LM 511

PROJECT 1.5
COLLECTION ANALYSIS & MATERIALS ORDER
DR. BETTY J. MORRIS
Suzanne Cooper
November 12, 2013

ANALYSIS REPORT

The Buckhorn High School Media Center has a

total of 14,350 books with an average copyright
date of 1992. There are 1,788 books in the
Geography and History section (900-999),
which is roughly 13% of the entire print
collection. The average copyright date for this
section is 1985. More specifically, there are 219
books in the section of Geography and Travel
(910-919). This represents approximately 12%
of the 900s and 1.5% of the entire collection.
The BHS Geography and Travel (910-919)
section has an average copyright date of 1973.
The oldest copyright for this section is 1948,

ANALYSIS REPORT

In speaking with the BHS librarian, Mrs. Paige Craig, it

was determined that the Travel section was not
current enough even though the demand is heavy for
a broad range of travel materials. Most popular are
current travel guides of particular countries, U.S.
states or cities. United States travel titles alone
account for high statistics, with Europe the next most
borrowed travel subject. Multiple copies vary greatly
depending upon demand, with several being
purchased for popular destinations such as Florida,
Hawaii, Britain, and the Caribbean. Several math and
history teachers develop lessons that require
students to plan and budget a trip, so these
resources are valuable to those particular learning
experiences.

ANALYSIS REPORT

Mrs. Craig indicated that it should be of

primary importance to keep this section
timely, with weeding being scheduled
every year. Typically, Guidebooks should
not be kept longer than three years
depending on frequency of publication.
In addition, worn copies of popular
personal narratives and literary titles
should be replaced or rebound.
However, with lack of funding it is very

ANALYSIS REPORT

It was determined that the Geography section

was not as current as it should be, but the
average copyright is somewhat misleading, as
war history books are included and are kept in
circulation as long as they are in good condition.
Typically, all other geography books are weeded
within five to ten years of the copyright date.
However - again due to lack of funding, these
books have not been weeded as they should be.
There are many requests for the books in this
section, as most of the history and geography
teachers develop lesson plans for projects that

ANALYSIS REPORT

The Library has a small collection of folding maps that are

used by teachers and students. Most popular are the maps
of U.S. cities and states, almost half of which are maps of
Alabama cities, counties and lakes. The collection is
divided into these groups: the continents, with Europe
predominant as it includes individual maps of its countries
and cities; the United States; Alabama and special maps,
e.g. railroad routes, the planets and oceanography. Most
maps are gifts but others are purchased as needed and
from patron requests. Because online sites such as
Mapquest or Google Maps are used more often by patrons,
the need for individual maps has dwindled. However, the
Library does continue to circulate atlases for maps of all
states. Lack of cataloging makes it difficult to determine
circulation, so the budget is minimal for this collection.
Weeding is done annually to remove worn or outdated

ANALYSIS REPORT

Mrs. Craig would like to be able to update the

travel section to feature various travel guides.
She would also like to include special interest
guides covering cruises, hiking/biking trips,
museum visits, golfing tours, travel for the
disabled, tours for children or the family,
pictorial and descriptive treatments of regions,
travel memoirs, sea and other travel adventures,
exploration and discoveries, historical
geography and atlases. In addition, if funding
was available, orders would be based on
relevance to the curriculum, reading/interest

The following is a collection analysis chart of the Buckhorn High

School Library Geography and History section. The BHS
Geography and Travel (910-919) section has an average copyright
date of 1973. The oldest copyright for this section is 1948, while
the most current copyright is 2010.
1950
910 1950
911

912

913 1959
914

1948
915
1952
916

1960
1963

1970
1979

1980

1972

1965

1967

1973

1990
1999

2000

1993

1996

917

1969
1969

1972
1974

1994
1996
1997

918
919

1962
1960

2010

OLDEST COPYRIGHT:
1948
________________
MOST CURRENT
COPYRIGHT:
2010
________________
AVERAGE COPYRIGHT:
1973

900 - 919
Call Number

Section Title

Number of
Books

910

Geography & Travel

38

911

Historical geography

912

Atlases, maps, charts & plans

913

Geography of & travel in ancient world

21

914

Geography of & travel in Europe

25

915

Geography of & travel in Asia

33

916

Geography of & travel in Africa

917

Geography of & travel in North America

70

918

Geography of & travel in South America

919

Geography of & travel in other areas

15

JUSTIFICATION

Combining the information in the above

chart and the Alabama Course of study
objectives for High School Social Studies
courses, it was determined that an
improvement to the Geography and
Travel section was needed. There are
three specific Social Studies Course of
Study Objectives that explicitly state the
need for these types of resources:

ALABAMA COURSE OF STUDY

1.) Identify major landform features on Earth using latitude

and longitude and a variety of
geographic tools.
(Examples: maps, globes, topographic maps, satellite
imagery, reference and thematic maps).

2.) Explain the diversity of human characteristics in major

geographic realms and regions
of the world.
(Examples: North America, Middle and South America,
Europe, Russia, Africa, Southwest Asia, Middle East, South
Asia, East Asia, Pacific).

3) Illustrate patterns of land use and population

distribution. (Example: utilizing physical and
topographic maps, satellite images, and reference and

READING STANDARDS FOR LITERACY

7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of

information presented in diverse formats
and
media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in
words) in order to address a
question or solve a
problem.

8. Evaluate an authors premises, claims, and

evidence by corroborating or challenging
them
with other information.

9. Integrate information from diverse sources, both

primary and secondary, into a coherent
understanding of an idea or event, noting

DIVERSE MEDIA RESOURCES

Today, as GPS and smart-phones give us turn-byturn instructions on where to go, printed road maps
exist as little more than collectibles for people
wishing to preserve their memories of a fading era. A
students only interaction with a printed map, may
very well be in a school library.
There is no question that online map services can
provide more accurate, up-to-date information.
However, it is imperative that students learn to utilize
a variety of geographical tools. Not only are maps
part of the historical revolution of automobiles and
travel - diverse tools, in various formats, are
necessary for student to be able to integrate existing
knowledge into applied knowledge.

REFERENCES

Alabama state department of education (2010). Alabama course of study: Social studies. Retrieved

November 1, 2013, from

https://docs.alsde.edu/documents/54/2010%20SOCIAL%20STUDIES%20COURSE%20OF%20STUDY%20%20ADOPTED%20DRAFT.pdf

Bishop, K. (2012). The collection program in schools: Concepts, practices, and

Craig, P. (2013, October 18). Personal Interview conducted by Suzanne Cooper.

Doll, C., & Barron, P. P. (1991). Collection analysis for the school library media center: A practical approach. Chicago:

American Library Association.

Hirsh, S. G. (2003). Collection development for Arizona public libraries.

Lowe, K. R. (2001). Resource alignment: Providing curriculum support in the school library media center. Millers

Creek: Beacon Consulting.

Mathew, E. & Tyckoson, D. A. (1990). A program for the systematic weeding of the reference collection. The

Reference Librarian (29), 129-143.

McGregor, J., Dillon, K., & Henri, J. (2003). Collection management for school libraries. Maryland: Scarecrow Press.

Morris, B. (2010). Administering the school library media center (5th ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

information sources (5th ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.