Wightman, Ben

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Collection Analysis and Development

Industrial Revolution Acquisition Proposal

Curricular Foundation:
The 7th grade class at Solvay Middle School
recently completed a research project on the
Industrial Revolution. Working in groups, the
students gathered information about the time
period, then used their findings to support the
claim that the Industrial Revolution had either
a positive overall effect, or negative overall
effect on life in the United States. The
culmination of the unit was a debate, in which
each side created a video presenting its own
claim and evidence, viewed and responded to
the opposing sides video, then addressed its
opponents responses in a class discussion.
The sidebar to the right lists the standards this
project addresses.
Although the students used several library
resources to complete the project, the research
process revealed some weak areas in the
collection. To shore up these areas for next
year, the library requests about $400 in
funding to purchase additional materials
related to the Industrial Revolution.
Status of Current Collection:
Print materials about the Industrial
Revolution can be found in the following
areas of Solvay Middle Schools subjectbased nonfiction classification system:
Colonial America 1 title
Inventions 2 titles
NYS History 9 titles
Progressive Era 11 titles
US History 7 titles
Womens Rights 1 title
Ebooks 3 titles

Industrial Revolution Debate Project

Standards Addressed
CCLS CCR.W.7.7 - Conduct short research
projects to answer a question, drawing on
several sources and generating additional
related, focused questions for further research
and investigation.
CCLS CCR.W.7.1 - Write arguments to support
claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate
or opposing claims, and organize the reasons
and evidence logically.
b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning
and relevant evidence, using accurate,
credible sources and demonstrating an
understanding of the topic or text.
CCLS CCR.SL.7.4 Present claims and
findings, emphasizing salient points in a
focused, coherent manner with pertinent
descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use
appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and
clear pronunciation.
CCLS CCR.SL.7.3 - Delineate a speakers
argument and specific claims, evaluating the
soundness of the reasoning and the relevance
and sufficiency of the evidence.
AASL 2.1.1 Continue an inquiry based
research process by applying critical thinking
skills (analysis, synthesis, evaluation,
organization) to information and knowledge in
order to construct new understandings, draw
conclusions, and create new knowledge.

Appendix A lists the relevant titles. Twenty-three of the 35 are optimal for the 7th grade project,
because they include information about the early Industrial Revolution (1750-1860). The
remaining titles relate to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The average age of the resources is
15 years. This is acceptable for history materials, which should primarily be evaluated by their
condition, use, relevance to the curriculum, accuracy, and balance of perspectives.

Wightman, Ben

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Collection Analysis and Development

Recommended Withdrawals:
None of the 35 current resources related to the Industrial Revolution is in poor condition.
Although they have not circulated frequently in the past three years they are generally relevant to
the 4th-5th and 7th-8th grade social studies curriculum. Furthermore there is minimal overlap in the
topics they cover. The one major exception to this pattern is the Erie Canal. Seven of the 35
titles, or about 20% of the total are about the Canal, and 6 of the 7 are more than 10 years old.
Four of the 7 titles were not on the shelf at the time of analysis, and may be missing. If they are,
it is not recommended that they be replaced. If the missing materials are recovered, it is
recommended that the following titles be withdrawn from the collection.
Title, Author, and Year of Publication
Erie Canal Gateway to the West by
Nicolas Nirgiotis, 1993
The Erie Canal by Craig A. Doherty

Reasons for Withdrawal

Age, redundant content, lack of circulation, relative
lack of suitability for research (dearth of illustrations
and subject headings make it difficult to use in small
chunks.)
Age, redundant content, lack of circulation

