Category Archives: Assignments

LIBE 477

So many interests, so little time, where to begin? Reading review A

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Introduction, context and background: 

I am the Teacher Librarian at a K-5 English language Elementary school of just over 300 students. The school is located in a semi-rural area south of town with most student coming from a higher socio-economic background. I was the Teacher Librarian from September 2017 until February 2019 at which point I went on maternity leave. In January, I returned to work as a grade 4/5 teacher but will be returning as the Teacher Librarian in the fall. For digital devices at the school, in January we received student devices, which are essentially two class sets of laptops, and dismantled the computer lab. These devices are stored in carts on wheels which make them easy to move to any area of the school where they are needed. In addition, we have 12 iPads that can be used. As a Teacher-Librarian, I believe it is my job to support student learning in multiple ways, with one of the main ways being teaching about and with digital technologies. This is an area of focus for improvement in my professional development and has been since starting as a Teacher Librarian. I have improved and learned a lot but still feel like I have a long way to go. The following are areas of focus in the area of digital technologies that I would still like to work on. 

 

Areas and issues of personal interest: 

  • Digital Literacy and it’s connection to Visual Literacy.
  • Digital Citizenship
  • 24/7 Online Library Learning Commons website or blog.
  • Creating a culture of inquiry-based teaching and learning in the school community.
  • Developing lessons that can be carried out without the use of the library (if it cannot be used in the fall due to the COVID 19 pandemic).
Curricular connections:  https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/adst/5/core

Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies 5

Applied Skills:

  • Use materials, tools and technologies in a safe manner and with an awareness of the safety of others in both physical and digital environments. 

Applied Technologies:

  • Use familiar tools and technologies to extend their capabilities when completing a task.
  • Choose appropriate technologies to use for specific tasks.
  • Demonstrate a willingness to learn new technologies as needed.

Connection to digital technologies: 

With the introduction of the student devices, we spent time teaching students how to use the devices with their personalized log-ins and how to save their work but we didn’t have the chance to teach digital citizenship. Therefore, because I was teaching grade 4/5 from January until June, I dealt with some instances resulting from these deficits when students were thrust into a digital world. So, I feel like I want to start in the fall, as soon as possible, with Digital Citizenship lessons; these can be done in the classroom or the library and will help in the proper use of digital technologies whatever or where ever that might be! 

In relation to Digital Citizenship, I feel like students need to be taught Digital Literacy. I had noticed it before but it became more obvious during “online remote learning” that although students may use technology and digital devices frequently, their skills are limited to only a few that they use repeatedly. My beliefs were reinforced when reading Will Richardson’s book Why School?, especially the chapter “Our kids are illiterate”. Although I have heard other statements similar to what Richardson says; that future employers  “…cited creativity and ‘managing the growing complexity of the world'” (2012, p. 144) more important that stored facts. However, in reading his book, it is the first time I have seen the “21st century literacies” from the NCTE and the fact  “…that, if we applied those benchmarks, upward of 80 percent of students graduating from private, public, parochial, and home schools were illiterate” (2012, p. 189). The number is both surprising and it’s not considering my recent experience with online learning. It still remains that students need guidance to use digital technologies productively if only in the way of exposure to useful programs, software and apps. Additionally, students need more skills to comprehend and critically analyze what they are reading online. In this vein, I am interested in the connection between Digital Literacy and Visual Literacy and how becoming more visually literate can help students become more digitally literate.

As well, if I have a 24/7 online Library Learning Commons, students can access it at any time, from anywhere. I am hoping to make it interactive with activities and events that might be connected to the library. My biggest challenge here is to find a format that is approved by my district that I also find user friendly. In the past year I have been getting more comfortable with blogging so it might not feel like as much of a hurdle now. 

Finally, before teaching at my current school, I taught at a school that had a very strong culture of inquiry starting in Kindergarten. At my current school, there is almost no inquiry-based teaching and learning. I have been trying to slowly integrate inquiry skill  lessons through the library but now I have a bit of a set-back with my leave so I would like to start again in the fall. I find it to be quite a slow-go in this area but I believe it would be a huge pay-off if there was follow through from year to year. Students can use digital technologies in practicing inquiry skills and then choose an appropriate way of presenting their learning by using various digital tools. In addition, these are lessons that can be carried out in the classroom if need be. Students also need to have digital literacy skills in order to adequately answer their inquiry questions and have more options of  presenting their learning. 

 

Key words: 

  • Inquiry
  • Digital Citizenship
  • Digital Literacy
  • Visual Literacy
  • Online Library Learning Commons
  • Remote learning

 

Context: 

Students are in grades K-5, age ranging from 5 to 10 but I feel like I would focus most of my attention on the grade 4/5 (8-10 year olds) to begin and then work down. The administration at the school are very supportive and are also in line with my beliefs especially about  starting digital citizenship lessons in the fall, we have already had discussions around this topic. The school is of a higher socio-economic standing with a very active PAC so access to technology is not lacking. The student devices and iPads can be used in the Library Learning Commons or the classroom and work with a variety of digital technologies. 

