Collection Evaluation and Weeding
Section 970 - Cristina Emberton
970 - History of North America
Section 970 - General History of North America
Evaluation Based on Use of Data
The circulation for section 970 is in general low. Depending on the state's standards and when the students are required to study these parts of the curriculum really determines when those books are being circulated. 4th grade students are required to write compare and contrast essays in reference to the Native Americans they are studying. During this time the circulation numbers for the books on the Hopi, Inuit, and Kwakiutl are up. 2nd grade studies the Creek and Cherokee so these get circulated a little more during those times.
There are three publications on the Apache tribe. Circulation is very low for the past two years on these. I could not find standards on the Apache Indians within the Elementary curriculum.
The Media Specialist has a hard copy printed out that was made available to view circulation data.
Overall, the circulation data will be a primary facet for much of the weeding determination. Books that do not meet any curriculum standards will be evaluated for dates and physical appearance.
Evaluation Based on Curricular Needs
In evaluating section 970 based on the curricular needs of the school, I found the section to be equipped to meet the needs of the students. Brooklet Elementary is K-5. I performed a variety of standards searches for Social Studies within these grades and compared the needs to what is available in the sections. I pulled some examples of the evaluation.
Performance standards for 4th and 5th grade social studies contain elements about Native Americans. 4th grade deals with how the cultures developed. Another standard explores the expansion of North America westward and how that impacted Native Americans. The elements requirements range from obtaining food, the clothing and shelter to conflicts between Europeans and Native Americans.
In evaluating section 970 I found a satisfactory amount of information to support these standards.
Native Americans settlement requires an emphasis on Arctic (Inuit), Northwest (Kwakiutl), Plateau (Nez Perce), Southwest (Hopi), Plains (Pawnee), and Southeastern (Seminole).
There are 9 books related to the Inuit, only one related to Kwakiutl, 3 on the Nez Perce, 5 on Hopi, 3 on Pawnee, and 3 on the Seminole Indians.
There are many publications that provide information on the life of the American Indian such as "Life in a Hopi Village", "Encyclopedia of the North American Indian". The section also provides publications on other tribes that are not listed in the standards for 4th and 5th grades such as "The Apache", "The Sioux", and books on the Cherokee Indians.
Other Standards that this section covers is a 4th grade standard to explain causes, events, and results of the American Revolution.
Elements for this standard involve events that shaped the revolutionary movement in America, including the French and Indian War, British Imperial Policy that led to the 1765 Stamp Act, the slogan “no taxation without representation,” the activities of the Sons of Liberty, and the Boston Tea Party.
There are 13 publications in the school library in reference to the Boston Tea Party and what lead to the Revolutionary War. All but one book is within the 970 section.
The 970 section definitely provides publications for this standard and element as there are specifics titles such as "Events Leading to the American Revolution" - Wade, that meet this standard's needs.
One performance standard required for first graders is to describe the life of historical figures in American history. The element for this standard is centered on historical figures which the majority of resources would be found in biographies but some information can be found in the 970 section. There are plenty of resources on the National Parks (Theodore Roosevelt) and The Underground Railroad (Harriet Tubman).
There are 15 out of 25 books available in the 970 section about different National Parks. "Everglades" - George, "Yellowstone" from the series Wonders of America, "Great Smoky Mountains" from the series "Natural Wonders" are two within the K-3 interest level.
There are 5 books within the K - 3 interest level available to meet the need for information on Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad.
The section has an excellent selection of book sets that coordinate with the curriculum. Just to name a few; Capstone Press Geography Department, "State Books". "Hello U.S.A." set of state books, "The Missions of California" sets by Jacqueline Ching.
These are just a few examples from my curriculum evaluation. Although there are plenty of resources that are not related to standards within the curriculum, all the social studies curriculum standards I evaluated did have available books within the 970 section.
State Book Sets
"The Underground Railroad"
"What was ......?" Series
Items Chosen to be Weeded
971 - "Aztecs of Mexico: origin, rise, and fall of the Aztec Nation" - Vaillant. Dated illustrations. Does not meet specific standards for grades K- 5. Circulation is low; checked out once in three years. Transfer book -Grade level 6 in middle school.
973 - "Five Brave Explorers" - Wad Hudson. No table of contents or index. The book has torn, damaged pages. Transfer book to be repaired and donated.
973 - "War of 1812" - John K Mahon. Illustrations dated and book cover damaged. There is a sufficient amount of other resources regarding the War of 1812. Information is still valid. The book can be transferred to teacher's classroom after repair.
973 - "The Boston Tea Party" - Lilly. This is a K-3 book and has been drawn on. Does not meet the level for the standard set for 4th graders. There is also an abundance of information in reference to the Boston Tea Party. Can be repaired and transferred to a teacher.
978 - "If You Grew Up with Abraham Lincoln" - McGovern. Printed in 1992, dated illustrations and circulation low. Also book is damaged on the outside and inside.
979 - "The Gold Rush: California or bust!" - Raabe. Older book and illustrations dated. There is an abundance of information in the 970 section for The Gold Rush and this one not needed. This can be transferred to a teacher.
How They Should Be Disposed
The policy states, "Material should be discarded when it cannot be mended or rebound; its content is out of date; or when the population of the school changes significantly." It goes on to state "Materials or equipment which may still be of use but which are inappropriate for a particular school is to be made available to other school in the system before permanent discard is attempted.
I believe the weeded selections I have could be repaired and passed along to to teachers for classroom use.
The exceptions are:
971 - "Aztecs of Mexico: origin, rise, and fall of the Aztec Nation" - Vaillant. This book can be sent to the middle school due to the existing books and because the 6th grade requires Aztecs study as part of their curriculum standard.
Once books are weeded, transfer forms will be completed for teachers within the schools. Acceptance forms will be completed for books transferred to locations outside of the elementary school or to other schools. None of the books pulled are beyond repair or have incorrect data and therefor could be used in another learning environment.