Reference Services - What is Needed?

Analysis of the Present Reference Collection, Services, and Policies

The print reference materials that are available in the elementary School Library Learning Commons (SLLC) are very limited.  There is only one small bookshelf of reference materials. The books that are available on the reference shelves are World Book Encyclopedias, The World Book Student Discover Encyclopedia, PopularScience, Young Scientist, Wildlife of the World, Wildlife and Plants of the World, and about 70 various titles of non-fiction books by Sharon Gordon or Dana Meachen Rau.   The reference material is only for library use.

Reference Section of the Library

The Vancouver School Board (VSB) has a much larger online library catalogue, Webcat, which has a larger reference resource database than the schools printed resources.  The online references include such resources as World Book Online, The Canadian Encyclopedia, Gale Science, The Atlas of Canada, and British Columbia Historical Newspapers.

VSB Webcat - Reference Resource Database


Reference services provide by the teacher librarian (TL) is on an individual bases.  It is based on the individual inquiry need of the students and their own readiness to go to the library for research and resources.

Rationale for Change and Improvement:

As our students are 21^st learners, the reference collection, services, and policies need to change so that our students become more curious learners, critical thinkers, problem solvers, collaborators, and competent seekers of information. 

To start with, the printed reference books need improvement and change.  They are all more than 10 years old and the majority is published in 2004.  The printed reference books are all out of date according to Reidling’s “General guidelines for replacing reference materials.”  (Reidling et al., 2013)  They all need to be weeded and new printed reference materials need to be selected and evaluated that will meet the needs of the students, teachers, and BC's New Curriculum.   Also, many of the students are not using the reference materials due to their outdated information, difficulty in accessing as they can only be used in the library, and lack of usefulness due to the limited titles available.

Another school library reference collection that is not used as effectively or at all is the more current electronic Webcat.  Many students in the school do not know about the existence of Webcat as a credible online reference database and possible source for their online research inquiry.   Instead, they are assuming and trusting that search engines like Google are answering all their research needs. According to McGee’s article, “ “94 Percent Of Teachers Say Students Equate “Research With Using Google” and need to be taught how to validate the information for accuracy. (McGee, 2012).

Also, the TL’s expertise in the inquiry process and reference resource knowledge is not been utilized effectively.  The students’ library times are used mostly for signing out books or story time.  It would be good to balance both the literacy development with finding good quality books to read with learning how to answer their inquiry projects with good quality information.

Step-by-Step Plan

For the printed library collection, this will be an ongoing process to save money to purchase what would maximize learning the most as reference books are very expensive, especially new sets of encyclopedias.  It will be a slow and collaborative process to build up the extent of the printed reference resources.  I would like to set up a literacy, technology, resource committee of teachers and administrators to see where the reference needs are and where best to spend the library budget.  With a budget of about $7 per student from the school district to spend on all library resources, which includes non-fiction books, fiction books, furniture and technology, there isn’t much money left.  Perhaps with the administrators on the committee, they might see the cost of all SLLC resources and might allocate more budget for the SLLC.

For the 70 non-fiction books, I would put them in a tub and let the teachers borrow them in the classroom for buddy reading or individual reading.  I would also put the wildlife books and science books for classroom circulation too so that more students are accessing them.   They can be used by another classroom once the teacher is finished using them.  If there is a lack of interest from the teachers, then the books will be weeded.  I would also show the students online versions of World Book, Popular Science and Young Scientist book so they can compare the print and online versions of the reference resources.

One of the main things that I would like to do in the SLLC, is to have the students learn how important it is for them to know how to use and find good quality and credible reference resources.  As they go up in grades and to higher education, they have to be able to seek and use reference resources effectively.  Also, I would like them to know the different types of reference materials are available to meet their inquiry needs.  Since the majority of students research online, it is crucial that they are taught competence and evaluation of internet sources.  This link from Georgetown University Library has good questions to ask and answer when evaluating the credibility of a resource.  It mentions "when in doubt, ask a librarian."

I would like to work with each teacher and class just like what Stephanie Rosalia, Media Library Specialist, at Eileen E. Zaglin School Library did with the students at her library (Harris et. al, 2009). I liked what Rosalia said about connecting children with both books and “ethical/good” information.  It is important to teach the students the skills to be able to critically look for and evaluate valid information on the vast World Wide Web.  Here is the video of Rosalia:

I would also model with the class an inquiry search together using Webcat and other sources on-line to see which types of reference resources best meets their learning needs.  I would also have the students write inquiry questions.  We would look at each inquiry question and have the students decide which type of reference resource (encyclopedias, atlases, newspaper, bibliography, almanac...) that they would use to start their inquiry from Webcat if it is available.  The information literacy lessons will be grade, reading level, and age appropriate.  Each subsequent year, more complex information literary will be focused upon which will scaffold the previous year’s information literacy skills.  For the staff and older students, it would be good to discuss with them about the grey web/invisibleweb and GoogleGuide.  It would be important to teach them the process and steps of the BCTLA's The Points of Inquiry Framework for information literacy.