 

Potential lesson and professional resources: 

 Common Sense Media has educational resources with lessons and videos for teaching digital literacy and digital citizenship. https://www.commonsense.org/education/.

 

As a government resource, the Keep Learning site
 https://www.openschool.bc.ca/keeplearning/ offers and Online Safety section https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/erase/online-safety which also have links to videos. 

 

A great resource that I would like to try and follow all the way through is Coding Quest  which uses the Scratch program for students to create their own game as a way to present their learning of a inquiry topic. https://www.thelearningpartnership.ca/programs/coding-quest.

 

These are some professional literature picks that were suggested by our district professional development committee that I am interested in:

 

Launch: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring Out the Maker in Every Student by John Spencer and A.J. Juliani (grade level K-12)

Inquiry-Based Early Learning Environments: Creating, Supporting, and Collaborating by Susan Stacey (grade level K-3)

Conclusions (for now):

All of these ideas are what I would like to achieve in the next few years but it is mostly a question of what should take the priority at this point. Many of these issues and areas of interest can be interconnected and lead from one into another, so I just need to decide where to start!

References

Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies 5 | Building Student Success – BC’s New Curriculum. (2020). Retrieved 11 July 2020, from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/adst/5/core

Free images. (2020). Question mark, answer, solution [Image]. Retrieved from https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1586349

Richardson, W. (2012). Why School?: How Education Must Change When Learning and Information Are Everywhere (Kindle Single) . TED Conferences. Kindle Edition.

Spencer, J. (2020). Launch book cover [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.ca/Launch-Design-Thinking-Creativity-Student/dp/0996989544

Stacey, S. (2020). Inquiry-Based Early Learning Environments: Creating, Supporting, and Collaborating [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B078XK3X9X/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Wallpaper Flare. (2020). HD wallpaper:Digital marketing – with copysack – dark version [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.wallpaperflare.com/digital-marketing-with-copyspace-dark-version-business-communication-wallpaper-agmyn

 

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Producing Information literate students: Assignment 3 – Reference resource plan for my LLC

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Library Web page teaser. (U.S. Air Force graphic/Stephen Collier)

Introduction: 

At the moment, the reference resource section of my school Library Learning Commons is pretty much non-existent. When I started in my current library, the print reference resources looked much like the picture above, maybe a bit newer. It took me about a year of working towards transforming the space into a Learning Commons to realize where the reference resources resided and that nobody was using them, even me. They were out-of-date and kept on a very high shelf. In a purging mood one week, I de-selected the entire area and didn’t feel too guilty about it because we have good online resources. However, I feel like I have had a change of heart and now have a plan to make a reference resource section that everyone will want to use!  

Stage 1: Purchase New Print Reference Resources! 

First of all, I was doing it wrong; I thought that having good online subscriptions to reference resources meant that I did not need any print reference resources. In reading that “Teacher-librarians should not discriminate, for or against, one format (print or electronic) over another. They should try to determine what reference, in which format, will help students and teachers to answer their questions and support the development of information skills” (UBC, lesson 4), I began to question my previous mindset. Therefore, I did some further research into the print vs. electronic debate for my second theme reflection. I found out that I am not the only one having an internal conflict about this. In the article “Digital vs. Print: Taking a Position as an Academic Librarian” from the Library Journal online Steven Bell points out that “New research suggests ... Students fail to comprehend complex or lengthy material in digital format as well as they do in print”(par.3). This convinced me that although I was correct that the print reference resources I had were not useful in my library, I just need to select new print reference resources even if they are pricey. I need to select new reference resources that are more appealing to Elementary students, which means they need more visuals.  One other important point that I learned as a new Teacher Librarian was that “Reference selection tools or aids serve to assist the school librarian in evaluating sources for possible inclusion into the library, as well as identifying gaps in the reference collection. However, these are merely aids; they can only assist if the school librarian has a complete knowledge of the collection and uses good judgment based on the existing resources and the needs of the community and students served”(Riedling, p.21). I needed to be in the library for a year before I knew that I needed to de-select those items and now, another year later, I have a better idea of what we need to replace those. 

In my last blog post, reflecting on the course, I posted a few examples of print reference resources that I think would be suitable and interesting. I feel like I will begin with just a few, such as handbooks (a more inexpensive option) and a visual thesaurus and encyclopedia.  

Here are some examples of what I would like to purchase: 

I got some ideas from classmate’s in this course from the first theme reflection blog posts, thanks everyone!

I found these on Titlewave (through Destiny) and what I like about Titlewave is that I can make a saved list for when I am ready to purchase. 

