Ashley Brewer

SLM 506 Collection Development

Assignment 2 Selection Sources

Top 5 Selection Sources
1. Wilson Web Childrens Core Collection
o URL address:
http://www.hwwilsoninprint.com/core_collections.php
o Cost: $240/printed copy (published every 4 years), Hoover
Library Access
o Number of Reviews: about 12,000 reviews are included in each
edition
o Reviewers: Reviews are completed by a committee of school
librarians
o Scope: The Core Collections are grouped by Childrens Core,
Fiction Core, Middle and Junior High School Core, Public Library
Core: Nonfiction, and Senior High Core
o Special Features/ Format Info: Titles can also be accessed by
Periodicals, Short Stories, Famous First Facts, or Nobel Prize
Winners
o Strengths/Weaknesses: The number and quality of reviews
provided in the Core Collections makes this review service a
detailed source for both specific titles and general browsing. The
cost and accessibility of archived titles without purchasing or
using Hoovers access is something that may be a weakness
depending on your selection materials budget.
o Cover Image:

2. Booklist
o URL address: http://www.booklistonline.com/
o Cost: $147.50/ 1 year subscription (22 issues a year), print and
digital issues
o Number of Reviews: Over 8,000 reviews per year
o Reviewers: Booklist has a large team of book reviewers:
contract reviewers, freelance reviewers, journalists, subject
specialists, and of course, Booklist editors. (Booklist website)
o Scope: Reviews are organized on the homepage by new
publications and current trends (more of a news feed set up).

Ashley Brewer
SLM 506 Collection Development

Tabs allow access to more specific areas (ex: award winners) and
search allows for narrowing of results by content and section
o Special Features/ Format Info: Great website includingReview of
the Day, a personalized profile with subscription, webinars,
newsletters, etc.
o Strengths/Weaknesses: This is another source that was a little bit
of a tease without a subscription. I found lots of reviews of
interest in my browsing, and was easily able to navigate
throughout the site. The frequency of publication and extensive
website gives this source a very current feel. Although I did not
sign up for a trial, this one makes my top five thanks to high
recommendations from other specialists and the excitement it
generated in my quick browse.
o Cover Image:

3. Horn Book Guide

o URL address: http://www.hornbookguide.com/cgi-bin/hbonline.pl
o Cost: $39/ 1 year subscription (2 publications per year), options
also for four month access and access for multiple users, Hoover
Library Access
o Number of Reviews: Over 2,000 reviews per publication
o Reviewers: Reviews by a variety of professionals in the field
(teachers, librarians, etc.)
o Scope: Website groups reviews by authors, illustrators, subjects
or series each alphabetically and has a search feature
o Special Features/ Format Info: Archives available online but for an
additional charge (subscription for current publication only)
o Strengths/Weaknesses: I found this site to be less visually
appealing than other websites, but the quality of the actual
publication seemed to be higher. I also found it hard to get a full
idea of what the archives would look like since I did not want to
sign up for a subscription. Based on conversations with current
media specialists, however, I would still keep this resource in my
top five- it comes highly recommended!
o Cover Image:

Ashley Brewer
SLM 506 Collection Development

4. Library Media Connection

o URL address: http://www.librarymediaconnection.com/
o Cost: $69/ 1 year subscription (6 issues a year), print and digital
issues, many reviews available for free online
o Number of Reviews: Over 1,500 reviews per year
o Reviewers: Reviews by a variety of professionals in the field
(teachers, librarians, etc.)
o Scope: Reviews of both print and non-print resources geared
toward teacher librarians
o Special Features/ Format Info: Reviews available by feature or
index, additional features such as Hot Stuff, webinars, and
surveys to keep teacher librarians connected
o Strengths/Weaknesses: The main strength I found was the rating
system: resources are rated as highly recommended,
recommended, or not recommended. This quick analysis is
great if you want a general idea of the materials, but longer
explanations are available if needed. After exploring a few
resources that were more closed off to non-subscribers, this
sites reviews were refreshingly accessible!
o Cover image:

