As I was working on Lesson 4, I found myself in the unusual position of being a teacher-librarian who needs to promote the use of electronic references. From my perspective as a TL in a K-5 school, I certainly do not feel that "those of us who support print and electronic reference sources are fighting a losing battle" (Lesson 4 Reflection). When a class begins a research project at my school, the teacher usually asks me to pull applicable print resources for her students to use when the library is free or for her to take to the classroom for use there. Only if the print resources are inadequate (leading me to select additional resources for an area that will be used each year) does the teacher turn to electronic sources.
As I have mentioned in previous posts, I would like to work more closely with classroom teachers next year and create a schedule that will enable me to be part of the research process. Students need to be able to locate and assess the resources that will answer their research questions. According to Riedling, "the search for information" is the third step of the complete reference process (5). If students are searching within a few books handed to them, their search for information has been severely limited. During library periods, I do teach students how to find different types of reference sources, but their searches are not part of a comprehensive research process.
Rather than having to promote print references, I have worked this year to familiarize teachers with electronic sources such as World Book Kids, World Book Student, and EBSCOhost's Kidsearch and Searchasaurus, as well as to make students aware that these reference sources are available from home.
My situation differs from that of most TLs--especially those in a middle or secondary school library. When I taught Grades 8 to 12, I definitely noticed a preference for electronic resources and a need to teach students how to locate reliable, current information online. As a number of others in this course have noted in their postings, most students are not proficient at evaluating electronic resources.
My purchasing is not, therefore, affected by student preferences for electronic resources, but by a limited budget and by a fixed library schedule. Students access the library once a week for thirty minutes. There is no time for them to explore print reference sources that cannot be checked out of the library. I therefore choose to purchase more non-fiction books that students can take home. They are reference sources in that they are used when students work on research projects and they "serve to answer a question" (Riedling 15), but they usually are not compilations. Riedling defines reference sources as "materials, from book to computer to periodical to photograph, designed to be consulted for definite items of information rather than to be examined consecutively" (15).
In a recent posting, Chris Ellett raised a good question: "Why not sign out some print reference materials on one night loans?" I would consider adjusting my loan policy, although Lori Ingles, in a reply to Chris, did point out the risks of losing materials that some families might not be able to replace. My school library, however, is open only two days a week and does not have a book drop. Students may as well have the materials for a week: unless a class plans to use the books for research in the library, another student would not be able to use the resource until the following week anyway.
Limited access to the library is a problem at our school. When I am at school, I am flexible about allowing students to visit the library at times other than their library period, but students do not have access on the days I am not working.
As I continue through this course, I hope that I will learn more about which print resources I should purchase and house in the designated reference section. I also will consider more ways to expand student access to these resources.
Works Cited
Riedling, Ann. Reference Skills for the School Library Media Specialist: Tools and Tips. 2nd ed. Worthington: Linworth Books, 2005. Print.
Hey Jennifer - It sounds like you are in a very similar situation to me. I also work only 2 days per week (actually 1.5) and things are on a fixed schedule. I would really like to change the schedule and come up with something better for next year. Do you have to do teacher prep? I don't, so don't have that limitation on my time, but this is just the way it has been done (fixed schedule for elementary) in this district. I am searching for a workable alternate!
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Hi, Joanne,
ReplyDeleteYes, I work 1.75 days and I do 2 classes of K prep--an additional 2 hours of class time each week plus my own prep for these classes. Next year, however, the TL won't have to do this prep, so the schedule won't be as restricted. All of the elementary TLs in my district have a fixed schedule at his time.
Looks like you need to be building subject directed web pathfinders to augment the non-fiction books that your colleagues already like. In a K-5 setting, there is nothing wrong with kids using books - a lot!
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