In addition to a yearly purchase of The Farmer’s Almanac, I think other handbooks would be popular in Elementary School.

cover_imageThis handbooks would spark interest for my elementary students. Plus, the lessons that come out of it would be useful!

For an Encyclopedia, The new children’s encyclopedia. (Visual Encyclopedia) is one I would purchase.

cover_image

Finally, for a thesaurus, this is an example of what I would like:

cover_image

Stage 2: Make a usable and comfortable place for browsing! 

One thing I am missing in my Library Learning Commons is a section comfortable for browsing the print reference resources.  I have many other areas that are flexible for different learning needs but none that I feel are great for the purpose of browsing reference materials. In the current landscape of Teacher Librarian and the transition to Library Learning Commons, “The role of the school librarian in a Learning Commons is transformed from ‘keeper of the books’ to a program director with specialized knowledge in information sources and services who coordinates the use of a dynamic space shared by all members of the learning Community”(Riedling, p.117).  So, I feel like I am still trying to perfect my space for all learning purposes. It would have to be an area directly next to the print reference resources and have at least one computer to access the online reference resources. In addition, it would need to have enough space to provide opportunity for interaction and collaboration because “Online reference tools generally meet the immediate information needs of users, so the reference area must be transformed into a center for social interaction, individual and group exploration, and guidance in the location, access, and use of information Resources”(Riedling, p.119). By making an area conducive to using the reference materials would increase use. 

The dream would be to have something like this image but maybe a bit smaller, I don’t have quite the space for such a large unit.

shelf interior bookshelf free photo

Stage 3: Teach lessons on how to use reference resources! 

I could create a fabulous reference section of the Library Learning Commons, but it would still not get any use if students don’t know how to use it. Some students may explore the area on their own but “Research clearly indicates that the development of student competence in information literacy skills is most effective when integrated with classroom instruction through collaborative program planning and teaching by the teacher-librarian and the classroom teacher”(Achieving Information Literacy, p.7). Here are a few lesson ideas that I would collaborate and co-teach with intermediate classroom teachers. 

Research skills:
To expose students to the various reference resource types, I would simply explain the use of each type and then have students explore the resources. Once students know the purpose for each reference resource, we could try to find an answer to a question because “A good reference source is one that serves to answer questions, and a bad reference source is one that fails to answer questions”(p.21).  Exposure to the different kinds of reference resources that exist and telling students how to use them would promote student use of the resources. Once students know the purpose of each resource, they will know the suitable source to go to find answers to the kind of questions they have.  To foster information literacy “It is vital to know when to turn to print resources, when to use the Web, and when to avoid them all in favor of consulting an expert in the field”(Riedling p.113). I will know these lessons are successful when I start to witness students independently using the resources. 

Searching the web: 
One important aspect of teaching about reference resources that I find many teachers are afraid of is internet safety. Many teacher’s answer to this is to just avoid computers in general. However, students are using the internet whether we teach them about it or not, so I believe it is our job to give them the tools to use the internet safely and productively. If we do not, they will try to figure it out themselves and we know that leaving students to their own devices does not always lead to good choices. I agree that I previously thought the internet was a scary place and I didn’t completely realize the existence of “The invisible web – dark web” (UBC, lesson 8) maybe because those are places on the internet that I don’t use.  Teaching students how to be safe online and choose safe sources is beneficial when doing any online learning. By doing the following lessons, it is my hopes that students will begin to be critical thinkers in making good decisions for their learning.  

Digital/Media literacy:
An exercise that I feel would be beneficial for students to try is: EVALUATING SEARCH ENGINES (Reidling, Figure 10.1, p.114). I modified this activity to be more suitable for intermediate students by including fewer questions and adding “Kiddle” as a search engine to explore. Then I created it on Microsoft Forms so that I could post it online and students can answer the questions online and submit electronically. 

After teaching students how to evaluate a search engine, it would be beneficial to teach students how to decipher between reliable sources of information that would come up in an online search because “In general, high precision recall from electronic searches depends on how well users understand the source they are using to find information and the quality of their search query”(Riedling 113). Just as we are taught as Teacher Librarians to evaluate the authority of the sources we select, students should be taught what authority of a source is.  

The activity on considering the authority of a web page (Reidling p.55) I have modified to make another sample lesson that is appropriate for intermediate students. 

Conclusions: 

I do believe that one of the biggest jobs of the Teacher Librarian is to give students appropriate resources to further their learning and understanding.  Currently, my Library Learning Commons is lacking print reference resources that can assist learners in finding answers to their questions. As well, students are lacking the knowledge of how to use different reference resources that can assist them in finding those answers. As a Teacher Librarian I agree that “Access to information and ideas is essential for students to become critical thinkers, competent problem solvers, and lifelong learners who contribute productively and ethically to society”(Achieving Information Literacy p.25) and now I know some more ways to help students achieve those skills. If given appropriate guidance, students will be able to evaluate sources for validity, reliability, and authority which will promote information literacy. To be “information fluen[t]…involves the following skills: determining the accuracy, credibility, and relevance of a source; distinguishing among facts, points of view, and opinions presented in a source; and selecting the most useful resources for a particular information need”(Riedling 115). By offering a diverse selection of print reference resources in combination with online sources, an area conducive to utilizing those resources and the tools to use it all properly will help to develop information literate students. 

