I appoligize for the delay on posting my hit, my internet connection hasn't
been functioning properly.
Susan
>I have been wondering about something and haven't seen it mentioned in
>the
>standard lists, may be missing it as there is so much information. How
>much of your collection is devoted to books for the teachers to use,
>both
>learning theory, curriculum guides and the like. Also, how many library
>specific professional titles do you usually have in the collection.
>
>New to all of this and trying to put it together,
>
>Susan O'Neal
>LMIT Student, NSU
>Tahlequah, OK
>catmafia@direcway.com
I don't really have a percentage in mind, but I do think it essential to
spend some money each year on current professional titles. I also think
professional periodicals are important, to keep the teachers and
administrators aware of current trends. I subscribe to about 20
professional journals and have about 250-300 print titles on the
professional shelves. The books I have bought slowly over the 14 years
I have been here. The magazines are not incredibly well used, but some
teachers read them every month, and the administration is always pleased
when I send them a pertinent article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We don't have a lot of professional titles, and most of them are never used
which is why I quit purchasing them. In the elem. the teachers do use
magazines such as Mailbox etc. I do have 20 or so library specific things
such as Dewey, Sears, Copyright, research stuff, lesson plans etc. Like
most teachers, I tend to personally purchase those books that I want for
ideas for lesson plans, units etc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have been the librarian in 4 schools at all levels, and I have yet to
find one where the professional collection - however excellent - is
used. In one of my former schools, the books were housed in the staff room
and still just gathered dust. "Tis a puzzlement! Frankly, I'm about ready
to discard most of what I found here, and offer them to teachers for their
personal collections. From time to time, you radministration or district
may distribute something for all teachers which you will have to keep for
awhile. However, I would not spend my very scarce and precious dollars for
professional books.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We have 98 items - %0.05 of the collection - in our professional library.
22 of them are library specific.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In my 20 years in school libraries, I have provided various large
collections of professional materials and found that they were almost never
used. I think teachers tend to buy the things they'll use. If it's not that,
I don't know why. So now I don't maintain one at all even though I'm in the
biggest school of my career. I have 10-15 Information Literacy & Library
Skills books that I use and have occasionally recommended to teachers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Along these same lines... How much is your professional collection used?
What titles circulate the most. My professional collection is just gathering
dust. I need to figure out how to build it up and promote it better.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nope. In 20 plus years, I can remember checking out perhaps 5 books - in 4
schools. That's total!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I, too, have low circulation in the professional section (approximately
1,000 items in a collection of just over 22,000). I am tempted to say,
"waste of money" because it comes out of my regular book buying budget, and
they aren't cheap. The items that circulate are mostly videos that tie in
to curriculum, that is, not for the teacher's 'education' but for the
kid's. Every once in a while, I get a new teacher looking for materials to
help them with credential classes they are taking. I hasten to add that
the titles (well, nearly all of them) were purchased at the teacher's or
administration's recommendation. Most have been purchased in the last 5 years.
I mention the professional library in almost every monthly newsletter, I
put new acquisitions in the daily bulletin, and I give every department two
or three printed copies of the Professional Library holdings list
(annotated, approximately 85 pages long, chews up a huge amount of paper).
I don't know what else to do to stimulate usage, but I can say I have not
used any of my very limited funds (down 90% this year) on professional titles.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The professional collection at my school contains about 100 volumes (out of
a total collection of ~7,000 books), and maybe 50 videos, plus about 5
magazine subscriptions. The collection is up-to-date with the exception of a
few older titles I am hanging on to out of respect. The videos are very recent.
I have included a large percentage of library science and technology titles
since I know I will use those. (I buy some with my own money and donate
them; others I purchase with school funds.) Of the five professional
magazines we receive two are VOYA and Library Media Connection, so almost
fifty percent of the professional periodicals collection is library oriented.
I do have difficulty promoting the use of my professional collection. My
principal selected a number of videotapes and asked me to buy them about a
year ago. They're very good videos on topics as varied as the Socratic
Method, Starting the School Year Right, and Communicating with Parents, but
the teachers will not use them independently, and groan, moan and mock if
we show them at an in-service meeting.
I have a display of professional materials in the library (That's a
mistake--teachers never seem to come into the library except with their
classes. Note to self: Move display to teachers' lounge or main office.) I
also promote video, print and on-line professional materials to the
teachers through newsletters, e-mails, and the professional page of our
school website. I even gave a workshop on what was available to them
professionally earlier this year.
