Curation: Mrs. Susan Lane’s Approach to Building a Middle School Library Collection

 Mrs. Susan Lane, the media specialist at Moore Middle School, focuses on the Shared Foundation of Curate to ensure her library collection meets the needs of students and teachers. She carefully selects resources that support the curriculum, engage student interests, and provide diverse perspectives. However, the curation process comes with both opportunities and challenges. 

Guiding Questions for the Conversation: 

How do you select resources for your library collection? 

What strategies do you use to ensure materials align with teacher needs?

How do you encourage teachers to utilize library resources?

What challenges do you face when curating your collection? 

How do you address concerns or pushback regarding library materials? 

Building a Collection with Purpose 

Mrs. Lane curates resources using Titlewave to analyze book selections, ensuring they are suitable for middle school students and align with curriculum standards and student interests. She reviews lesson plans and content standards to identify gaps where additional materials might be beneficial. In addition to traditional books, she has created breakout boxes, class sets for book clubs, and digital resources on topics like Black History and STEM education. She also develops resource lists for extracurricular programs, such as a cooking club and robotics club, to support student learning beyond the classroom. Recognizing the increasing demand for digital access, she incorporates free and subscription-based databases, such as Sora, Newsela, and Britannica School, so students and teachers can easily access quality research materials. Additionally, she curates content using resource lists and Google Classroom, making it simple for teachers to integrate library resources into their lessons. 

Encouraging Teacher Collaboration 

One of Mrs. Lane’s biggest challenges is that many teachers hesitate to request materials unless they are explicitly mentioned in the district’s curriculum alignment document. To overcome this, she proactively reaches out to teachers, offering curated lists that supplement their units. She also displays and promotes new materials to engage both students and educators. She finds that teachers are more likely to use the library’s resources when they see how they directly support student learning. By providing and modeling interactive learning kits, thematic book bundles, and research guides, she demonstrates how the library can enhance classroom instruction. This part of our conversation helped prepare me for when I'm a school librarian and teachers aren't using the library as much as they could. I will have to get out of my comfort zone and proactively advocate for how the library can benefit teachers and students. 

Challenges in Curation 

Despite her efforts, Mrs. Lane faces significant challenges. Teachers often feel overwhelmed with their workloads and struggle to find time to collaborate. Additionally, there is increasing parental scrutiny over book selections, with some requesting content removal based on personal concerns. Although the school has a formal reconsideration process, these challenges create an atmosphere where teachers hesitate to use books that might be questioned. She notes that even books recommended by reputable review sources are sometimes challenged, making selection even more complex. This, along with the Law in the Library Webinar, made me much more aware and prepared for the increasing issue of book challenges. Even more challenging this year, not all librarians in the school district have been able to purchase new books, with only vague reasoning given by district administrators. 

Reflections and Takeaways 

Mrs. Lane’s approach to curation highlights the importance of intentional selection, proactive outreach, and adaptability. Her efforts to build a collection that serves students and teachers while navigating restrictions and challenges emphasize the library’s evolving role in education. This conversation reinforced the importance of selecting high-quality resources and promoting their use. In my future practice, I plan to adopt strategies like curated digital collections, book clubs, and interactive resource lists to ensure the library remains a valuable and relevant space for all learners.