quantity, age, and circulation. (2) Shares multiple “ahas” of this process. (3) Explains what you learned and what more you want to learn and do.	6.5 Points Meets 80% of the exemplary criteria.	5.5-6 Points Meets 70% of the exemplary criteria.	0-5 Points Meets 60% or less of the exemplary criteria.
Part 3 Diversity Analysis	7, 7.5, 8 Points (1) Candidate chose 8 important diversities and correctly analyzed the collection. (2) Chart has been accurately completed with the number of titles in the collection, the age of those titles, and (3) how many “Essential” titles published in the last 2 years are available for the 8 diverse topics. (4) Selects 3 highly reviewed (essential if possible) diverse titles. Reflection is well-written and characterized by a depth of perceptive synthesis and analysis, powerfully demonstrating growth and future ways to grow. (1) Explains what you did and why you chose the diverse subjects. (2) Shares multiple “ahas” of discovery, (3) Explains what you learned and what more you want to do and learn.	6.5 Points Meets 80% of the exemplary criteria.	5.5-6 Points Meets 70% of the exemplary criteria.	0-5 Points Meets 60% or less of the exemplary criteria.
ALA/AASL 4.2 Information Resources	2 Points Candidate (1) integrates evaluation criteria and (2) uses selection tools relevant to data and information resources in support of instructional design (3) that meets the diverse curricular, professional, and personal needs of the learning community.	1 Point Meets 80% of the exemplary criteria.	.5 Points Meets 70% of the exemplary criteria.	0 Points Meets 60% of the exemplary criteria.
ALA/AASL 4.3 Evidence-Based Decision Making	2 Points (1) All parts demonstrate that candidate (2) collects, assesses, and applies data and information (3) to transform practice and policies in school libraries to positively impact groups and individuals in their (4) diverse learning communities.	1 Point Meets 80% of the exemplary criteria.	.5 Points Meets 70% of the exemplary criteria.	0 Points Meets 60% of the exemplary criteria.
Writing	3.5-4 Points (1) Polished writing engages the reader. (2) Precise word choice, correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and/or formatting. (3) 0-2 minor errors.	3 Points 3-4 minor errors in sentence construction, grammar, word choice, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and/or formatting.	2 Points 5-6 errors in sentence construction, word choices, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and/or capitalization.	0-1 Points 7 or more errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and/or capitalization.