I have demonstrated proficiency in managing and providing access to library media resources in and beyond the physical walls of the library media center to the entire school community through collection development by evaluating and selecting materials and resources to enrich and enhance the specific curruiculum being taught at the school.
Figurative Language Elementary Resources
Description
The artifact for Learning Outcome III is a collection development project in which an area of the curriculum was identified that required additional library resources. I chose to select books with quality examples of figurative language in order to support ELA standards for grades three-five. A variety of credible sources of book reviews and the Children’s Core Collection was consulted to inform selection decisions. The artifact itself is the means to share this collection with teachers as a resource for classroom instruction.
Analysis
Searching for just the right book is one of my preferred activities in life. The process of collecting titles, reviews, and evaluating relevance to the teaching standards was rewarding and immersive. I gained valuable skills in reading and evaluating book reviews, which will continue to improve with continued practice. After locating the first few titles, I felt more confident and was able to increase my efficiency with the process. Though I took the time to visit the public library to read all of the books from my proposed list, this will not frequently be an option as a school librarian. I will need to use my skills to evaluate and make decisions about titles, often without being able to read the book first. In retrospect, the blog format of this presentation is not user-friendly for teachers. Sharing the book list in a curation tool such as Wakelet would make it more easily accessible.
Reflection
My choice to focus on picture books with figurative language for this project developed from my own experiences as a teacher in need of resources; I wanted to be able to consult a list of suggested titles easily when I needed a figurative language example for my students. This point of teacher need is where librarians and their teacher peers should meet. As a teacher, I frequently approach this kind of need as one that I must address by myself, or perhaps with teachers from my team. As a librarian, I will remember this and seek ways to connect with teachers so that I know what their needs are. Participating in grade-level and content-area meetings, impromptu conversations, and making regular visits to classrooms will help me have the knowledge of the school to be able to serve teachers and students effectively.