 Works cited: 

Asselin, M., Branch, J., & Oberg, D., (Eds). (2003). Achieving information literacy: Standards for school library programs in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Canadian School Library Association & The Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada. 

Bell, S. (n.d.). Digital vs Print: Taking a Position as an Academic Librarian: From the Bell Tower. Retrieved from https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=digital-vs-print-taking-position-academic-librarian-bell-tower. 

Offutt Library. (2020). Welcome to our library [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.offutt.af.mil/News/Photos/igphoto/2000669114/mediaid/355921/.  

Publicdomainpictures.net. (2020). Shelf interior bookshelf free photo [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.needpix.com/photo/1360655/shelf-interior-bookshelf-reference-book-information-old-studying-literature. 

Riedling, A. (2013). Reference skills for the school library media specialist: Tools and tips, (Third Ed.). Santa Barbara, CA.: Linworth, an Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC. 

UBC. (Winter 2020). “Lesson 1: Information Literacy and Reference Services in Schools”. Theme 1: The foundation of reference services in LIBE 467. Canvas Online Classroom.   

UBC. (Winter 2020).”Lesson 4: Print and/or Electronic Reference Materials “. Theme 2:  Managing and evaluating reference services in LIBE 467. Canvas Online Classroom. 

UBC. (Winter 2020).”Lesson : Digital Resources, the Web, and Grey Literature “. Theme 3:  Reference Materials in LIBE 467. Canvas Online Classroom. 

Bibliography: 

Hellweg, P. (2018). The American Heritage children’s thesaurus. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 

Packer, A. (2014). How rude! : the teen guide to good manners, proper behavior, and not grossing people out. Free Spirit Publishing. 

Smithsonian. (2019). The new children’s encyclopedia. (Visual encyclopedia).. DK Publishing INC. 

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Assignment 2: Collaborate with a Teacher and Evolve their practice

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I have been the Teacher Librarian at a K-5 English Language Elementary School for two years. There are 14 classrooms of just over 300 students. The school is located in a semi-rural area and the population of students come from families with higher socio-economic status. Print reference resources were extremely out-of-date and above the reading level for most students in the school so most have been de-selected, leaving the Library Learning Commons with very few. The district provides subscriptions to many online reference resources such as Worldbook Online, Ebsco Database, Thompson Gale Database, and National Geographic for Kids; however, most of the teachers are not using any reference resource with their classes and I wonder if this is because they are not sure that the library has them or because they don’t know how to use them even if they know they exist. The library is transitioning to a Learning Commons format but is still lacking a seating area where patrons can comfortably peruse print reference resources. Many teachers at the school have been teaching there for many years and are a bit “stuck in their ways” but as the school has been growing, there are more young teachers who seem eager and willing to try some new ideas. I find many of the seasoned teachers have been through the changes of having a Teacher Librarian and then having them taken away so now they are reluctant to rely on working with another teacher, which I have found a challenge in booking times outside of a weekly book exchange in order to give lessons on reference resources. I think this is because “When people are overwhelmed or feeling unsuccessful, they are not ready to grow. In that case they will NOT state responses such as those listed at the level we might expect. They will be focused at a lower level where they still have concerns. If their professional development needs remain unmet, they can easily become stuck at some lower level of development, perhaps even for the rest of their career!”(Loucks-Horsley, 1996, p.7). There has not been a culture of inquiry at any level in the school as of yet. The school I was teaching at before this is a school where there is a very strong culture of inquiry starting in kindergarten and by the time students get to grade 4/5, all grade 4/5 classes work towards a showcase at the end of the year. I would like to create an inquiry culture at my current location, but it may be challenging because it is not happening at all and “The effective implementation of a new program is a highly personal developmental process” (http://www.sedl.org/cbam/, par.2). Therefore, I will be focussing my energy on two of the newer teachers to the school and applying “The Concerns Based Adoption Model” which uses “the seven stages of concern” to evaluate their readiness for collaboration with me, the Teacher Librarian, to use print and online reference resources. I feel like ” seven stages of concern” is suitable in my situation because “First, they point out the importance of attending to where people are and addressing the questions they are asking when they are asking them”(Loucks-Horsley, 1996, p.1). Both of the teachers, in conversations with me, have expressed that they would like to work with me but I have pre-assessed them at two different levels in “the stages of concern”. 

