LIBE 467 Theme 3 Blog Post
Theme 3 Reflection Blog
Theme 3 focused on print and digital reference resources including but not limited to encyclopedias, databases, bibliographies, almanacs, atlases, dictionaries, and thesauruses. Before this course, I envisioned reference materials as large encyclopedias or atlases, and giant dictionaries that sat alone on a unused section of a dusty shelf.
A part of this view came from being an elementary school teacher and finding these materials to be rarely used if in existence at all. I now realize my view and definition of reference materials was narrow and as such, I did not truly consider the meaningful applications of reference materials in elementary schools. I did not realize that popular fact books such as Guinness World Records were called yearbooks and considered reference materials (UBC, 2022). Many texts such as subject specific encyclopedias are shelved with non-fiction texts in most schools and as a result I did not distinguish them from other non-fiction texts, despite their name. I learned that almanacs cover a variety of topics such as awards, historical events, flags and maps, sports, and even obituaries and was surprised to learn their advantages including the extensive amount of factual information they contain (UBC, 2022). As we complete this course, I leave with a new definition and understanding of reference resources, a better understanding of collection development and management and perhaps most importantly, the importance of informational skills as applied to reference resources.
As Riedling and Houston argue, it is the responsibility of the teacher librarian to curate and maintain a quality collection of various formats to meet the needs of diverse learners (2019). I have been using the criteria provided in Riedling's and Houston's text as well as MUSTIE, an acronym outlining criteria for weeding, including whether the material is misleading, ugly, superseded by another source, trivial, irrelevant, or available elsewhere, to weed the collection in my library (Mardis, 2016). I have been struggling with this task as the collection is severely outdated and I have been trying to find a balance of keeping materials so as to not deplete the collection, but also removing the most unsuitable texts from the print collection. This theme reminded me of the importance of the digital collection, specifically reference resources. While there are several excellent resources available through BC Digital Classroom as provided by the school district, they are rarely used. I have shared these resources with teachers but have not actively promoted them or integrated these resources through collaborative efforts with teachers. Prior to this course, I did not truly appreciate the value of these rich resources for elementary school, but am now seeking out opportunities to use them in the library learning commons.
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| Item ID:98487290 (Shutterstock, n.d.) |
As Riedling and Houston argue, it is the responsibility of the teacher librarian to curate and maintain a quality collection of various formats to meet the needs of diverse learners (2019). I have been using the criteria provided in Riedling's and Houston's text as well as MUSTIE, an acronym outlining criteria for weeding, including whether the material is misleading, ugly, superseded by another source, trivial, irrelevant, or available elsewhere, to weed the collection in my library (Mardis, 2016). I have been struggling with this task as the collection is severely outdated and I have been trying to find a balance of keeping materials so as to not deplete the collection, but also removing the most unsuitable texts from the print collection. This theme reminded me of the importance of the digital collection, specifically reference resources. While there are several excellent resources available through BC Digital Classroom as provided by the school district, they are rarely used. I have shared these resources with teachers but have not actively promoted them or integrated these resources through collaborative efforts with teachers. Prior to this course, I did not truly appreciate the value of these rich resources for elementary school, but am now seeking out opportunities to use them in the library learning commons.
One of the key pieces of learning that I experienced during this theme was the introduction to the deep web. Until this course, I only knew of the 'dark web' and I mistakenly thought the two were one in the same. The deep web in my mind was a place of seedy criminal activity and not one I wanted to explore! I was shocked to learn that only 1/500th of information on the web is accessible through browser searches (OEDB, 2022). I was also surprised to learn that most of what makes up the deep web is in fact not criminal, but rather databases, government documents, and unpublished works (OEDB, 2022).
I had never heard the term 'web crawler' and did not realize the main difference between the deep web and surface web was the deep web's ability to go undetected by these crawlers who collect data from hyperlinked pages (OEDB, 2022). While I found this fascinating, I still thought it was not something I would use with students because I could not shake my incorrect association of the deep web with criminal activity. I now realize there are many resources, such as databases that may be worth exploring with older students. In elementary school, however, I would not access these resources but I do think a lesson on the general structure of the deep web versus the surface web would enhance students' information literacy skills.
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| Image ID: 1746417389 (Shutterstock, n.d.) |
I had never heard the term 'web crawler' and did not realize the main difference between the deep web and surface web was the deep web's ability to go undetected by these crawlers who collect data from hyperlinked pages (OEDB, 2022). While I found this fascinating, I still thought it was not something I would use with students because I could not shake my incorrect association of the deep web with criminal activity. I now realize there are many resources, such as databases that may be worth exploring with older students. In elementary school, however, I would not access these resources but I do think a lesson on the general structure of the deep web versus the surface web would enhance students' information literacy skills.
While Wikipedia and crowd-sourced sites are not resources students typically access in elementary school, this lesson and discussion did further highlight the role of the teacher librarian in teaching information and digital literacy skills to students. As Riedling and Houston argue, it is the teacher librarian's responsibility to not only curate a quality collection of resources, but to teach students the skills necessary to access, evaluate and determine the relevance, purpose, and credibility of resources (2019). Students in elementary schools benefit in many ways from print materials as they appreciate the tactile experience and are not as skilled as older students in accessing the web. After exploring subject encyclopedias in more detail during this course and through weeding, I can better appreciate the role these print encyclopedias play in elementary school libraries, not only as a jumping off point for research but for interest and leisure.
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| Image ID: 626873438 (Shutterstock, n.d.) |
Moving forward, I have a better understanding of reference resources and their role in the library learning commons as well as ways to evaluate and develop the print and digital collections. My initial perception of a reference resource was based on an old stereotype of libraries and resources. As I learn how much reference resources have changed over time, I realize my approach to using them also needs to change. Twenty-first century learners need to utilize a range of resources and formats and develop the skills needed to effectively access, evaluate, and interpret various modes of information. Through the library learning commons and collaboration with teachers, I intend to continue building a quality collection, promote available resources and increase my efforts teaching students to use reference resources and develop critical and information literacy skills.
References:
BC
Digital Classroom. Focused Education. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2022,
from https://focusedresources.ca/en/district-access-iframe.
Guinness World Records Kids.
Guinness World Records. (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2022, from
https://kids.guinnessworldrecords.com/
Mardis, M A. (2016). The collection program in schools: Concepts and practices. (6th edition). Libraries Unlimited.
OEDb.org, a Red Ventures Company. (2018, August 2). The Ultimate Guide to the invisible web OEDB.org. Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://oedb.org/ilibrarian/invisible-web/
Riedling, A. M., & Houston, C. (2019). Reference skills for the school librarian: Tools and tips. Libraries Unlimited.
Riedling, A. M., & Houston, C. (2019). Reference skills for the school librarian: Tools and tips. Libraries Unlimited.
Shutterstock (n.d.) Item ID:98487290 [Image]. Shutterstock. https://www.shutterstock.com/editor/image/pile-old-books-magnifying-glass-98487290
Shutterstock (n.d.) Item ID:626873438 [Image]. Shutterstock. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/bangkok-thailand-april-24-2017-google-626873438
Shutterstock (n.d.) Item ID: 1746417389 [Image]. Shutterstock. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/3d-isometric-flat-concept-search-engine-1746417389
University of British Columbia (2022). Lesson 12: Dictionaries and thesauri; Almanacs, yearbooks, and handbooks. Retrieved April 1, 2022 from https://canvas.ubc.ca/courses/84997/pages/lesson-12-dictionaries-and-thesauri-almanacs-yearbooks-and-handbooks?module_item_id=3995275
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