One title that has elicited some attention is Teaching Matters: Motivating
and Inspiring Yourself (from Eye on Education).
The principal and I are deciding what funds to use to get a subscription to
the ERIC Document Reproduction Service. We can be sure that he, other
teachers in graduate school, and I will use that service.
Overall, I think, a professional collection is a hard sell to the average
faculty in these days of multiple demands on their time. I just wish I
could get them to understand that taking time to become a better
professional helps with a high stress situation rather than adding to it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I always display several at faculty meetings and
department meetings. I've started to include popular
fiction and nonfiction as well. Somebody usually takes
something.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/lmcindex.htm
http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/standards/professional.pdf
THe Missouri standards are really very good. Check here for the
recommendations for professional collection. The books can only be
"counted" in our state reports if they are 12 years old or NEWER. This
helps us keep current materials and helps librarians justify the budget.
We can have more than these numbers and older materials but they are
not counted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Actually, I have about 20 titles and they were all gifts from when I taught
Education at the Undergraduate and Graduate levels...When I was in other
schools I found the Professional Collection was never used...That might be
unique to my situations, however. I will be interesting to see what response
you get. I do get requests once in awhile from teachers studying for Masters
Degrees for a title - I just inter library loan it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have about 10,000 books in my collection. Of those, 311 are in the
professional (teacher) library. About half are picture books associated
with teaching six traits writing, the rest are learning theory
oriented. I don't have any library specific books on the teachers'
shelves but I do have a few on my own shelf at my desk. I am at a K-4
school with 370 students.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are approximately 1000 books in our professional collection. Keep
in mind that this is a state special school for educating blind and
visually impaired children, and we serve as a resource for the state.
Close to half of the professional collection deals specifically with
educating blind, visually impaired, deaf-blind, and multiply-impaired
children. Unfortunately some of our professional collection is old,
because there isn't a huge amount of new information coming out on
blind, visually impaired, and deaf-blind children, and therefore many of
the older resources are still being used.
The collection is not used as much as I'd like. It has usually been used
by teachers working on their VI or O&M (orientation and mobility)
credential, but teachers also use the books to brush up on braille
skills (including Nemeth code) teaching abacus, signature writing, etc.
Occasionally the public (often a parent) has come to use materials, and
sometimes other groups that work with blind children, like Blind Babies
Foundation, view some of our materials as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am also in the process of delevoping a section for professional
studies. I am in my
third year here as high school librarian. The previous librarian had an
outdated
collection of professional works for teachers; most books were from the
70's and are
stored in a back room. I have just added 35 new books and cleared some
shelf space
out in the main area for them. I am looking for new titles. I have
encouraged teachers
to check them out and some have. However, I would like to find a way to
promote them
more. I mention them at faculty meetings, display titles on our daily
bulletin, etc.
They are not an easy sell. I think this must be why the previous librarian
abandoned the
idea. However, I will keep trying. When I read through them, I find them
insightul and
inspiring. Good luck with your collection.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We have a small professional collection but it doesn't get used very much.
My experience has been that if the item is one the teacher finds really
useful, they buy their own copy to keep and mark up.
If they attend a conference, workshop or course and find a book they like,
again they buy their own copy to mark up.
Items sent by the district to put in our professional collection usually
just sit there.
Some of the ones that I purchase get used but there again the teachers
likes it so well they buy their own copy. The ones in this category usually
are the practical everyday idea type of books rather than the theory type
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am new to my library. There are hundreds of uncataloged, untouched
professional books filling a couple bookcases. The listserv conversation
about professional libraries has validated my decision to put the time
consuming process of cataloging them way, way on the back burner.
However, I have been successful promoting professional books another
way. I have begun a professional reading book club. Our school requires
that teachers get four hours of professional development a year, and the
principal has consented to counting book club participation toward those
hours. After an inservice on children of poverty, I got a public library
collection of Jonathan Kozol's *Ordinary Resurrections.* I couldn't
believe it when 20 teachers signed up to participate! Our meeting isn't
until March 4, but I can tell from lunch table conversation that the
teachers are reading and enjoying. When we finish that we're going to read
Queen Bees and Wannabes, Raising Cain, and Reviving Ophelia.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you all for the information,
Susan O'Neal
LMIT Student, NSU
Tahlequah, OK
catmafia@direcway.com
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