Teacher #1 has been teaching for about 2 years and has been teaching at the school for the entire time with just minimal TOC time before that. She is co-teaching a class of 30 grade 5 students, only working two days a week. She has expressed to me that she would like to try an inquiry unit but from ideas that I have explained to her, she cannot picture how it will work without being chaotic and without it going on for weeks as she is just working 0.5 FTE. As well, I have told her about the online resources that the library supplies and she told me she had no idea these existed and therefore does not know how to use them. I would apply the “Concerns-Based Adoption Model” to this teacher because “The model (and other developmental models of its type) holds that people considering and experiencing change evolve in the kinds of questions they ask and in their use of whatever the change is” (Loucks-Horsley, 1996, p.1). Last year, we began to discuss ideas and logistics for an inquiry unit but she didn’t seem quite ready for a full-on inquiry because she was obviously in the “Informational” to “Personal” stages of concern. I know this because she was asking questions much like the examples given in the article when it states, “In general, early questions are more self-oriented: What is it? and How will it affect me?” (Loucks-Horsley, 1996, p.1). To start the process, all we accomplished was a series of note-taking and citation lessons. This year we have continued the discussion and currently I believe she is in the “Management” stage because she has moved on from the simple questions and now,“… questions emerge that are more task-oriented: How do I do it? How can I use these materials efficiently? How can I organize myself? and Why is it taking so much time?” (Loucks-Horsley, 1996, p.1). So, we still have the challenge of time constraints where she does not want a project that goes on for weeks but she is interested and more willing to try a project together this year and she is keen to collaborate and co-teach. The other challenge is her inexperience with inquiry and her unfamiliarity with the resources the library supplies. During informal conversations I have asked her what area of focus she would like the inquiry to be and I took note of units she taught last year. While selecting books and new print reference materials, I look for suitable materials that would connect to units that she has taught or is wanting to teach. If and when these materials are obtained, I take the new resource(s) to the teacher and show her and ask if she would like to set up a time to look at them together or book her class in one day to explore the resource(s). In addition, this teacher is unfamiliar with the library’s online reference resources so I would ask her if she would like to book her class for a lesson to explore those resources. In exploring both the print and digital reference resources, I would first have a question or questions that I want the students to find answers to and then have them come up with their own “inquiry-style” questions to try and find support for in a specific subject area. In doing these lessons, the teacher and students will get more exposure to the print and electronic reference resources as well as practicing the inquiry skills of questioning, researching, and coming to personal conclusions. This will meet the needs of the teacher in that it will not go on for too long, she will learn inquiry-style teaching techniques and become familiar with the reference resources available. An added bonus is that the students are still learning new information linked to a unit of study. I feel like next year, she will be ready for more in-depth and more independent inquiry projects and I will continue to look for reference resources that would suit her needs in units she is teaching. To evaluate our progress, I will use the “Levels of Use” diagnostic tool from the “Concerns-based Adoption Model”. I will determine which level she is in by interviewing her. Last year, I would put her in the ‘nonuse’ level and then hopefully this year she would be in the ‘orientation/preparation’ level (http://www.sedl.org/cbam/levels_of_use.html, par. 3). 

Teacher #2 has been teaching for 15 years and it is her second year at the school. She has exposure and training in inquiry-based teaching and learning and has tried out some simple inquiry units. Recently, she expressed that she would like to collaborate and try some more specific inquiry units but finds students are lacking the background skills to work independently on inquiry such as formulating questions and research skills. This teacher is in the ‘Consequence/Collaboration’ level in the ‘stages of concern’ asking questions like the examples given: “How is my use affecting learners? How can I refine it to have more impact?” and “How can I relate what I am doing to what others are doing?” (Loucks-Horsley, 1996, p.2).  I believe this teacher is getting close to the ‘collaboration level’ in that “Once employees attain the collaboration level and work at that level for two years or more, they know its value and, given the opportunities and time to maintain and live out that disposition, will continue to seek and give collaborative support among their colleagues”(Loucks-Horsley, 1996, p.9) but needs a bit more support to reach it fully. I feel this way because she has experience with inquiry and collaboration but has not had the opportunity to apply these skills and would like more. This teacher is already very familiar with the print and online reference resources available in the library but commented that students are not familiar with them so don’t use them. In addition, she expressed the need for more current print reference resources because she knows they were all out-of-date and above the reading level for most students at the school. I will make a point to find this teacher and have informal conversations about what kinds of units she would like to focus on. Also, I will talk to administration about release time for collaboration with this teacher. I will purposefully seek out print reference materials that fit with the units of study in her class. During library times, I will teach a series of mini-lessons working on inquiry skills to assess the needs in the class. The lessons will focus on how to formulate suitable inquiry questions, explore online reference resources, how to use a print reference resource and find answers to some simple questions using reference resources available in the library. These mini-lessons will take about six weeks to complete if we were only working during the weekly library times. Hopefully, we will get time to formally collaborate and plan an inquiry unit where the class will be able to apply the inquiry skills using reference resources to come to conclusions. If there is no release time for collaboration this year, I will push for it next year. As soon as new print reference resources arrive, I will find the teacher and show her to see if it is a resource she is interested in and let her know that if she needs any help, I am available for booking. To evaluate our progress, I will be looking for students independently seeking out and using the print and electronic reference resources. As well, I will also apply the “Levels of Use” diagnostic tool from the “Concerns-based Adoption Model” and determine which level she is in by interviewing her. From our current conversations, I would say she is at the ‘Mechanical Use” level and working towards ‘Routine Use’ (http://www.sedl.org/cbam/levels_of_use.html, par. 3). 