5. School Library Journal

o URL address: www.slj.com/category/reviews
o Cost: $88.99/ 1 year subscription (12 issues a year), print and
digital issues; or Pro Subscription for $130.99/1 year
subscription, print and digital issues and access to Book Verdict
K-12 Pro (additional reviews)
o Number of Reviews: Over 300 reviews per issue
o Reviewers: Reviews by a variety of professionals in the field
(teachers, librarians, etc.)
o Scope: Reviews by topic, grade level, specific to collection
development
o Special Features/ Format Info: Archives available online, many for
free on website; website allows searches by topic; reviews
available for both print and non-print resources
o Strengths/Weaknesses: I was able to get lost in this website! It
is easy to navigate and has lots of easily accessible info that

Ashley Brewer
SLM 506 Collection Development

makes browsing enjoyable. This source made me feel like I could

get a general overview of everything from new titles to trends in
publication or media instruction. Since there is so much in each
issue, searching for one specific title may be less efficient here
than with other sources.
o Cover Image:

8 Occassional Sources
1. American Library Association Awards
o URL address: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia
o Cost: Free! Access to current and past award winners and honor
book lists is free online
o Number of Awards: One award winner is selected each year in
addition to 3-4 honor books for over 15 awards
o Reviewers: Reviews by committees based on award-specific
criteria
o Scope: Website allows access to each award list and archive,
award criteria varies based on honoree (ex: Coretta Scott King
Award is given to outstanding African American authors and
illustrators to celebrate the African American experience)
o Special Features/ Format Info: Although awards are typically
given each year, I did find a few years where awards were not
given because they did not find a title worthy of the award. I had
never heard of this before!
o Strengths/Weaknesses: I think the biggest strength for award
winner books is the buzz that they get- people love to follow the
awards process each year! That being said, committees looking
for their own specific criteria review them: so just because a title
is an award winner, it may not be a great fit for any collection or
age level. Another weakness may be that awards are given after
the publication year: these books have been published for a time
before the awards are given.
o Award Image: (from the ALA website)

Ashley Brewer
SLM 506 Collection Development

2. ALA/ ALSC Notable List

o URL address: http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/notable-childrensbooks
o Cost: Notable lists are free to access on the ALA website
o Number of Notable Titles: Number of recognized titles fluctuates
each year
o Reviewers: Each year the Association for Library Service to
Children (ALSC) identifies the best of the best of children's books
on the Notable Children's Books list. (from the ALA Notable List
site)
o Scope: Notable titles may be award winners and are selected
with both illustrations and text in mind, lists are organized by age
of readers (Younger Readers, Middle Readers, Older Readers, All
Ages)
o Special Features/ Format Info: Archives available back to 1955 on
the website, short synopsis of each title provides a preview of
unheard of titles
o Strengths/Weaknesses: I enjoy browsing this list in terms of
updating a collection to see how many familiar titles there are:
award winners are grouped together here in the notable list. The
age ranges are helpful if Im looking to build grade specific
material. The ALA and ALSC are also trusted professional
organizations, so the quality of books on this list is typically very
high. One weakness is this typically clause: just because its an
award winner doesnt always make it the best pick for a given
population!
o Cover Image:

3. ALA/
o
o
o

ALSC Great Websites for Kids

URL address: http://gws.ala.org/
Cost: Access to Great Websites for Kids is free!
Number of Reviews: There are multiple pages of sites under each
tab of topics! Sites are reviewed and updated multiple times per
year: Newly evaluated and accepted sites are added to the
database three times a year. The committee also reviews all sites
within the database twice a year to guarantee sites are still
relevant, appropriate and accessible. (from the Great Websites
for Kids About page)

Ashley Brewer
SLM 506 Collection Development

o Reviewers: Suggested sites are evaluated by the Great Websites

for Kids Committee using established selection criteria. The
committee is made up of members of the Association for Library
Service to Children, a division of the American Library
Association. (from the Great Websites for kids About page)
o Scope: Great Websites for Kids provides sites on the following 8
topics: Animals, The Arts, History and Biographies, Literature and
Languages, Mathematics and Computers, Reference Desk,
Science, and Social Studies
o Special Features/ Format Info: A Site of the Week pop up greets
you when you access the Great Websites home page, you can
also browse by Recent Sites, Top Rated sites, and Most
Popular sites
o Strengths/Weaknesses: This site is incredibly visually appealing
and fun to explore. I could see introducing this site to kids as a
safe way to allow them to explore all the great information the
web can provide (it collects reliable sites in one location). It does
not have any way to specify by grade level, so finding things
specific to one age level of learners may take some extra
planning time, but it is a great starting point.
o Cover Image:

