I am Brittany Tignor, Treasurer of MASL. As a high school librarian, I am constantly working to balance the needs and wants of students, teachers, and curriculum. The process that I follow is based on the Worcester County Library Procedure Manual and includes ways to ensure that I am purchasing the highest quality titles that meet the needs of my school community and my budget. The goal of this blog post is to educate library stakeholders about the steps that are taken before a book is placed on a School Library shelf.

At a Maryland Association of School Librarians conference a few years ago, Baltimore County Public Schools presented their Collection Development Plan. I remember sitting in the audience thinking about how valuable the information was that they were collecting and all of the ways that I could leverage that data to make purchasing more intentional. The Collection Development Plan includes a school analysis, collection analysis, collection analysis by category, and key actions for the upcoming school year. This allows me to review the big picture of my library as well as drill into small details that are having a big impact. In the school analysis section, I collect enrollment and demographic data as well as identifying clubs and organizations that are offered to students. In the collection analysis section, I review the number of items in the collection, their age, nonfiction vs fiction, and print vs digital items. The collection analysis by category section is where I begin to drill down into the different Dewey categories; I review the circulation statistics and aged titles as well as completing a visual inspection of the area. Sometimes I find that a section of the collection looks old or worn; other times I’ve noticed that a lot of the books are too big for the shelf, so the shelves need to be shifted to accommodate larger items. Once this step is completed, I identify concerns and goals for each section along with steps to reach those goals. Then I prioritize the section goals; I usually pay close attention to the most circulated sections and/or the sections that have a significant number of aged titles or ones in poor condition. The goals for each section usually revolve around decreasing aged titles and increasing circulation through weeding (removing) and purchasing.

Once I’ve decided the priority areas, I develop a list of specific items that need to be ordered using one of the library vendors that specialize in reinforced bindings that are designed to withstand multiple circulations. I add student requests, curriculum needs, and weeded items that need to be replaced. In Schoology, students have access to a form where they can request titles, genres, or topics to add to the collection at any time throughout the year. Teachers can also submit curriculum needs through this form. I also review the lists of weeded books. While some titles are weeded because they are no longer relevant, others are weeded because the book is in bad condition or was lost; these items often need to be replaced. The next items that I add are ones that will fulfill areas of need from the Collection Development Plan. If I need to purchase books for the 700s section, I will be adding titles that have to do with art, music, sports, and entertainment. If I need to order fiction, I review requests from the form as well as verbal requests and order similar titles. I also refer back to the clubs and organizations available in the school to ensure that I am meeting the personal interest needs of the students. Finally, I gather titles from current award lists such as MASL’s Black-Eyed Susan program.

For each title, I review the publisher’s suggested audience and interest level and read available reviews. To order a book, the title has to have at least 2 positive reviews, unless it meets the Principles of Selection in Specific Areas. School Library Journal (SLJ) is the gold standard of reviews for school libraries, so I usually ensure that there is an SLJ review before even adding it to the list. Some titles have 5 or more reviews, but others have none. I read every available review for every book I order. If the review suggests that there are other titles that do a better job covering the topic or if the title is not well written, then I will remove it from the list. 

If the book didn’t have 2 reviews, there are specific criteria to follow. Often nonfiction books do not have 2 reviews and some topics have few if any titles written for school aged children. In this case, the book can be purchased, “based on student interest, curricular and content standards connections, grade-level recommendations, and/or professional recommendations in addition to the general selection criteria.” At times, only the first book in a fiction series will be reviewed; in this case a title, “may still be approved for selection based on student interest, curricular connections, and grade-level recommendations in addition to the general selection criteria.” Due to the visual nature of graphic novels, our selection criteria requires that every graphic novel should be reviewed page by page before adding it to the collection. If a specific title has been requested and another titles can’t meet the need, the title might be approved once the material is, “reviewed in its entirety by at least two certificated individuals in the school system (i.e.- school librarian, English teacher, administrator, coordinator, etc.) and deemed appropriate for the collection based on the general selection criteria.”

Depending on how many books were added or removed from the list and what the budget needs are, sometimes I have to go back through the list and remove or add more titles. I continue to approve titles and adjust the list until the budget is satisfied. When the list is finalized, I send it to the principal and school library coordinator for approval. When I send in my list, I also send a justification for any books that were approved using the Principles of Selection in Specific Areas. Once my order has been approved by both the principal and the school library coordinator, I generate a PO and monitor my vendor account for shipping notifications.

When the books come in, I check the packing slip against my original order and ensure that the processing was done correctly (barcodes and spine labels added, book jackets taped on). If any book needed to be physically reviewed (graphic novels, nonfiction titles, etc.) before adding to the collection, I do it at this time. Finally, I import the MARC records into my system and shelve the books.

So, when someone questions why a book has been chosen, school librarians have a very good answer for why it was ordered.

For the rest of the blog series:

How does a book end up in a School Library? A MASL Blog Series on Book Selection