Since I will be working with these two keen teachers, it is my hope that other teachers who are less adventurous will see how easy and productive it is to collaborate with the Teacher Librarian and how beneficial it is to students when they learn how to use the reference resources available. I plan to continue to check in with these two teachers with a goal that in the next three years, they will feel comfortable collaborating and using the print and digital reference resources easily and maybe even helping others because “Change is a process, not an event. …. Subsequent research on school change has confirmed that changes in classroom practice can take anywhere from three to five years to be fully implemented”(Loucks-Horsley, 1996, p.4). In addition, “Change is a highly personal experience, involving developmental growth in feelings (the Stages of Concern) and skills (the Levels of Use). More to the point, people need sustained help along the way if they’re going to fully implement a new idea, and they’ll require different kinds of help as their needs change”(Loucks-Horsley, 1996, p.4). I anticipate that these two teachers will continue to pursue inquiry-based teaching and learning with the use of reference resources and they will be good allies to have when other teachers enter the lower ‘Levels of Use’ and ‘Stages of Concern’. 

Works cited: 

Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM). (2020). Retrieved 8 March 2020, from http://www.sedl.org/cbam/.  

Levels of Use, a Dimension of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM). (2020). Retrieved 8 March 2020, from http://www.sedl.org/cbam/levels_of_use.html.  

Loucks-Horsley, S. (1996). The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM): A Model for Change in Individuals.  

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Assignment 1: Evaluation of a Reference Work

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LIBE 467 63C 

Assignment 1: Evaluation of a Reference Work 

Catherine Sharpe 

Rubric for assessing a Reference Resource: 

Reference Work  Not Meeting  Meeting  Exceeding 
Relevancy  Not many visuals or visuals are unappealing for audience. 

Authors and publishers with little or no authority/no author found. 

 Visuals further content understanding and engage reader. 

Authors and publishers with good authority. 

 

 Visuals are highly engaging and age appropriate and strongly connect to content. 

Authors and publishers with excellent authority. 
Purpose  Expensive and may need to be replaced frequently. 

Difficult to navigate – organization is illogical. 

Information is presented with bias or connected to commercial agencies. 

Resource is created to sell or sway reader’s opinion. 

 Cost effective. 

Easily navigated-table of contents/index/ 

glossary are available. 

Minimal level of bias. 

Information of presented with no intention to sell or sway reader’s opinion. 

Resource is created for educational purposes with possible connection to commercial agency. 

 Little or no cost to the library. 

Logical sequence 

Obvious and logical navigation available – table of contents/index/glossary simple to follow. 

No level of bias. 

Information is presented in a neutral way. 

Resource is created for educational purposes only. 
Currency  10 years +. 

Little of no updates available. 

Little or no search features. 

Information is out-of-date. 

 5-10 years old. 

Updated yearly. 

Basic search features. 

 Less than 5 years old or is continuously updated. 

Link maintenance 

Basic and advanced search features. 
Curricular Connection  Materials meet some of the curriculum.  

Content is presented in singular format, reading level and student needs. 

Does not reflect student interests and cultural background of student population 

 Materials meet most of the curricular needs. 

Content is presented in a few formats, languages and reading levels. 

Meets from variance of student needs. 

Somewhat reflects student interests and cultural background of student population 

 Materials meet all of the curricular needs.  

Content presented in different formats, languages and reading levels. 

Meets diverse student needs. 

Strongly reflects student interests and cultural background of student population. 
Use of Lib. Space  Stored on high shelf out of reach for most patrons.  

Occupies an entire shelf or is difficult to fit on shelf.  

Meets the needs of a few learners. 

Complex organization that is difficult to follow. 

 Accessible for all patrons most of the time. 

Fits easily on one shelf or does not take up any shelf space (digital). 

Meets the needs of most learners. 

Organization can be followed with some direction. 

 Easily accessible for all patron use. 

Takes up little or no space in the library. 

Meet the needs of diverse learners. 

Organization is user-friendly. 

How to use the materials is explained clearly.  