4. CBC/IRA Childrens Choices

o URL address:
http://www.reading.org/resources/booklists/childrenschoices.aspx
o Cost: Access to the Childrens Choice list is free on the
International Reading Association website
o Number of Reviews: Children vote to choose 100 favorite books
each year for the list
o Reviewers: Childrens Choice Team Leaders guide the choice
process: Childrens Choices team leaders are selected from five
areas of the United States. AREA 1: Alaska, Arizona, California,
Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington Area 2:
Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont Area 3: Alabama,
Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico,
North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas AREA 4
Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska,
North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming AREA 5: Illinois,

Ashley Brewer
SLM 506 Collection Development

o
o

Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West

Virginia, and Wisconsin (from the Childrens Choices Fact Sheet)
Scope: Childrens Choices began as an annual joint project of
the International Reading Association (IRA) and the Childrens
Book Council (CBC) in 1974. Each year, approximately 10,000
children (grades K-6) from different regions of the United States
read and choose 100 favorite from books donated by U.S.
childrens book publishers. (from the Childrens Choices Fact
Sheet)
Special Features/ Format Info: Archived lists are accessible on the
site back to 1998
Strengths/Weaknesses: I love that this list incorporates even
young readers in the selection process- that is a strength for me!
The lists were easy to access on the site, and the variety of
formats (annotated lists, bookmarks) made it easy for me to
picture sharing the lists with readers once our collection has
these titles. The donation system by publishers makes me
slightly wary (who selects the publishers who can donate?) but
with such a huge pool of titles, maybe this is a minor concern.
Cover Image:

5. Black Eyed Susan Award

o URL address: http://maslmd.org/about-bes/
o Cost: Accessing Award Winner lists is free on the MASL website
o Number of Awards: 1 Winner is selected for each of the 5
categories each year
o Reviewers: Reading committees of school and public librarians,
and other interested members of the Maryland Association of
School Librarians (MASL), meet to determine which books will be
nominated and placed on student reading lists. (from the MASL
website)
o Scope: There are four different reading lists: Picture Books,
books for students in Grades 4-6, books for students in Grades 69, and books for High School students. The nominated books are
expected to be outstanding books that broaden the human
experience and provide students with new insights into their own
lives. (from the MASL website)
o Special Features/ Format Info: Winner lists are available back to
1991

Ashley Brewer
SLM 506 Collection Development

o Strengths/Weaknesses: This award is highly motivating for young

readers. They love to express their opinions on the books they
read! The committee of Maryland librarians who create the book
list encourage me to trust the list slightly more than bigger
publications- these are my colleagues in a much more personal
sense! One weakness may be the trendiness of student votes:
Ive heard from teachers and librarians before that they hope to
see a book voted for because they know students love it, but it
gets lost in the excitement of whatever is most popular at the
moment of voting.
o Award Image:

6. Outstanding Science Trade Books for K-12

o URL address: http://www.nsta.org/publications/ostb/
o Cost: Outstanding Science Trade Book lists are available for free
on the NSTA website
o Number of Awards: The number of Outstanding Science Trade
Books selected varies each year and seems to grow as trends in
education focus on Science topics. The 2014 list is the longest
list ever!
o Reviewers: The book review panel is appointed by the National
Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and assembled in
cooperation with the Childrens Book Council (CBC).
o Scope: Outstanding Science Trade Books are selected for their
Science content and their use of literature to target this content
area.
o Special Features/ Format Info: Although the books can range for
students in grades K-12, the list is not broken down in any way by
grade level. It seems to vary from year to year for how many
titles skew younger or older. The focus is on quality, rather than
any number of titles for each specific age range.
o Strengths/Weaknesses: This list comes from a trusted source in
the NSTA and seems to have a pulse of the trends in Science
literature for education: this years list comes with an
explanation of the challenges of Common Core and the focus on
learning across content areas. This can be a great way to target
learning goals in the media center! I was disappointed to see
that the list was not age specific: some titles are hard to decipher
age appropriateness with just the short description.
o Award Image:

