Sunday, March 10, 2019
The Library Reference Resource Collection: Developing a Foundation for 21st Century Learning
To view The Library Reference Resource Collection: Developing a Foundation for 21st Century Learning, click here.
Building a Strong Reference Collection for Elementary School Students
Reference
resources are a required part of the school library collection (Canadian Association For School Libraries,2003,
p. 29-31). We can't simply rely on Internet search engines to answer our
questions; finding facts requires the use of authoritative sources (Riedling,
p.37). Further, Internet search engines such as Google supply many irrelevant
results and contain annoying advertisements; this can be
frustrating,
especially to young children. It is therefore necessary to keep a reference
collection containing basic resources (both electronic and in print) (Riedling,
p. 39).
Image by
Cliparteles
Reference Resources
The following are
some of the reference resources most appropriate for use in elementary schools,
along with some special considerations.
Bibliographical sources-Are used to provide information about the
availability of materials, their costs and whether they are recommended
(Riedling, p. 32)
-
many
are available online at no cost (Riedling, p.33 ).
-
some
popular ones include:
Centre for Interactive Learning and Collaboration https://cilc.org - To locate interactive content,
collaborations, and resources. To find lists of paid and free virtual field
trips go to “interactive content” and click on “search content providers
programs”.
Skype an Author Network - Connects authors to young readers via Skype. http://skypeanauthor.wikifoundry.com
Book Wire https://www.bookwire.com -Searches for books and electronic books
and contains over 20 million titles.
Internet Library for Librarians https://www.itcompany.com/inforetriever -For librarians to locate Internet
resources related to librarianship.
Dictionaries (including specialized dictionaries and thesaurus)- Remember:
“just because a dictionary is on the Internet does not necessarily mean that is
authoritative or more current than the print equivalent”(Riedling p. 62).
.
Directories-I see limited use in elementary education, except to
teach them to use this resource.
Encyclopedias- Because encyclopedias are so expensive, and despite
the use of yearbooks, their information becomes quickly outdated, I feel that
Internet sources for encyclopedias (especially if provided in a district
bundle, such as in SD#23) is the way to go.
Fact books, directories, almanacs,
yearbooks and handbooks – In
my experience, the kids are very drawn to many of these resources . They are
also good for answering ready-reference questions (Riedling p. 37).
Indexes, abstracts and full text databases-Indexes can be very expensive (Riedling
p.94 ). Because many are available online, and it is possible to access these
without specific subscriptions (Riedling p.92 ), this is the way to go for
libraries with small budgets. Check out the following example:
-Also of note: “an index is of little use when
the library does not have access to the periodicals” (Riedling p. 92).
Maps, atlases and other geographical
sources-Because we live in
a “global village” and there are frequent geographical changes, recent
geographical resources are a necessity. There are many free, valuable online
sites that provide maps of all kinds (Riedling, p. 83). Three of my favourites
to use in my elementary school include:
Check
out this blog by Whooo’s Reading for great
ways to use Google Maps in the classroom (happily, many of these are appropriate for elementary students).
10 Ways to Use Google Maps in the
Classroom. (http://blog.whooosreading.org/10-ways-to-use-google-maps-in-the-classroom/
to see actual images anywhere on Earth
Check out this video entitled How to use Google Earth in the classroom by Ben Rossman (2018). It gives an
overview of how
to navigate Google Earth’s interface and gives some ideas about how to use it
in the classroom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppyop62EoP0
Canadian geographic. The Canadian Atlas Online. http://www.canadiangeographic.com/atlas/learningtools.aspx?lang=En -contains up-to-date, free, easy to
navigate information on many topics (geographical) that are part of our BC
curriculum.
Considerations
Although budget and audience are primary considerations (Riedling, p. 53), the following points are important to consider when we examine resources (both physical and electronic) for acquisition and weeding from our library.
Accuracy and authority - Verify
by reading appropriate reviews (Riedling, p. 90) and considering the reputation
of the publisher (Riedling, p.52).
- Consider
viewpoint and objectivity.
Format, organization and style- Most importantly, the “resources must provide the
desired information quickly and easily and be clear and legible”(Riedling, p.
80).
-Considerations for
physical resources should include: scale, readability, size of type, use of
abbreviations, symbols and font style and binding (Riedling, p. 90).
-Evaluations of
electronic bibliographies should include: ease of searching and standardized
procedures, setting of passwords (by vendor or school?), access (limited to
school?), and considerations around the network proxy/firewall (Riedling, p.
32).
Scope and frequency -
Should adequately cover the materials, frequency of the publication, number of
subjects covered and the type of materials indexed- look for possible
duplications and overlaps of information (Riedling, p. 90).
-The title,
preface, or introductory material often gives pertinent information.
Indexing and navigation
- Should be comprehensive.
-Physical
resources should use alphabetical listings.
-Electronic sources
should provide rapid and user-friendly access to information (Riedling, p. 80).
Currency –Is a
priority (both print and online).
-Note the frequency of the publication and how
often it is updated (Riedling, p. 80).
-A five-year-old
Atlas (and encyclopedia) is considered historical (Riedling, p. 80).
Print or Electronic Resources?
The need for current information may require
the use of online resources (Riedling, p. 79). Electronic resources also have
“numerous advantages such as rapid search of a number of indexes, the ability
to move from citation to abstract full text, and the ability of more points of
access through keywords in the title, text, or a specific periodical” (Riedling,
p. 90). Clientele will affect the size of the online resource collection,
however. I teach in a kindergarten to grade 5 school, and so, our online
resource collection will be smaller than that of a middle or high school
library (Riedling p.41).
Also
of note: “It is sometimes
difficult to ‘get the big picture’ on a
computer screen. In addition, printing
can be a challenge”(Riedling p. 84). Physical resources fill these gaps in a
school library resource centre.
Image by Slava Bowman. “Globe-woman”
Finally
Works Cited
Bowman, Slava. Globe-Woman. CCO
image. Retrieved from https://certificates.creativecommons.org/cccertedu/chapter/2-2-global-aspects-of-copyright/
Canadian Association For School
Libraries (2003). Achieving Information Literacy Standards for School Library Programs in
Canada. The Canadian School Library Association and the Association for
Teacher-Librarianship in Canada. Ottawa ON.
Canadian geographic. The Canadian Atlas online. retrieved from http://www.canadiangeographic.com/atlas/learningtools.aspx?lang=En
Cliparteles (May 26, 2011). Open Clip Art. Books and mouse orange silhouette.
Retrieved from https://openclipart.org/detail/140473/books-and-mouse-orange-silhouette
Google Earth. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/earth/
Riedling, A. (2013). Reference skills for the school library media specialist: Tools and
tips, (Third Edition). Santa Barbara, CA: Linworth.
Rossman, Ben (May 9, 2018). How to use Google Earth in the classroom.
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppyop62EoP0
Sanders, Jessica (Sept. 15, 2016). Whooo’s
Reading –Blog. 10 ways to use Google Maps in the classroom. Retrieved from http://blog.whooosreading.org/10-ways-to-use-google-maps-in-the-classroom/
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