 

Reference Resource to be replaced: 

Fick, S. (2004). The Canadian atlas. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre. 

Reference Work  Not Meeting  Meeting  Exceeding 
Relevancy  Not many visuals or visuals are unappealing for audience. 

Authors and publishers with little or no authority/no author found. 

 Visuals further content understanding and engage reader. 

Authors and publishers with good authority. 

 

 Visuals are highly engaging and age appropriate and strongly connect to content. 

Authors and publishers with excellent authority. 
Purpose  Expensive and may need to be replaced frequently. 

Difficult to navigate – organization is illogical. 

Information is presented with bias or connected to commercial agencies. 

Resource is created to sell or sway reader’s opinion. 

 Cost effective. 

Easily navigated-table of contents/index/ glossary available. 

Minimal level of bias. 

Information of presented with no intention to sell or sway reader’s opinion. 

Resource is created for educational purposes with possible connection to commercial agency. 

 Little or no cost to the library. 

Logical sequence 

Obvious and logical navigation available – table of contents/index/glossary simple to follow. 

No level of bias. 

Information is presented in a neutral way. 

Resource is created for educational purposes only. 
Currency  10 years +. 

Little of no updates available. 

Little or no search features. 

Information is out-of-date. 

 5-10 years old. 

Updated yearly. 

Basic search features. 

 Less than 5 years old or is continuously updated. 

Link maintenance 

Basic and advanced search features. 
Curricular Connection  Materials meet some of the curriculum.  

Content is presented in singular format, reading level and student needs. 

Does not reflect student interests and cultural background of student population. 

 Materials meet most of the curricular needs. 

Content is presented in a few formats, languages and reading levels. 

Meets some variance of student needs. 

Somewhat reflects student interests and cultural background of student population. 

 Materials meet all of the curricular needs.  

Content presented in different formats, languages and reading levels. 

Meets diverse student needs. 

Strongly reflects student interests and cultural background of student population. 
Use of Lib. Space  Stored on high shelf out of reach for most patrons.  

Occupies an entire shelf or is difficult to fit on shelf.  

Meets the needs of a few learners. 

Complex organization that is difficult to follow. 

 Accessible for all patrons most of the time. 

Fits easily on one shelf or does not take up any shelf space (digital). 

Meets the needs of most learners. 

Organization can be followed with some direction. 

 Easily accessible for all patron use. 

Takes up little or no space in the library. 

Meet the needs of diverse learners. 

Organization is user-friendly. 

How to use the materials is explained clearly.  

 

Relevancy: Although this resource has very well-known affiliation of “Reader’s Digest” and “Canadian Geographic”, the publisher and author are lesser known. As well, there are many colour visuals that strongly connect to the content; however, since the date of publication is 2004, it is now 16 years old and the visuals are dated and therefore unappealing to current students.
Purpose: In 2004, this resource cost $69.95, which, on a library budget is quite expensive and since this is a print resource about Canada, the content changes rapidly so if the library wants to supply reference resources with current content, the resource would need to be replaced at least every 5 years. There is a table of contents, a map index, and a thematic subject index that make it easy to navigate the contents but a bit complex for younger users. There is no glossary present so it would indicate that the resource is intended for users who already understand the vocabulary in the resource. The resource is affiliated with a commercial agency, “Reader’s Digest”, but the information is presented for educational purposes without bias and without any intention to sell or sway the reader. This resource is a Canadian atlas, so the purpose is singular.
Currency: This resource was published in 2004, making it 16 years old. It is a print resource; therefore, the search features are finite, and it cannot be updated automatically so much of the content is out-of-date. 
Curricular connection: The contents of this resource focus on Canadian maps and facts about Canadian geography, environment and peoples. The contents may still meet some of the curricular needs, but it is difficult for students to know what information is still accurate, so it makes the resource unusable. As well, the information is presented with the intention for higher level readers only, with a lot of words in a small font. The contents are Canadian so it is well-suited to meet the interests and cultural background of most students in a Canadian Elementary school.
Use of library space: This is a very large, heavy book with the spine measuring 37 cm tall, the covers measuring 45 cm diagonally, and weighing 4 lbs. Therefore, it is difficult to fit on a regular shelf, so it was stored on a high shelf out of reach for most patrons. The size and storage for this resource makes it challenging for most patrons to use. 
In conclusion, this resource will be deselected  from the Library Learning Commons because it is NOT MEETING the criteria for a Reference Resource.
 

New Reference Resource: 

Home Smithsonian Institute. (2020). Retrieved 6 February 2020, from https://www.si.edu/ 

Search | Everything | Smithsonian Learning Lab. (2020). Retrieved 6 February 2020, from https://learninglab.si.edu/ 

Reference Work  Not Meeting  Meeting  Exceeding 
Relevancy  Not many visuals or visuals are unappealing for audience. 