The paperback copy of 53 Things that Changed the World by David West should also be
withdrawn, because the collection also includes a hardcover copy and neither the titles
circulation nor amount of use in the current project suggests a need to retain multiple copies.
Curricular Weaknesses:
In the present project, students were required to study the effects of the Industrial Revolution in
the following eight areas:
Child labor
New jobs
Factories (economic impact)
Women
Working conditions
Transportation
Inventions
Urbanization and pollution
The selected materials were assessed for their difficulty and relevance to those areas, and
presented to students in the form of a matrix-style reading list (Appendix B). The reading list
also included a video and article from the librarys online databases, six websites and a packet of
primary sources. Sixteen of the 35 print and digital books about the Industrial Revolution made
the final list. The remainder were excluded because of their length, unavailability, or lack of
detail about the early Industrial Revolution.
Based on the students experiences, it appears the current collection includes an adequate amount
of information about child labor, working conditions, and transportation. No one researching
those topics reported any difficulty finding facts to support their position. The students
researching women, new jobs, and urbanization/pollution had a more difficult time, and
individuals in larger classes sometimes found themselves competing for resources. Additional
Internet sources were added to the reading list as a short-term fix, but adding more suitable
sources to the collection is a preferable long-term solution. The students researching factories
and inventions did not report any difficulty, but their notes revealed some gaps in their
knowledge. Additional sources are also necessary to fill those gaps.

Wightman, Ben

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Collection Analysis and Development

The project also highlighted the librarys lack of language other than English (LOTE) materials
about the Industrial Revolution. Two Spanish-speaking students were forced to rely solely on
Internet resources and sources simplified by their groupmate because the library collection and
databases did not include any Spanish language options.
Proposed Additions:
The $400 allocation will be used to acquire the following materials, which were identified
through School Library Journal and Follett Titlewave. Additional information was sometimes
sought from Mackin, but all quoted prices are from Titlewave, since Follett is Solvays primary
vendor. Unless otherwise noted, the quoted price in each entry is for a library bound hardcover.
The actual total cost of the listed materials is $387.70.

Title: The Industrial Revolution for Kids: The People and Technology that Changed the World
Author: Cheryl Mullenbach
Year: 2014
Level: Middle
Located through: School Library Journal
Cost: $20.99 [Unlimited access ebook]
Comment: This book would be a strong edition to the collection because it includes an entire
chapter on new ways of working, which will help fill the information gap the
students researching new jobs encountered. The text is somewhat dense, with some
pages lacking sidebars and illustrations, but subject headings are spaced evenly
enough to make the content manageable and the School Library Journal review
praises the authors ability to express through words and images the breakneck pace
of change. At the currently listed prices, the unlimited access ebook from Ebsco
costs less than the corresponding hardcover.

Title: The Early Industrial American Revolution, 1893-1850

Author: Katie Bagley
Year: 2003
Located through: School Library Journal

Level: Low
Cost: $18.04

Comment: Unlike many of the titles currently in the collection, this book focuses exclusively on
the early Industrial Revolution, and includes a discussion of how it deepened
differences between the North and South, which is a point the existing sources cover
in very little detail.

Title: Technology of the Industrial Revolution

Author: Britannica Educational Publishing
Located through: Follett Titlewave

Year: 2016

Level: Middle-High
Cost: $27.95

Comment: This book discusses the Industrial Revolution in a larger historical context, with
frequent references to the advantages and disadvantages new technology offered over
the practices it replaced. It should help close some of the gaps in the knowledge of
students who researched inventions.

Wightman, Ben

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Title: Life During the Industrial Revolution

Author: Julia Garstecki
Located through: Follett Titlewave

Collection Analysis and Development

Year: 2015

Level: Low
Cost: $22.95

Comment: This book is part of a series called Daily Life in US History, which received favorable
reviews from multiple publications (including Booklist and School Library Journal).
It was written for 4th to 6th grade readers, making it a good fit for lower 7th grade
readers. The effects of the Industrial Revolution are clearly conveyed, and frequent
stretches of second person narration encourage students to empathize with Industrial
Era individuals.

