There are many intriguing reference resources to purchase. Still, given their shelf life, one must make educated decisions to best curate a collection that is not only useful but also curriculum-based and worth the money spent. So, if I am to update our reference collection, many factors need to be considered.
To evaluate this question, we can consider the work by Riedling (2013) in Reference Skills for the School Librarian. “One must consider the following: Content Scope; Accuracy, Authority and Bias; Arrangement and Presentation; Relation to Similar Works; Timelessness and Permanence; Accessibility and Diversity; and Cost” (Riedling, 2013, p.22-23). Similarly when evaluating an encyclopedia, Harber recommends the careful consideration of the following criteria: “the work must be up to date, frequently and systematically revised according to high standards of scholarship and authority; easy enough to read for students to use it; little to no evidence of bias or prejudice; and that physical appearance of the volumes and the layout of the pages are important (Harbar, 1988, p.20)” (DeWith, 2017).
According to Riedling, reference resources should regularly be evaluated and replaced every five years. Consideration should be given to new resources, including digital copies of printed materials. Currently, we have a broad selection of non-fiction books available for students to borrow. However, some could be replaced due to their age, but they remain popular books in our library. While they are popular, this does not mean the information contained in them is up to date. This may provide them with information to complete the assignment, but what value is the project if the information contained in it is incorrect? I will need to update our nonfiction section, particularly on animals and dinosaurs. This will be an ongoing process as funds allow. Our current set of World Book Encyclopedia is from 1998. So, it is fair to say that they are simply taking up space on a shelf since the information contained within them is of little use by today’s standards. They are no longer relevant for students to use for projects and the like. I decided to check with our local library to see what resources they could provide if I directed students to them and was shocked to see that they had no current sets of encyclopedias in their collection.
Given that our library has access to the EBSCO database but is never used, this should be the logical way to improve the quality of our library reference section without incurring any further cost. This would also be a great way to test a digital reference resource's efficacy before considering purchasing one. Since teachers have already done their non-fiction units for this year, I would implement this plan for next year with our 4-6 classes. Our school board provides two professional development days at the beginning of the school year. This would be an ideal time to provide information to our teachers on how to use EBSCO. During the next few months, I will prepare a slide show to present to teachers that they can also use as a refresher when it comes time to use the resource in their classroom. Teachers and I can work together to teach the students how to use this resource to find articles that suit their needs. Students are unable to print items on their own. This would allow the teacher and I to vet what articles they have selected and reduce the amount of paper waste printing items that may not be suitable.
This could also be tied in with our school Science or Heritage fair. One success criterion on the judges' evaluation form could be the quality of up-to-date materials in their bibliography. EBSCO could dramatically improve the quality of information shared with others at these events. Ongoing support and check-ins with students and teachers will help to tweak any parts that are not going well and allow those who need extra help to continue to use the resources and diminish frustration. I would also like to see if placing this online platform on our school website would increase the number of students and parents working on their projects at home. It has long been frustrating for teachers that these assignments burden them heavily because not all students have parents who can help them. Many students require photos from books, etc.. to be printed by the teacher. By making the search for information more accessible, teachers will be able to focus more of their time helping students to write effectively written summaries, more time and attention paid to the formatting of their project or more depth will be reflected in the information shared.
Although updating the nonfiction section will take some time, it is the library's core and an essential part of its functionality. I believe that adding EBSCO will help significantly and be a step in the right direction in updating the library and improving the accessibility of information for our students.
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| The 1998 World Book Encyclopedia Set |
References
DeWith, Y. (2017, November 21). Evaluation and Selection of a Reference Resource. Experience Learning. February 6, 2024, https://ydewith.wordpress.com/
Reidling, A. M., & Houston, C. (2019). Reference Skills for the School Librarian (4th ed.). Libraries Unlimited.
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