Authors and publishers with little or no authority/no author found. 

 Visuals further content understanding and engage reader. 

Authors and publishers with good authority. 

 

 Visuals are highly engaging and age appropriate and strongly connect to content. 

Authors and publishers with excellent authority. 
Purpose  Expensive and may need to be replaced frequently. 

Difficult to navigate – organization is illogical. 

Information is presented with bias or connected to commercial agencies. 

Resource is created to sell or sway reader’s opinion. 

 Cost effective. 

Easily navigated-table of contents/index/ 

glossary are available. 

Minimal level of bias. 

Information of presented with no intention to sell or sway reader’s opinion. 

Resource is created for educational purposes with possible connection to commercial agency. 

 Little or no cost to the library.  

Logical sequence 

Obvious and logical navigation available – table of contents/index/glossary simple to follow. 

No level of bias. 

Information is presented in a neutral way. 

Resource is created for educational purposes only. 
Currency  10 years +. 

Little of no updates available. 

Little or no search features. 

Information is out-of-date. 

 5-10 years old. 

Updated yearly. 

Basic search features. 

 Less than 5 years old or is continuously updated. 

Link maintenance 

Basic and advanced search features. 
Curricular Connection  Materials meet some of the curriculum.  

Content is presented in singular format, reading level and student needs. 

Does not reflect student interests and cultural background of student population 

 Materials meet most of the curricular needs. 

Content is presented in a few formats, languages and reading levels. 

Meets from variance of student needs. 

Somewhat reflects student interests and cultural background of student population 

 Materials meet all of the curricular needs.  

Content presented in different formats, languages and reading levels. 

Meets diverse student needs. 

Strongly reflects student interests and cultural background of student population. 
Use of Lib. Space  Stored on high shelf out of reach for most patrons.  

Occupies an entire shelf or is difficult to fit on shelf.  

Meets the needs of a few learners. 

Complex organization that is difficult to follow. 

 Accessible for all patrons most of the time. 

Fits easily on one shelf or does not take up any shelf space (digital). 

Meets the needs of most learners. 

Organization can be followed with some direction. 

 Easily accessible for all patron use. 

Takes up little or no space in the library. 

Meet the needs of diverse learners. 

Organization is user-friendly. 

How to use the materials is explained clearly.  

 

Relevancy: This resource has a very well-known Smithsonian affiliation and therefore has good authority so all patrons can trust the content provided through any links on the website. On every page of the website, there are visuals that appeal to patrons of varying interests.
Purpose: Si.edu is a free resource with no advertising popups. The information is presented without bias and is for educational purposes only. From the homepage, there is an easy to use navigation bar with many links to suit the needs of a wide variety of patrons. For example, on the homepage, one link on the navigation bar is “Learn and Explore” which has resources “For Educators”, “For Kids”, “For Researchers” and “Collections”.  In addition to offering information about various world locations, their environments and peoples, this site supplies information on almost every topic one can think of. So, this site can be used for multiple purposes which makes it extremely cost effective.
Currency: As a web resource, it is continuously updated and therefore the content is always current. Every link works, contains current content and each connects to educational contents always within the Smithsonian Institute website. 
Curricular connection: This site meets all of the curricular content and more. It meets a variety of diverse patron needs by offering many different links through the homepage. If a student patron clicks on the “For Kids” link, it offers a selection of resources like games that reinforce a variety of content reflecting curriculum. Links can be found for all ability levels, interests and cultural connections. Under the “For Educators” link there is another link to “Learning Labs” where patrons can search almost any curricular topic, create a log-in and save links to favorite resources within the Learning Labs.
Use of library space: As a website, it takes up no extra space in the library and is easily accessible for all patron use. The website is well-organized and clearly explains how to use the various resources. The website offers content in different views that patrons can choose to meet their learning needs.
In conclusion, Si.edu, Smithsonian Institute website, will be selected as a new resource for the Library Learning Commons because it is EXCEEDING the criteria for a Reference Resource. 

 

References: 

Asselin, M., Branch, J., & Oberg, D., (Eds). (2003). Achieving information literacy: Standards for school library programs in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Canadian School Library Association & The Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada (pp. 32-33). 

Fick, S. (2004). The Canadian atlas. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre.  

Home Smithsonian Institute. (2020). Retrieved 6 February 2020, from https://www.si.edu/ 

Riedling, A. (2013). Reference skills for the school library media specialist: Tools and tips, (Third Ed.). Santa Barbara, CA.: Linworth, an Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC (pp.22-23). 

Search | Everything | Smithsonian Learning Lab. (2020). Retrieved 6 February 2020, from https://learninglab.si.edu/search?st=energy&st_op=and&item_type=collections  

The Sage Colleges. (2020). Evaluating Sources: TRAP. Retrieved 6 February 2020, from Libraries.sage.edu.