Teaching Students about Online Reference Resources

     Researching a topic can be a challenge. For those with little guidance, Google is a popular go-to for information. Unfortunately, there are some issues with using Google, such as: a) it only indexes around 4% of internet content (Cuthrell), b) the quality of retrieved information isn't consistently good or reliable, c) there's barely any qualifiers to place on inquiries, and d) it retrieves links based on “PageRank”, which includes frequency of requested keyword, age of the page (the older the better), and how many sites link to it (Strickland) rather than the more useful methodology of retrieving queries based on "titles, subject headings, class numbers, and qualification metadata to ensure the precision of ranked output" (Markey, 8); therefore, Google isn’t the best resource to use for research. No resource is, actually, the be-all-end-all for all forms of inquiries, which highlights the importance and need of reference resource professionals to help students with their inquiries. Professionals such as teacher-librarians.

     One place these professionals could start when teaching about these resources (to aid students in their research/inquiries) is telling them about the scope of the internet itself and informing them of the three terms used to explain this scope: surface web, deep web, and dark web.

https://darkwebnews.com/deep-web/

     The surface web is all the indexed, and the search-engine-accessible, content that don’t require logins to view (Google, Amazon, Landmark Cinemas, Imdb, Wikipedia, etc.). The deep web is the opposite: unindexed, unsearchable, and content that includes sites which require logging in to view (emails, World Book, EBSCO). Many surface web pages started out as deep web pages before their “rank” pushed them to the “surface”. The dark web is a sub-section of the deep web that can only be accessed with a specific browser and is used by those who don’t want their messages or internet activities observed; it’s a part of the web that only the most experienced of internet users should visit as illegal and, quite frankly, terrifying/disturbing things can go on there (or be rumored to) (Cuthrell). The important take-away is that a lot of useful inquiries and research information can be found on the safe part of the deep web – information those who only look at the surface web would never see. It’s also important to note that when most people do browse the surface web with search-engines they typically stop after the first page or two, which means they barely see much of surface web content as well!

     What a teacher-librarian should be able to do is to help students find the wealth of great resources found on the deep web and nearly un-accessed part of the surface web. In my previous blog post, I wrote about a reference resource website I created (IDCC Online Library) for students, parents, teachers, and teacher-librarians to gain access to such great, often hidden, resources, but certain schools and school districts also have sections on their pages that link to useful resources and some to locked resources that they’ve paid for (World Book, EBSCO, Gale). Teacher-librarians should find out what great resources their school or school district has paid for, familiarize themselves with the content, and show/teach students and teachers how to use them, including how to login to them.

     The other important piece to teach is which type of resource (online and print) one should use for their specific inquiry, including the benefits, purposes, and drawbacks of each resource. Such types include: yearbooks (Guinness), atlases, biographies, bibliographies, almanacs, handbooks, directories, dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopedias, maps, gazetters, indexes, periodicals, and sites with limited, specific, scope (NASA, Three Sixty Cameras). Teacher-librarians should also be able to evaluate which of these resources are good, based on such qualifiers as: accuracy, authority, cost, currency, ease of use, comprehensiveness, content, format, indexing, objectivity, scope, scale, and vendor (Riedling).

     And, finally, there’s research methods which should be taught based on grade level, such as Points of Inquiry for upper elementary, Super 3 for middle school, and Big 6 for Secondary School, or methods like these as there are many kinds and the topic can also influence which one should be used/taught.

References

Cuthrell, Shannon. “Deep Web.” Dark Web News, https://darkwebnews.com/deep-web/.

Markey, K. (2007). The online library catalog: Paradise lost and paradise regained? D-Lib Magazine, 13(1), 8.

Riedling, Ann Marlow, et al. Reference Skills for the School Librarian Tools and Tips. Linworth, 2013.

Savoie, JP. "About." IDCC Online Library, https://idcconlinelibrary.wixsite.com/idcc.

Strickland, Jonathan. "How Google Works." How Stuff Works, https://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/google1.htm.

“The Points of Inquiry.” British Columbia Teacher-Librarians’ Association, https://bctla.ca/resources/point-of-inquiry/.

“TheBig6.Org.” TheBig6, thebig6.org/.

Teaching Students How to Use Reference and Learning Resources

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-high-school-library-reading-room-26825966.html

     While reading Evaluating, Selecting and Managing Learning Resources: A Guide (2002), I noticed a glaring omission on how to promote a school’s learning resources. The document failed to list that students should be shown how to use these resources (p97; the document was updated in 2008). Perhaps it was too obvious to list; in any case, as Riedling remarks in her book, Reference Skills for the Skilled Librarian, “the average student may have no pre-knowledge of the type of resource(s) that will answer his or her question” (p101). This got me thinking that, as part of the teacher-librarian’s instruction to students on what the school library has to offer, it should include a fun interactive activity that gets students to use the library’s resources, perhaps as a sort of “treasure hunt” where groups of 2 need to find specific information out of each type of resource, thereby showing them what information each resource holds and familiarizing them with how to use it. Another great way to promote the use of learning resources is through a careful selection on each resource's usefulness, with such criteria being whether it entails and/or promotes: curriculum goals and pedagogy, critical and creative thinking, active learning, communication skills, accurate information, age-level appropriateness, and relevance (ERAC, 2008, p21-22). The teacher-librarian also needs to be able to provide help to the student looking for a learning resource, and the specific information within; this includes interviewing them while keeping in mind they may not know where to look, what they’re really looking for, what terminology would best help them find what they’re looking for, that they may be afraid of the teacher-librarian (or adults/authority figures in general) and may have less refined communication and verbal and nonverbal interpretation skills (Riedling, p101).