Title: Horrible Jobs of the Industrial Revolution

Author: Leon Gray
Year: 2014
Located through: Follett Titlewave

Level: Low
Cost: $24.01

Comment: The library is not hurting for books about working conditions, but this colorful,
graphically detailed high-interest title should attract readers even when it is not being
used for research.

Title: The Industrial Revolution

Author: Debra J. Housel
Located through: Follett Titlewave

Year: 2008

Level: Low
Cost: $23.96

Comment: This colorful book presents information in short, colorful chunks, making it a good
option for lower readers, particularly visually-oriented ones. It includes a two-page
spread about immigrants, which is a topic few of the librarys existing sources on the
Industrial Revolution cover in detail.

Title: The Growth of the American City: Immigrants and Migrants Travel for Work
Author: Mina Flores
Year: 2016 Level: Low
Located through: Follett Titlewave
Cost: $35.40 [Unlimited access ebook]
Comment: This book also includes information about immigrants in the context of urbanization.
The effects of the Industrial Revolution on cities are clearly and concisely delineated,
making it a good option for lower 7th grade readers. Purchasing the ebook version will
allow these students to use it in groups.
Title: Guardians of the Home: Womens Lives in the 1800s
Author: Matthew Strange
Year: 2014
Located through: Follett Titlewave

Level: High
Cost: $22.95
4

Wightman, Ben

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Collection Analysis and Development

Comment: Compared to the librarys current resources, this book may potentially offer a more
detailed and complete overview of opportunities and limitations women confronted
during the Industrial Revolution. The limited preview I saw in Titlewave was
intriguing, but the most relevant chapters were not included and I was unable to
locate any reviews. Accordingly, I intend to borrow a copy for further examination
before going through with this purchase.
Title: Farm to Factory: Womens Letters, 1830-1860
Author: Thomas Dublin
Year: 1993
Located through: School Library Journal

Level: High
Cost: $32.45 [Paperback]

Comment: Although this is an older book, and somewhat high for middle school students, it
examines the impact of industrialization on individual women more intimately than
any of the existing sources in the collection. While the letters themselves may be
above students comprehension levels, the introductory text at the beginning of each
chapter is relatively accessible and of a manageable length.

Title: Exploring American History: 1550 to 1877 [Database]

Publisher: Cavendish Square Digital
Year: 2016
Located through: School Library Journal

Level: All
Cost: $159.00/year

Comment: This database offers Spanish translations, which will help support the Spanishspeaking students who were unable to use library resources in the current project.
According to the School Library Journal review, all articles are based on the wellreviewed CSD print resources and are written accessibly and authoritatively. The
database also includes media and graphic information sources, as well as
bibliographies and related websites. Cavendish Square Digital also allows schools to
try their products free for 30 days before purchasing.

Wightman, Ben

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Collection Analysis and Development

Appendix A: Library Resources about the Industrial Revolution.

The automated collection analysis programs from Follett and Mackin had trouble analyzing the
Solvay Middle School collection due to the fact that we do not use the Dewey classification
system. Folletts Titlewise analysis recognized just 17.83% of the librarys holdings, which
meant the results had very poor data integrity. The Mackin analysis was able to classify 38.3% of
the records, which is still a relatively poor rate. As a result of these difficulties, I conducted a
personal analysis limited to the subject areas relevant to the current project. The titles I evaluated
are listed below.
*White titles appeared on the reading list given to the students, gray titles did not.
Call #
Title
Author
Year Age
Level
Relevant Passages
Colonial
America
Inventions
Inventions
NYS
History

Life in America's
First Cities
100 Greatest
Inventions
53 Things That
Changed the
World (2 copies)
Erie Canal
Gateway to the
West

