Week 6: Curriculum Mapping - Response #2

Everett, J. (2003).  Curriculum mapping and collection mapping: Otherwise known as "The Camel with Two Humps." In B.K. Stripling & S. Hughes-Hassel (Eds.) Curriculum Connections through the Library (pp. 119-137). Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited.

Focus Quote:
"As with curriculum maps, collection maps provide the 'big picture' of how balanced the library collection is in relationship to the school curriculum." (Everett, 2003, p. 124)

In Jo Ann Everett's chapter on curriculum mapping and collection mapping, she discusses the importance of using both types of maps in schools.  Since I was already familiar with curriculum mapping, what I found most interesting in this chapter was her discussion of the collection map.  According to Everett, "As with curriculum maps, collection maps provide the 'big picture' of how balanced the library collection is in relationship to the school curriculum." (2003, p. 124)  I particularly liked that she focuses on the importance of developing a "big picture"view of the library collection - one that encompasses the library's past, present, and future.   I think it can be very easy to get caught up in the day to day tasks of the present that you can forget to plan for the library's future in terms of collection.  Doing a collection map, would certainly help a librarian to think more broadly.

Another part of the collection map process that I found interesting was Everett's recommendation for dividing up the library collection into Dewey sections and then evaluating each section individually. (2003, p. 125)  This seems like a lot of work, but if I'm not mistaken there are two services available from Follett TitleWave (TitleWise and TitleMap) that would help expedite the process.  From what I can gather from the TitleWave website, the TitleWise service provides collection analysis while TitleMap helps librarians map out a plan to improve their collection.  Unfortunately, these services do come at a cost.  Still, it might be worth it to have Follett do the initial analysis and then maintain your own records afterwards.  I'd be interested in talking with other school librarians that have used this service.  

Lastly, one other step of Everett's that I liked was her creation of a web room or a room where she assembled unit boxes containing numerous resources (books, videos, CDs, etc.) that a teacher might use for a particular unit.  This is something that I would like to do more of at my school.  However, I would expand Everett's unit boxes to include online resources as well as print materials and other physical resources.  One way to do this might be to create a Symbaloo webmix or a webpage with relevant links for each unit.