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TL11.4FALL2004_singles The Teaching Librarian volume 12, no. 1 25 ◆◆ Try to gather items that will attract students and cause them to view the library as a focal place for the learning community within the school. Design your library so that group study areas encourage an exchange of ideas and collaboration. ◆◆ Develop a collection plan that prioritizes needs, and does not needlessly duplicate information readily available electronical- ly. ◆◆ Solicit suggestions from your own staff, so that the library adequately supports their program. ◆◆ Invest in fiction that is diverse, inclusive and appealing. ◆◆ Make your collection reflective of the stu- dent population. Validate their back- grounds, interests and aspirations. ◆◆ Be aware that school populations change in numbers, ethnicity and levels of achieve- ment. Be prepared to change your pur- chasing habits to include different types of magazines, graphic novels, and dual-lan- guage publications if appropriate. ◆◆ Communicate to administrators your finan- cial needs and the resulting educational ben- efits of maintaining an up-to-date collection. TL: Thank you very much, Sharon, for your valu- able contribution to The Teaching Librarian. ❚