BCLTA's The Points of Inquiry

For all the online inquiry research skill development, the library will need more computers and iPads.  Besides asking the PAC and administrators, I would write grants to different community giving organizations such as Royal Bank or Canada (RBC) and Bell to purchase technology so that it meets the learning needs of the students.

Follow up

A follow-up would be to see the quality and depth of understanding from the students’ presentations of the answers to their inquiry projects.  By sharing their presentations on smart boards, it also lets other students be more aware of other credible sites and reference resources that they can use for further research projects.  Student evaluations and self-reflections are a great way to see if they have made connections and check for higher level understanding. 

Group inquiry projects are another way for the students to collaborate, use their understanding, and share their knowledge. 

The increase of collaboration with teachers on curriculum units, library resource committee meetings, and student inquiry projects will also show the effectiveness and importance of the SLLC with its programs of inquiry, technology, and literacy.

References

2016 Corporate Citizen Report. RBC.  Retrieved March 20, 2017 from
       http://www.rbc.com/community-sustainability/community/index.html#

BC Historical Newspaper.  Retrieved March 20. 2017 from
       https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcnewspapers

BC's New Curriculum.  Retrieved March 20. 2017 from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca

Beyond Google:  The Invisible Web.  (2015, August).  LaGuardia Community College.  
        Retrieved from http://library.laguardia.edu/invisibleweb/teachingtools

Blachman, N. & Peek, J.  (2012, February 26).  GoogleGuide: making searching even easier.
       Retrieved from http://www.googleguide.com/advanced_operators_reference.html#allinanchor

Books by Sharon Gordon.  Retrieved March 20, 2017 from
        https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/165484.Sharon_Gordon?page=1&per_page=30

Community. BCE.  Retrieved March 20, 2017 from
       http://www.bce.ca/responsibility/community/communityoverview

Dana Meachen Rau.  Retrieved March 20, 2017 from http://www.danameachenrau.com

Evaluating Internet Resource.  Retrieved March 20, 2017 from
       http://www.library.georgetown.edu/tutorials/research-guides/evaluating-internet-content

Gale Science.  Retrieved March 20, 2017 from http://infotrac.galegroup.com/default/?db=SCIC

Google Canada.  Retrieved March 20, 2017 from https://www.google.ca

Harris, S. & Rich, M.  (2009, February 16).  The Twenty-First Century Librarian.  [Video].  The New
      York Times.  Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/video/arts/1194837851726/the-21st-
       century-librarian.html and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idjmD04IpDI [Youtube]

Linshi, Jack.  (2016, February 3).  Google Tricks that will change the way you search.  Motto.

       Retrieved from http://motto.time.com/4116259/google-search/

McGee, Matt.  (2012, November 2).  94 Percent Of Teachers Say Students Equate “Research” 
        With Using Google. Search Engine Land.  Retrieved from

http://searchengineland.com/teachers-say-students-equate-research-with-using-google-138542

Popular Science.  Retrieved on March 20, 2017 from http://www.popsci.com

Reidling, Ann et al.  (2013).  Reference Skills for the School Library.  Linworth.

The Atlas of Canada.  Retrieved March 20, 2017 from 
       http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/geography/atlas-canada

The Canadian Encyclopedia.  Retrieved March 20, 2017 from 
        http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/

The Points of Inquiry:  A Framework for Information Literacy in the 21st Century. (2011, January).
       BCTLA Info Task Force.  Retrieved from
       http://bctf.ca/bctla/pub/documents/Points%20of%20Inquiry/PointsofInquiry.pdf

Webcat.vsb.bc.ca.  Vancouver School Board.  Retrieved March 18, 2017 from 
          http://webcat.vsb.bc.ca/ipac20/ipac.jsp? session=B490662M92414.8892&profile=ls&menu=tab21&ts=1490662692414

World Book Encyclopedias.  Retrieved March 20, 2017 from https://www.worldbook.com

World Book Discovery Encyclopedias.  Retrieved March 20, 2017 from
         https://www.worldbook.com/products/kids-discovery-encyclopedia

World Book Online.  Retrieved March 20, 2017 from
          http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Login?ed=wb

Young Scientists Journal.  Retrieved March 20, 2017 from https://ysjournal.com