I would describe my reading selection scheme as \u201ceclectic\u201d at best, so the idea of putting together a \u201cstrategic collection of 15 works\u201d fills me with a degree of anxiousness. I found approaching this task daunting and troubling. I am far more used to being approached by colleagues or students and have them inquire about books and resources that will help for \u201cblank.\u201d From that, I have no trouble pulling together a plethora of titles that would help them accomplish their task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other selection criteria that I have typically used, as a teacher-librarian, has been to select books that have recently come into our library. While the vast majority are selected by the library team, we take requests too. Being informed and up to date on the books on our shelves is very important to me as a literacy advocate, as forming that trusting relationship with readers, wanna-be readers and \u201cmandatory, this is for silent reading in class\u201d readers is essential to have patrons come back to the library and utilize our space, for book selection and other activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Staying on some sort\nof track over 15 works without having it become artificial or thematic, as\nwould usually occur during the selection of classroom materials or literature\nkits was an additional difficulty. The strategy that I eventually adopted to\nmove forward with the assignment was in accordance to a stream of consciousness\napproach, simply listing the works that I have consumed recently and connecting\nthe big idea that lead me to pick up these books. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The big idea that\nI have seen trending in my overall selection and recommendations in literature has\none that I recognized has been following me around for a while and for reasons\nthat come from a very introspective place. I will come back to that after I introduce\na few works in my collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n