Curriculum Resourcing Of the Teacher Librarian - Assignment Example

? Curriculum Resourcing of the Teacher Librarian The curriculum is a crucial aspect in a life. It is used in defining the outline of the studies a learner is going to undertake. Therefore, helping the student has a swift flow with his/her studies. The selection of facts to be used in the curriculum is an extremely sensitive issue. This is because, for the student to pass the studies he takes, he needs materials that are easy to understand and still contain the necessary information he needs. The balance between the details contained in the study material and the detailed information the resource materials should have is crucial for both the student and teacher. Once the best materials are selected, the students and the teacher will have an ample time to complete the required curriculum in the required time. The library is a celebrated institution in the life of a student. The library contains the resource that the student will need to get a better understanding of the studies he or she partakes. Hence, it should require well-informed curriculum materials. Introduction A library is a structured assortment of books, journals and even on line material an institution or community for gathering information uses that (Bishop, 2007). In the life of a student, the library offers a haven of information resource that can be used to ease the study work of the student. For students, this is usually critical because most of what they learn in school is mostly found in the library. Getting the necessary information; therefore, becomes vital to these young scholars. The resources found in the library are taken through thorough processes before they are qualified to be included as resource materials in the library. This is because a lot of care has to be taken when these sources of information are being gathered (Church, 2007). The absolute best books and journals should be used for the accomplishment of the apprentices, and the school. The compelling thing is that libraries consisted of stone tablets that were gathered in a room for storage in the past. These shows those even in the past, libraries were significant. The processes of acquiring the libraries' resource materials have changed drastically since then (Clayton & Gorman, 2001). The process of acquisition of the resource material has become more complex with time. This is because a number of factors such as units of study or subject/topic requirement must be considered for a resource material to be selected. The student should benefit from the resources choosen, or that are available to him. Most of the learning institutions have adopted new ways to ensure this (Conger, 2004). The modern library can have on-line platforms and visual aid gadgets just to mention a few. This has created a bigger platform for the student to use. So what make a dependable and resourceful library? What are the acquisition and selection procedures for these resource materials? In order to answer the following question we need to understand the need to be satisfied for the curriculum point of view. Curriculum In a modern school or any other learning institution, there are sets of courses that the learner needs to cover. These courses are put in an organized manner that ease and smoothes the student’s process of learning through out the learning period. These sets and the order they are organized in is called a curriculum (Craver, 2001). For the student to pass the studies he or she is taking, they must fulfill the curriculum to the satisfaction of their teacher or examiner. For a good curriculum, some few aspects should be carefully considered. These environments surround the student throughout the teacher’s course (Evans & Saponaro, 2005). They affect the learning process of the student, hence if lightly taken; the student may have trouble in his studies. One of the main aspects to be considered is the unit of works the student will have to take. The units of work are courses that student require to pass the level of education or to graduate (Fowler, 2004). The units of works contain both theories and practice work for the student. The units can be tiring to the student when not organized properly, which may result to failure. In order to avoid such outcomes the units of works are spread out equally or to the student’s ability. This spread in durations of time called semesters or terms. The units of work that a student must finish during this period must be comfortable to the student and teacher. This will ensure the curriculum is covered and completed in the stated period. This student can learn at respectable speed, and the teacher will have a delightful time for assessing the students’ progress. Examinations are a marvelous way to assess the student. Most of the learning institutions administer examinations twice a semester for better assessment of students. This is also helpful for the student as it helps him understand his position in the examined unit(s). The curriculum is considered successful if the students and the teachers cover the units of work in the set duration with ease. The resource used by the students and the teacher must contain the necessary information for the curriculum to be completed successfully. This can only be done by use of proper resource materials. The materials that both the student and the teachers used are mostly found in the institutions library. Therefore, the library should contain helpful, easy to understand yet detailed materials. The units of work may vary with different students in the institution hence the library should have different materials, for different units of the work for every student in the institution. In many learning institutions, the students always want to succeed in his studies. The student will need the institutions' library to contain the necessary materials for the unit of work they need to cover (Hughes-Hassell & Mancall, 2005). The resources found in a library should be easy to find. Libraries are congested due to many resource materials. However, for the student to work with ease the resources in the library should be easy to spot. For the different units that the student is going to use, the library should also have resources for every unit of work that the student does. This can be achieved by carefully collecting resources that are useful for both teachers and students. Collection of the resource materials Every library has many resources to satisfy the needs of its users. The collections found in the libraries of institutions have gone through careful selection and acquisition processes. The process may go on for the books also found in the library. At times, the curriculum changes, this in turn changes the unit of work. This is common in almost all learning institutions. The units change in accordance to fulfill the curriculum (Polanka, 2011). The new units of work may have different resource materials. This happens when better or revised resources are introduced to the curriculum. It is pertinent to note that when the curriculum is changed the aspects of the curriculum also change. Thus, the unit of works may be changed to include or exclude new resource material. At other times, though not so often, the particular unit of work is utterly removed from the curriculum. At these times, it is indispensable for the library to decide whether to add resources, remove the unit of work or add new units. According to Johnson (1948), acquisition refers to the processes and systems of ordering and obtaining library materials after they have been selected. These processes are done by people who are in charge of different