When looking at the reference section in our school library, there is one word that comes to mind. Underused. There are many reasons for that, one being that it has been tucked away in a back corner of the library for years. Out of sight, out of mind. There was no consistent librarian in this school for a few years and the reference section, along with the teacher resource section really suffered. Teachers are unaware of which references resources we even have in the library, and the ones we do have are quite outdated. That is not to say that they are not usable, many of the books still contain relevant material that could be useful in the classroom, but others are well passed their best before date.
Library Profile
My school is located in the Fraser Valley, in a residential area filled with suburban homes. The school has a population of about 400 students and there are 19 divisions from Kindergarten to Grade 6. I work full time as the Teacher Librarian with no techs or aides. I provide prep coverage with one 40-minute library class per division each week, spread over 3 days, with 2 days set aside for library administration time. Unfortunately, I often get pulled on the 2 administration days to cover the classes of absent teachers because we are always short TTOCs. Our school is given a yearly budget from the district which works out to be about $5.00 per student, far less than the $26-$35 recommended in Achieving Information Literacy. The same amount of money is given to each school, so smaller schools end up with a larger per student ratio and bigger schools have to stretch even more with the same amount. The PAC has also provided funds to the library in the past, and there is a healthy profit from book fairs that are usually held twice each year.
Library Analysis
The reference section of my library contains 3 class sets of dictionaries (©1980, ©2004, ©2006), 1 encyclopedia set (©2002), 1 complete set of atlases (©2000), as well as a variety of atlases dispersed in classrooms around the school. There are also a number of random dictionaries and thesauruses on a shelf, as well as some record books and almanacs that are out in the general student bookshelves in the library.
These reference materials definitely do not live up to the standard set in Achieving Information Literacy, which states that “With regard to reference materials, general encyclopedias should be no older than 5 years, and every effort should be made to ensure the currency of atlases, almanacs, and specialized encyclopedias.”
Most of our intermediate teachers use online reference resources when their classes are researching a topic. The primary classes mainly use non-fiction books when they are completing a research project and request all of the books on their topic from the library (bears, penguins, etc..). The exception to this are our two grade 4 classes. They use the set of encyclopedias once each year when they are working on their Canadian Animals project. Other than that, all of the reference materials sit and gather dust in the library.
The school has one class set of laptops on a cart that are shared by 9 intermediate divisions. Each class gets approximately one 1 ½ hour block of time, plus one shorter 40-minute block each week. There are a few open spaces leftover that teachers can sign up for if they want extra time. There is also one class set of iPads on a cart that is shared by the 9 primary divisions. These are not used as much, so there is more flexibility within that schedule. I often use the iPads in the library with my classes when they are not out in classrooms. We use them to work on coding with Spheros, with QR codes for ‘listen to reading’, to bring their pictures to life in 3D with apps like QuiverVision, and for skill review games like Kahoot.
Our school also has access to all of the Focused Education (BCERAC) resources, including the World Book online suite, National Geographic Kids, GALE, KnowBC, as well as Curio and the NFB Campus.
The intermediate students definitely benefit from the use of online resources and are learning skills that will be useful to them in the future with technology progressing like it is. I do think however, that students need to be able to use print materials as well. Technology is not always readily available for teachers to use with a fixed laptop schedule, so building a comfort level with navigating print resources is necessary.
Our Digital resources more than meet our school’s reference resource needs, so there is no need to look at updating this area. My action plan will focus on our print materials and their relevance.
I feel that a good balance of the 2 types of resources, print and digital, helps to give students and teachers option and creates well-rounded learners. As the Leading Learning document states “Whereas the focus of the library program in the past was on building strong collections of resources and assisting users to find and use them effectively, the goal now is to build learning communities and make connections among learners, thus facilitating knowledge creation in the school community.”
Action Plan
1. Send out an email to all staff with a list of all of the reference resources that are available in the library. I don’t think that many teachers are even aware of what is there.
2. Ask teachers what they would like to see for reference materials in the library. Do they want a set of updated encyclopedias or new atlases? Or would they rather focus on online resources?
3. I try to involve students in the development of the library as much as possible, since they are the ones that use it most. I would also give students a survey during their library class about how they prefer to access reference materials for research purposes. I know that there are some students who prefer books over technology and vice versa, and it would be interesting to see how many prefer each type. The Leading Learning document states that “The learning commons philosophy is a means of increasing student engagement and improving student achievement.” What better way to increase student engagement than by including them in the process of acquiring materials? Riedling also encourages student involvement in choice with a Reference Interview, in which “the school librarian’s goals are to determine efficiently and productively the nature, quantity, and level of information the student requires, as well as the most appropriate format.”