Sally Senzell
2001 15
Isaacs
Philip
WIlkinson

1997 19

David West 1992 24

Nicholas
Nirgiotis

1993 23

NYS
History

The Erie Canal

Craig A
Doherty

1997 19

NYS
History

The Erie Canal: A

Primary Source
History of the
Canal that
Changed America

Janey Levy

2003 13

NYS
History
NYS
History
NYS
History
NYS
History
NYS
History

Erie Canal

The Erie Canal

The Erie Canal
America's Early
Canals

Martin
Morganstein
2001 15
and Joan H.
Cregg
Andrew
2005 11
Santella
Conrad R.
2004 12
Stein
Tim McNeese 1993 23

New York History Mark Stewart 2003 13

Low

Unavailable (in use by

a 4th grade teacher at
the time of the project)

MiddleHigh

p. 36-42

High

p. 12-13 (toilet), 19
(combine harvester),
38-39 (steam engine)

High

Long

Unknown Unavailable (missing?)

High

Long

Unknown Unavailable (missing?)

Unknown Unavailable (missing?)

Unknown Unavailable (missing?)
Unknown Unavailable (missing?)
LowMiddle

p. 21-22 (erie canal),

23-24 (women's
rights),
6

Wightman, Ben

LIS 585 Spring 2016

NYS
History

A Historical
Album of New
York

Progressive
Era

Growing Up in
Coal Country

Progressive
Era
Progressive
Era
Progressive
Era
Progressive
Era

Progressive
Era
Progressive
Era
Progressive
Era (also
available as
an ebook)
Progressive
Era
Progressive
Era
Progressive
Era

US History

Kids at Work
The Unions
Kids on Strike

Monique
Avakian and
Carter Smith
III
Susan
Campbell
Bartoletti
Russell
Freedman
Leonard
everett Fisher
Susan
Campbell
Bartoletti

Tenement:
Immigrant Life on
Raymond Bial
the Lower East
Side
Shutting Out the
Sky: Life in the
Deborah
Tenements of New Hopkinson
York, 1880-1924
The Triangle
Shirtwaist Factory Elaine Landau
Fire
Flesh & Blood So
Cheap: The
Albert Marrin
Triangle Fire and
Its Legacy
The Triangle
A. R.
Shirtwaist Factory
Schaefer
Fire
The Monogah
Jason Skog
Mining Disaster
Kids at Work:
Lewis Hine and
Michael
the Crusade
Burgan
Against Child
Labor
Freedom: A
History of Us

Joy Hakim

Collection Analysis and Development

1993 23

MiddleHigh

p. 30-34

1996 20

High

Late 19th Century

1994 22

High

Late 19th Century

1982 34

High

p. 12-15 (high), 19-20

(women)

1999 17

High

p. 20-33 (very high)

2002 14

High

Late 19th Century

2003 13

High

Late 19th Century

2005 11

High

Late 19th Century

2011 5

High

2004 12

High

Late 19th Century

2008 8

High

Late 19th Century

1994 22

High

Late 19th Century

2003 13

High

p. 77, 79-80 (working

conditions), 84 (Erie
canal, good paragraph)

Late 19th Century

Wightman, Ben

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Collection Analysis and Development

We Were There
Philip Hoose 2001 15 Very High
p. 82-85
Too
America: An
Kelly Knauer,
p. 36-37
US History
2007 9
Middle
Illustrated History
Ed.
(transportation)
Everything You
Anne Zeman
p. 46-47
Need to Know
US History
and Kate
2005 11
Low
(transportation), 72-73
About American
Kelly
(general)
History Homework
p. 6 (life before the
Middle
revolution), 12, 17
(difficulty),
US History Industrial America Kitty Shea 2005 11
(working conditions),
high
13-14 (immigrants),
(quantity)
15-16 (children)
America's
Transition from
US History
Greg Roza 2006 10
High
Late 19th Century
Agriculture to
Industry
Middle
p. 9 (pay), 14-15
The Lowell Mill
Alice K.
(difficulty),
US History
2006 10
(education), 18-22
Girls
Flanagan
high
(working conditions),
(quantity)
Women's
Women in 19th
Fiona
1999 17
High
p, 10-13
Rights
Century America
Macdonald
New York's
EBook
Patricia Drake 2015 1
Low
p. 16-18
Economic Growth
Inventions and
WorldBook
EBook
2014 2
Middle
p. 26-27, 30, 34
Discoveries
Inc
Leaders of New
James
Ebook
Yorks Industrial
2015 1
Middle
Late 19th Century
Bernard
Growth
New Yorks Erie
EBook
Patricia Drake 2015 1
Low
p. 18
Canal
US History

