Curating a collection is one of my favorite parts of being a school librarian. It can also be overwhelming, especially if you’re brand new to the field, operate on a fixed schedule with limited collection development time, or suddenly find yourself operating within a much tighter budget than planned. If you’re new to school librarianship or are feeling stuck or overwhelmed by your process, this is for you!
Every school, collection, and budget is different. I’ve found these principles helpful in defining my own ordering process. For each principle, I’ve also included ways to back up your decisions with data, a) because we’re human and our memories aren’t perfect and b) in case your principal, admin team, or even a collection challenger wants to know why you’re ordering what you’re ordering.
Most school librarians are required to operate within a collection development or materials selection policy approved by the school committee. Such policies usually require materials to be of high quality and/or professionally reviewed, though your school or district may have other criteria as well. Ask other librarians in your district or your principal if you’re not sure where this document lives. If your school, library department, or district does NOT have this type of policy, several resources exist to help you create one.
“Selection & Reconsideration Policy Toolkit for Public, School, & Academic Libraries” from ALA
“Collection Development Policies and Procedures in School Libraries” from Linda Bertland’s Resources for School Librarians
Collection Development Standards: A Resource Guide for School Librarians from the Texas Library and Archives Commission
This mostly refers to students, but it can also mean staff. Reflect on your interactions over the past few months. What are kids checking out? What are they asking for? What series or authors do they enjoy? Are new titles coming out that meet these criteria?
How do staff utilize your collection? Are there projects they bring their classes or pull resources for? What potential areas of collaboration can you meet by developing a certain area of your collection?
What about demographics? What is the makeup of your student body and staff? What types of students are in the library often, or not at all?
Run circulation stats using your library management system’s Reports feature. Can you break it down by genre or Dewey area?
Keep a running list, either physical or electronic, of books or topics kids ask you about but aren’t reflected in the collection.
Not sure of a series order or what else an author has published? The KDL What’s Next database is my favorite reference tool.
Look at demographic reports for your district and school. In Massachusetts, state data provides information like racial makeup, English Learner status, economic disadvantage, special education status, and more.
Collection development is about more than purchasing hot new titles. It’s also about filling gaps and giving students a chance to see themselves and their interests on the shelves. Think about how your collection is organized, and what percentage of your collection is devoted to each category (fiction vs. nonfiction vs. graphic vs. early reader vs. chapter vs. picture, etc.). This is where genrefication, at least on the back end, is helpful. Are there curricular topics or student interests not represented in your collection? Does your nonfiction section have current information about the topics students and staff look at the most?
It’s fairly easy to identify gaps in nonfiction if your collection is organized by Dewey or if you’re ditching Dewey and organizing by topic. Fiction is more tricky, even if it’s broken into genres, because gaps exist in other ways. Are students’ lived experiences represented in the stories on your shelves, not just in side characters but main ones? Consider factors like:
Race
Ethnic background
First language
Religion
Family makeup
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability status
Economic status
Hobbies
Student demeanor (shy, angry, introverted, extroverted)
Text language
Reading level
Format (illustrated, novel in verse, diary, epistolary, text messages, etc.)
Tropes (if you have a lot of romance, for example, are there a variety of tropes, or just enemies to lovers?)
Author/ illustrator identity and background
The list goes on. This knowledge doesn’t come overnight. It comes with time spent browsing your own collection, investigating the catalog, going down subject heading rabbit holes, and readers’ advisory. You also don’t have to have read every title in your collection to understand where the gaps are. Students will let you know!
And then there’s weeding. If you’ve weeded recently for age and condition, or plan to in the near future, are there items you’d like to update or replace?
Run collection stats using your library management system’s Reports feature. Look at genres, Dewey, item age - any criteria available.
Do a diversity audit. If you use Follett products for your library management system, you should have access to the Titlewave Analysis feature, which looks at your collection’s age, diversity, and more. If your library management system does not have a similar tool, you can conduct your own diversity audit using the resources below.
“Diversity Audit: A Practical Guide” by Kelsey Bogan of the Don’t You Shush Me blog
Diverse Book Finder’s Collection Analysis Tool for picture books
“4 Steps to Evaluating Your Collection for Diverse Books + Book Suggestions” by Judith Snyder
Diversity Audit Resources from SLJ’s Teen Librarian Toolbox blog
With knowledge of your patrons and collection in mind, what do you want to focus on for your upcoming order? Are you purely purchasing new releases? Adding more to a certain genre? Updating an area of your nonfiction collection or prepping for a content area collab? Not every book in your order has to serve your goals, but having 2-3 areas of focus for your purchasing can prevent the list from feeling unruly and make your selection process more efficient.
The data you gather about your students and collection will speak to your chosen goals. Comparing collection stats before and after you process your purchases can serve as evidence if collection development is one of your professional goals.
You can’t place an order if you have no money. What’s your total budget? Is it use-it-or-lose-it, or is there a portion that rolls over from year to year? Do you typically receive cash donations from your PTO or other organizations? Any grants you are waiting to receive?
In addition to knowing your income, consider where you’re at in the school year and other purchases you may need to make (supplies, licensing fees, furniture, etc.) so you know how much you can spend on books. If your district allows open purchase orders (a set amount of money for one vendor that you spend down throughout the year), don’t forget about processing and shipping costs if those apply.
And it goes without saying, but if your budget is use it or lose it…
If you don’t keep budget records, now’s the time to start. It doesn’t need to be fancy. A simple balance sheet is great, and there are plenty of templates in Google Sheets.
Keep copies of quotes and invoices, either physically or electronically.
So you have goals for your order and a budget. How are you going to find books?
Trade publications - School Library Journal, Horn Book, Kirkus, etc. In my opinion, subscriptions to these resources are worth the money, but if your budget is tight, you may be able to see professional reviews in your vendor’s platform or in your area’s public library catalog instead.
Vendor advance catalogs - These catalogs list what’s going to be published over the next couple months. Details are usually limited to 1-2 sentences, so you’ll have to seek out more in-depth info.
Student and teacher requests
Replacement or additional copies
Vendor advance catalogs
Local library catalogs - Most library catalogs contain widgets for new books - a great place for inspiration!
Blogs, Substacks, and other social media
The principles above will help you decide what to put in your order. Everyone’s ordering process will look different depending on school finance policies and your vendor. Until recently, I was ordering through Ingram, but after many frustrating interactions, I decided to switch to our local bookstore. If you order through a vendor that provides processing, you’ll either have selected processing options when you or a previous librarian set up the account, or you’ll be able to modify options as you order. I process all materials myself, so here’s my general ordering process:
Create a Google Sheet with columns for title, author, ISBN-13, and # of copies.
Add specific student and teacher title requests from my ongoing list.
Skim vendor advance catalogs and trade publications, highlighting interesting titles
Reread reviews/ read additional reviews, consider goals, and compare with budget to narrow down the list.
Request a quote from my vendor.
Narrow list further if quote is beyond budget.
Give quote to my school’s office manager and wait for a PO number.
Give the PO number to my vendor.
Receive books and invoice.
Forward the invoice to office manager for payment.
What else do you consider when placing a book order? Anything I missed or any questions you want to ask? Leave a comment below!
Checking out,
Jennie 🧡
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