4. After collecting the teacher responses, look at any of the resources that they would like to keep using the Learning Resource Evaluation checklists found in the ERAC document Evaluating, Selecting and Acquiring Learning Resources: A Guide. This checklist will help to determine if the resource is still relevant, or if it needs to be replaced and updated.
Sample of Learning Resource Evaluation Checklist
5. Put in a request to our PAC for funding for any new resources that are requested and need to be updated. Our PAC is very supportive of updating the library after the lapse in leadership it had. I researched the cost of a new set of hard copy encyclopedias for a previous assignment and it would cost $1100. A new class set of atlases would cost $575. I personally don’t think that the dictionaries need to be replaced, but it would cost $875 for a new hardcover class set of 30.
6. Introduce students to the reference section during their library time. Spend a week on each type of resource. Two classes on dictionary skills, a challenge to complete a page about a topic of their choice using an encyclopedia, a class with challenges using the atlases. 1 class to teach how the book works and 1 class to have a scavenger hunt with the atlas. (first to find Romania, etc…). I could even combine the atlas and encyclopedia skills by having students choose a country in the atlas and look it up in an encyclopedia. (Monthly ‘find the word in the dictionary’ contest)
6. Introduce classes to the online resources that they have access to. They may have used a few of them in their class, but few have seen all of the options they have for research purposes. Included in this time would be instruction on evaluating websites and how to fine legitimate sources. A lesson like this one from Common Sense Education using the C.A.R.S. checklist would be a good place to start.
7. Put out an offer to teachers that I can use their library prep time to work with their students on any research projects that are working on.
8. Add signs in the library that highlight where reference materials are located. There are already large all sign that label the Teacher Resources, Reading Power books, and Novel Approach books that are used by teachers. Similar signs for reference materials would be a simple way to draw attention to the section.
9. Consider putting any rarely used, but still appropriate reference resources in the non-fiction section so that students can check them out to take home. There are definitely students who would love to take an encyclopedia home as their book for the week.
I believe that all of these steps could be achieved within a 2 year timeline if it was made a priority for the school, although the teaching and practicing of research skills, both with books and online resources would be ongoing throughout the students’ time at our school.
Conclusion
I am excited to begin the journey of reinvigorating the reference section of my library. It is an area that has been neglected long enough and I can’t wait to weed it, update it, and make it a useful area for our staff and students. Riedling states “A reference collection that is unplanned, disorganized, or not weeded appropriately may prove ineffective and unresponsive to the information needs of students”, and that is exactly where it stands as of right now. On the scale of the Transitional Growth of a Library Learning Commons outlined in Leading Learning, my school would be in the Exploring stage.
I believe I will have support from our staff and my administration in this endeavor, and I am looking forward to seeing the responses from teachers and students about what mediums they would find most useful to keep in the library.
References
Admin. (n.d.). BC Digital Classroom Access. Retrieved December 04, 2020, from https://bcerac.ca/bcdc-access/
Asselin, M., Branch, J. L., & Oberg, D. (2006). Achieving information literacy: Standards for school library programs in Canada. Ottawa: Canadian Association for School Libraries. Retrieved from: http://accessola2.com/SLIC-Site/slic/ail110217.pdf
Canadian School Libraries (CSL), (2018). “Leading Learning: Standards of practice for school
library learning commons in Canada.”
Retrieved from: http://llsop.canadianschoollibraries.ca
Evaluating, Selecting and Acquiring Learning Resources: A Guide [Guide]. (2008). Retrieved from https://bcerac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/ERAC_WB.pdf
Evaluating Websites – Teacher-Created Lesson Plan. (2018, January 15). Retrieved from https://www.commonsense.org/education/lesson-plans/evaluating-websites
Learning games: Make learning awesome! (2020, December 01). Retrieved December 01, 2020, from https://kahoot.com/
Riedling, A. M., & Houston, C. (2019). Chapter 6: Dictionaries and Encyclopedias. In Reference skills for the school librarian: Tools and tips. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited, an imprint of ABC CLIO, LLC.
QuiverVision. (n.d.). Retrieved December 01, 2020, from https://quivervision.com/
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