Wightman, Ben

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Collection Analysis and Development

Appendix B:
Easy

Middle

Difficult

(+/-) Everything
You Need to Know
about American
History Homework
by Anne Zeman &
Kate Kelly - p. 73

(+/-) Industrial Revolution by

BrainPop
(https://www.brainpop.com/soci
alstudies/ushistory/industrialrevo
lution/)

(+/-) The Unions by

Leonard Everett Fisher - p.
12-15

Child Labor

Topic

General

Industrial Revolution Resource List

(-) Industrial
America by Kitty
Shea - p. 15-16

(-) Freedom: A History of Us by

Joy Hakim - p. 77

(+/-) Kids on Strike by

Susan Campbell Bartoletti p. 23-33

(-) The Unions by Leonard

Everett Fisher - p. 19-20

(-) We Were There Too by

Phillip Hoose - p. 74-75

(-) Hard Times Cotton Mill

Girls by Victoria Byerly
(http://www.smithsoniansource.o
rg/display/primarysource/viewde
tails.aspx?TopicId=&PrimarySo
urceId=1025)

(-) Primary Source Packet

(https://docs.google.com/do
cument/d/1l_D7YCNvJbSitVMdoxdfmXejPVZVjd1BvDZrGPc4/edit?u
sp=sharing)

Factories

(+) The Unions by Leonard

Everett Fisher - p. 19

(+/-) New Yorks

Economic Growth
(+/-) The Lowell Mill Girls by
by Patricia Drake Alice Flanigan - p. 12-22
p. 16-18
(http://rosenlearning (+/-) Industrial America by Kitty
center.com/article/8
Shea - p. 13-14
13)

(+) Primary Source Packet

(https://docs.google.com/do
cument/d/1l_D7YCNvJbSitVMdoxdfmXejPVZVjd1BvDZrGPc4/edit?u
sp=sharing)
(-) The Jungle by Upton
Sinclair - introduction and
chapter 14
(http://www.enotes.com/top
ics/upton-sinclair-131386)

Working Conditions

Wightman, Ben

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Collection Analysis and Development

(+/-) The Lowell Mill Girls by

Alice Flanigan - p. 18-22
(+/-) Industrial
America by Kitty
Shea - p. 12, 17

(-) Hard Times Cotton Mill

Girls by Victoria Byerly
(http://www.smithsoniansource.o
rg/display/primarysource/viewde
tails.aspx?TopicId=&PrimarySo
urceId=1025)

(-) Freedom: A History of

Us by Joy Hakim - p. 79-80
(+/-) Primary Source Packet
(https://docs.google.com/do
cument/d/1l_D7YCNvJbSitVMdoxdfmXejPVZVjd1BvDZrGPc4/edit?u
sp=sharing)

Inventions

(+) 53 Things that Changed

the World, by David West p. 12-13, 38-39.
(+/-) How
Inventions Change
History (For Better
and For Worse) by
Kenneth C. Davis
(https://www.youtu
be.com/watch?v=0S
MNYivhGsc)

(+/-) Inventions and Discoveries

- p. 26-27, 30, 34
(http://www.worldbookonline.co
m/wb/ebooks/mall/instt/catalog/
urn:ISBN:978-0-7166-33242/detail.do?subacct=N9053_)
(+) Americas Transition from
Agriculture to Industry by Greg
Roza - p. 14-15

