Lost in the Reads

Hidden . . . Behold the reference section!  Oh wait, let me move the whiteboard- ta-da!  Revealed!  Underwhelmed? So are ALL of my school’s staff and students.   In fact, this collection is so underused at the start of this class I had to go on a hunt to remind myself just where the reference section was. Once I found it I slowly moved the white board back in front of it and backed away. Not even a little bit joking.  Theme three forced me to once again pull aside the whiteboard and really examine what we have in the library, what we need in the library, and what should maybe be allowed to leave the library. The lessons that focused on distinctive reference type resources and with each week readings it gave me the chance to compare our own resources with these topics. Especially helpful were the "Evaluation and Selection" tables provided by Riedling in Reference Skills for the School Librarian.  Via Giphy I esse...

via Pixabay   “A good reference source is one that serves to answer questions, and a bad reference source is one that fails to answer questions.” – Riedling The physical Reference section of our library is outdated, hidden, and untouched by both librarian and patrons for the last few years.   Part of the reason for this neglect is our district collection of online databases . These online databases are useful, relevant, and should be gaining the main attention from teachers and students. However, online databases are not the only reference resources that should be available to our school community. Complementing these valuable resources with a useful print section of dictionaries, atlases, curriculum specific encyclopedias, and curriculum specific texts will increase student use of all references resources and better serve our patrons. Below are the steps necessary to overhaul this dusty, overlooked section of the library to enhance student learning in conjunct...

Part 1: Evaluation of Reference Currently in Use: Title:   Nature’s Children (Series, 81 titles) Type: Print Books Date of Publication: 1986 -2001 Publisher: Grolier Educational, Connecticut Physical Dimensions:   8.5 x 7.2 x 0.6 inches Unacceptable Acceptable Exceeding Currency 10 years old or older Maximum of 5 years old 0-2 years old, or continually updated to remain current Purpose Provides minimal amount and/or contradicting information with little to no pictures and no supports. Provides an adequate amount of information with supports like glossary or index in place. Has large, colourful pictures. Provides ample amount of relevant information on subject. Has supports such as; glossary, index, table of contents. Has large, colourful pictures. Relevancy / Audience Does not meet reading level appropriate for either primary or intermediate. Information is unorg...