departments in the library, depending on how large a library is (Kennedy, 2006). In smaller libraries, the people interested in different sources of certain information can substantially ensure that they place orders online depending on the databases used. These people have to verify the authors, publishers, titles and years of publications on their interested unit of work before making any orders. A selector must first have a signed licensed agreement or contract that will help them acquire any resources to be used in the library. These agreements are usually in forms and designated by an individual with authority to do so. These forms should contain the budget of the resources that might be purchased, if any exceptional care may be required in handling the books or if a duplicate copy is needed. Although these on-line deals might be complicated to a small library, it is worth it because transactions can be made easier and faster. Finding resources are made easier and more convenient. The second process is finding the best acquisition options. Books, journals, articles and audio-visual material might be acquired in a number of ways so getting the best options to find these hard copy materials is crucial. A number of measures should be taken while doing this. For instance, the price of books and the financial state of the library should be paramount. The quality of the material is also vital because nobody wants to go to the library and not get the best reading material. Most of the time, the best quality material is the most expensive, however, it makes it worthwhile if students and teachers are satisfied with the materials and if it is relevant to their unit of work. Old is gold. Most of the time people shun old reading material without knowing that such are the most sought after. Having a shelf or two that contain such material will not only show how antique the library is, but also it will also provide reading material for people who think literature is now exploited by globalization and technology. Such customers may be the advanced in age. Selecting the resources to include in a library is a key thing to do. This is because one needs to ensure that financial agreements and expectations must be met. When a selector makes an agreement purchase a certain book for example, that agreement must be followed up to ensure that the right services have been given. One might get the wrong purchase having paid a prodigious amount of money. Selection and acquisition of materials must also be made fairly, ethically and legally. Any prejudice or discrimination based on ethnicity or race should not even be a subject of discussion. Purchases should be made fairly and without making any empty promises to either the service provider or the purchaser. Professionalism should always be maintained when acquiring resources, this should be the first priority used and any other businesses should be left to a later date. Selection of resources should be an indispensable affair where the selector arms his or herself with all the information he or she needs in order to purchase the best resources. Anything that goes wrong during this time affects the library greatly, and it can be the small difference between success and the failure that comes with loss. When selecting resources, it is also necessary to ensure that one knows the rules and policies that govern the library. This should be prioritized because it would be devastating to purchase resources that are intrinsically irrelevant to the library (Wall & Ryan, 2010). Being knowledgeable about this also helps the selector to know the kind of customers who visit the library to evaluate their units of work and know which materials are relevant and which are not. Other priorities must be identified when it comes to selecting resources. Abiding by the policy statement of the library is necessary because it shows that the library is professional. Teachers and students also find it easier to trust such institutions when professionalism is maintained even when materials are being acquired. Students and teachers can benefit from these priorities in a number of ways: they can pre-order materials in advance (Punshon & Punshon, 2006). When teachers lack a certain book in the library for example, they can notify the head of that department, and he or she can fundamentally research on where the material can be found, how many copies of the book are available, at what price and when it can be purchased. The teachers can also choose what information is relevant to a certain curriculum and which materials are not. In an institutional library for example, this helps to discard the material that might be irrelevant to the institutional system. Conclusion Selecting what resources should exist in a library is not only tasking but also needs a lot of research to identify what gaps should be filled and what materials are lacking in the library. In an institutional library, acquisition and selecting resources becomes an expensive affair because in most cases more than one copies is used. Sometimes the wrong material may be sent and that means that a lot of money and time is lost for the institution and the student. Students need certain materials to be able to learn since the institution might be questioned and lose customers when they fail. Fortunately, teachers may decide to follow up the type of materials purchased, and determine whether they are relevant or not. This reduces any chances of wrong material being sent. Selecting resources should be an art only left to the people who are patient; knowledgeable and skilled enough to do so because that is the only way these people can appreciate these materials and the relief that comes with purchasing the right product. References Bishop, K. (2007). The collection program in schools: Concepts, practices and information sources (4th ed.). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. Church, A.P. (2007). Your library goes virtual. Worthington, OH: Linworth Publishing. Clayton, P.R., & Gorman, G.E. (2001). Managing information resources in libraries: Collection management in theory and practice. London: Library Association. Conger, J.E. (2004). Collaborative electronic resource management: From acquisitions to assessment. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. Craver, K.W. (2002). Creating cyber libraries: An instructional guide for school library media specialists. Greenwood Village, CO: Libraries Unlimited. 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Chicago, IL: American Association of School Librarians. Kovacs, D.K. (2004). The Kovacs guide to electronic library collection development: Essential core subject collections, selection criteria and guidelines. New York: Neal- Schuman. Lee, S.D., & Boyle, F. (2004). Building an electronic resource collection: A practical guide (2nd ed.). London: Facet. Loertscher, D.V. (2000). Taxonomies of the school library media program (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City, UT: Hi Willow Research and Publishing. Lukenbill, W.B. (2002). Collection development for a new century in the school library media center. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Polanka, S. (Ed). (2011). No shelf required: e-books in libraries. ALA, Chicago Punshon, M., & Punshon, C. (2006). Managing for learning: Issues for primary school libraries. Carlton, Vic.: School Library Association of Victoria. Kennedy, J. (2006). Collection management: A concise introduction (rev. ed.). Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University. Wall, J. & Ryan, S. (2010) Resourcing for curriculum innovation, Melbourne, ACER Pre Read More