(+) 100 Greatest Inventions

by Philip Wilkinson - p. 3642.
(-) We Were There Too by
Phillip Hoose - p. 75
(+) Primary Source Packet
(https://docs.google.com/do
cument/d/1l_D7YCNvJbSitVMdoxdfmXejPVZVjd1BvDZrGPc4/edit?u
sp=sharing)

New Jobs

(+/-) A Historical Album of New

York by Monique Avakian and
Carter Smith III - p. 33
(+/-) Americas Transition from
Agriculture to Industry by Greg
Roza - p. 20-21, 26-27. 32-33

(+) Industrial America by

Kitty Shea - p.6

(+/-) The Mill Girls by the

National Park Service (http://www.nps.gov/lowe/plany
ourvisit/upload/mill%20girls.pdf
)

10

Wightman, Ben

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Collection Analysis and Development

Women

(+/-) Women in 19th Century

America by Fiona Macdonald p. 10-12
(+/-) The Lowell
Mill Girls by Alice
Flanigan - p. 9, 1819
(+/-) New York
History by Mark
Stewart - p. 21-22

Transportation

(+) Everything You

Need to Know about
American History
Homework by Anne
Zeman & Kate
Kelly - p. 46
(+) Freedom: A
History of Us by
Joy Hakim - p. 84
(3rd paragraph
only)
(+) New Yorks
Economic Growth
by Patricia Drake p. 20
(http://rosenlearning
center.com/article/8
13)

(+) The Lowell Mill Girls by

Alice Flanigan - p. 12-15
(+/-) A Historical Album of New
York by Monique Avakian and
Carter Smith III - p. 34
(+/-) The Mill Girls by the
National Park Service (http://www.nps.gov/lowe/plany
ourvisit/upload/mill%20girls.pdf
)

(+) America: An Illustrated

History - p. 36-37
(+) New York History by Mark
Stewart - p. 21-22
(+) A Historical Album of New
York by Monique Avakian and
Carter Smith III - p. 28-29

(-) Primary Source Packet

(https://docs.google.com/do
cument/d/1l_D7YCNvJbSitVMdoxdfmXejPVZVjd1BvDZrGPc4/edit?u
sp=sharing)

(+) Primary Source Packet

(https://docs.google.com/do
cument/d/1l_D7YCNvJbSitVMdoxdfmXejPVZVjd1BvDZrGPc4/edit?u
sp=sharing)

11

Espaol

Urbanization / Pollution

Wightman, Ben

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Collection Analysis and Development

(-) The Underside of Urban

Life
(http://www.ushistory.org/us/38b
.asp)
(-) Water Related Epidemics
Encyclopedia of Chicago
(http://www.encyclopedia.chicag
ohistory.org/pages/300056.html)
(+/-) Cities, Britannica School
- you dont need the whole
article, just the Industrial
Revolution section of it
(http://school.eb.com/levels/mid
dle/article/273680#234527.toc)

(-) Primary Source Packet

(https://docs.google.com/do
cument/d/1l_D7YCNvJbSitVMdoxdfmXejPVZVjd1BvDZrGPc4/edit?u
sp=sharing)

Revolucion Industrial Estados Unidos

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEiGevjbMjE)
Lowell y la Revolucion Industrial p. 1-3
(http://www.nps.gov/lowe/espanol/upload/Spanish-Lowell-unigrid.pdf)

12

Wightman, Ben

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Collection Analysis and Development

Works Cited
Mueller, Mary. "Engines of Change." School Library Journal 55.2 (2009): 43-47. Library,
Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. Web. 13 Mar. 2016.
Prince, Jennifer. "The Industrial Revolution for Kids: The People And Technology That
Changed The World." School Library Journal 60.7 (2014): 124. Library, Information
Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. Web. 13 Mar. 2016.
Prince, Jennifer. "Style and Substance." School Library Journal 61.6 (2015): 69. Library,
Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. Web. 13 Mar. 2016.

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