Ashley Brewer
SLM 506 Collection Development

7. Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People

o URL address: http://www.socialstudies.org/notable
o Cost: The 2014 Notable List is available online for NCSS members
only or for $5 for a printed copy, Past Notable Social Studies
Trade Book lists are available for free on the NCSS website
o Number of Awards: The number of Notable Social Studies Trade
Books recognized varies each year.
o Reviewers: The books that appear in these annotated book lists
were evaluated and selected by a Book Review Committee
appointed by National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and
assembled in cooperation with the Children's Book Council (CBC).
NCSS and CBC have cooperated on this annual bibliography since
1972. (from the NCSS website)
o Scope: Books selected for this bibliography are written primarily
for children in grades K-8. The selection committee looks for
books that emphasize human relations, represent a diversity of
groups and are sensitive to a broad range of cultural
experiences, present an original theme or a fresh slant on a
traditional topic, are easily readable and of high literary quality,
and have a pleasing format and, when appropriate, illustrations
that enrich the text. (from the NCSS website)
o Special Features/ Format Info: Notable lists back to 2000 are
available on the NCSS website, Lists are separated into sections
such as: Biography, Contemporary Concerns, Environments/
Energy/ Ecology, Folktales, Geography/ People/ Places, History/
Life and Culture, Reference, Social Interactions/ Relationships,
World History/ Culture and Social Studies Standards are included
with each annotation
o Strengths/Weaknesses: This list is easy to read and visually
appealing with a few covers shown in each section (I love to shop
cover art since students will often pick books by how they look).
Although a printed copy of this years selections is not too pricey,
it makes me wary of waiting too long for these reviews (the 2014
list has books published in 2013, so if we wait until 2015 for the
list to be free, the books will be 2 years old). Resources that are
more current may beat this one out if Im looking for new
materials without paying anything extra!
o Award Image:

Ashley Brewer
SLM 506 Collection Development

8. Schneider Family Book Award

o URL address: http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/awards/1/all_years
o Cost: The Schneider Award Winner list is free to access on the
ALA website
o Number of Awards: Three books are selected per year
o Reviewers: The jury of reviewers for this award is comprised of
seven ALA members with knowledge of disability experiences.
They are appointed by the chair of ALA awards.
o Scope: This award is given to a book that portrays some aspect
of living with a disability (physical, mental, or emotional). One
book is selected for each age range: younger children (ages 0-8),
middle grades (ages 9-13), and teens (ages 14-18).
o Special Features/ Format Info: A summary of each book is
available on the ALA website by clicking through from the awards
page.
o Strengths/Weaknesses: I was so pleased to find this award.
Building the diversity section of my own collection with regards
to disabilities is a personal goal, so Im happy to see an award
focused towards these titles. Since it is a newer award with only
three winners selected each year (no notables or honor books) it
is still a small resource for this collection goal.
o Award Image:

Carroll County Public Schools Selection Policy

Ashley Brewer
SLM 506 Collection Development

(CCPS Selection Criteria from

http://www.carrollk12.org/Assets/file/LibraryMedia/Selection
%20Document.pdf )
Personal Selection Policy
My own Personal Selection Policy is a working document, edited from my
previous coursework to incorporate ideas from this course. My policy is
formatted into a chart for easy recording of considerations for materials.
Selection Criteria
Content

Y/N

Ashley Brewer
SLM 506 Collection Development

Has this book been read by a

media team member or other
staff member?
Is this book highly
recommended or an award
winner (3 sources)?
Does it connect to a current
curricular goal?
Presentation
Will this book be visually
appealing for reluctant
readers?
Is this author/illustrator/ theme
already popular with readers?
Is the design of this book
strong enough for frequent
checkouts and student use?
Community
Will this book appeal a
culturally diverse community?
Differentiation: Can this book
be used to differentiate
information? Does it come in an
audio format?
Does our community have an
exceptional interest in this
books topic? (Teacher/student
request)
Budget
Is the cost of the book justified
by the value of its content?
Genre Considerations
Fiction: Are the story and
illustrations high quality for
young readers?
Nonfiction: Does it contain
accessible information and text
features for a variety of
readers?

Ashley Brewer
SLM 506 Collection Development
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<http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia>.
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<http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/notable-childrens-books>.
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<http://www.socialstudies.org/notable>.
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"Schneider Family Book Award." American Library Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 08
Nov. 2014. <http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/awards/1/all_years>.

Ashley Brewer
SLM 506 Collection Development
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Web. 06 Nov. 2014. <http://gws.ala.org/>.
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<http://www.slj.com/category/reviews/>.