     As for deciding whether reference resources should be integrated with the general collection of non-fiction books or separated, I think it depends on the size of the library, its layout, who needs access to the reference resources (such as if other teachers need to quickly grab them), how they’re presented, and how much use they get out of their current placement (if little, then a change may be warranted). If they’re judged as most useful if integrated, I personally would clearly highlight the resource, such as with a shelf label and individually book-ending it so the resource “pops” and can therefore be quickly found by students and staff. If deigned most useful in its own separate section, Riedling suggests that the reference section have “easy access to technology, inviting spaces for social interaction, and spaces for individual inquiry” (p119). As for whether reference books should be able to be checked out, I propose that teachers should be able to check them out for a day (or a week for smaller schools). I make such a suggestion because reference books are usually expensive, can come in sets, and that when students visit a school’s library, they may need more time with the reference resource, so it's being exclusive to the library would be inconvenient. And, the reference resources that aren’t as expensive or in demand should be considered for student borrowing.

     Students should also be clearly informed, and have access to, all the online learning resources the school library has to offer. This should be pointed out by the teacher-librarian, including activities to their use, but also in pamphlets they give to students, parents, and teachers listing and describing online links, both paid for by the school and good free links. For instance, Britannica Kids as a terrific online encyclopedia for middle-school and high school students.

     The use of learning resources should also extend beyond the use for assignments. They can be used to introduce topics about one’s and others’ culture.

Resource collections should include materials that:

ο increase awareness of ethnic and cultural diversity
ο create sensitivity to and respect for differences and similarities within and among groups
ο affirm and enhance self-esteem through pride in heritage
ο promote cross-cultural understanding, citizenship, and racial harmony ο reflect and validate students’ cultural experiences (ERAC, 2008, p13)

     A teacher librarian could also read facts from a reference resource and then read a story based on those facts, thereby making the connection that stories can be written through research, promoting another reason to do research.

References

Britannica Kids, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., kids.britannica.com/.

Evaluating, Selecting and Managing Learning Resources: A Guide. ERAC, 2002.

Evaluating, Selecting and Managing Learning Resources: A Guide. ERAC, 2008.

Riedling, Ann Marlow, et al. Reference Skills for the School Librarian Tools and Tips. Linworth, 2013.

Evaluation of a Reference Work (Encyclopedias)

https://kids.britannica.com/

Introduction

     The ideal scenario for this assignment would be to evaluate a reference resource at a teacher or teacher-librarian’s school library; however, as I am not currently employed at a school, I am evaluating a reference resource from a library in my region. Another ideal scenario would be to find a reference resource that should be replaced, evaluate it, and then offer a replacement suggestion, evaluating it as well. The reference resources at my local library were good and current, so I found a library (which shall not be named) that was lacking in physical reference resources. I will be evaluating the library’s online encyclopedias, which are shared amongst 29 libraries in the region, and recommending that the library also add a physical encyclopedic set.

     “Encyclopedias still remain among the most frequently used reference materials in school library media centers (print and electronic)” (Riedling, 71). Through the reviewed library’s online resources, three links are provided for encyclopedias: Encyclopedia Britannica for kids (up to grade 5), for young adults (grades 6-8), and academics (grades 9+). If one uses the “kids” or “young adults” links (which connect to different sub-links of “Britannica Kids”), for whatever subject they research, after selecting the subject, in the top right-hand corner, they can change the “version” which increases the amount of details and reading level. I quite liked this feature – both adjusting the amount of detail and the reading level is helpful for students and teachers who want to customize the depth of a subject and its reading level. A down-side is that the “kids” version’s reading level does not match the intended age range, being more appropriate for grades 7 and 8, as calculated by using multiple random samples through the website, “Readability Formulas”. Using the same website, I discovered that the other two reading level options (young adult and academic) do match their intended audience’s reading levels. Because of the wide variety of content found in encyclopedias, they end up covering a significant amount of BC's curricular content.

     There are at least five advantages of this online encyclopedia over printed encyclopedic sets. For one, it doesn’t require any shelf space and people can use it on any electronic device with internet access. Two, there a videos and pictures linked to researched subjects and there is an option on the sites to have the text read out-loud. Three, taking research notes is quicker by using copy/paste rather than writing/typing by hand. Four, most older students/adults often prefer to research online versus printed formats. And five, for those who know how to spell, finding a subject is faster by typing in keywords than by alphabetically searching for the subject and sometimes being redirected to another keyword to search in order to find the information sought.

     The included rubrics are based on criteria from Riedling’s book, “Reference Skills for the School Librarian”, pages 22-24 and 72-74, and on criteria I believe should be included. The one directly below breaks down my evaluation of the online Encyclopedia Britannica resources provided on the reviewed library’s website.

	Questionable utility	Has Some Utility	Very useful
Currency/ Accuracy/ Bias	-Is from a non-reputable or unknown publisher. -Hasn’t been updated in 11+ years. -Content is clearly biased, possibly propaganda, or influenced by advertisement.	-Is from a semi-reputable publisher. -Has been updated within 6-10 years. -Some content has a questionable bias and/or stereotypes.	-Is from a reputable publisher. -Has been updated within 5 years. -Is carefully worded to avoid bias; is objective and factual.
Scope	-Is thoroughly inappropriate for the target age range. -The subject coverage is grossly unbalanced. -Contemporary issues are either not present, significantly down-played, ignored, or not politically correct.	-It is variably appropriate for the target age range. -The subject coverage is a bit unbalanced. -Contemporary issues are present but are inadequately represented and/or not using current politically correct terms.	-It is appropriate for the target age range and/or a wide age range. -The subject coverage is well-balanced. -Contemporary issues are present, adequately represented, and politically correct.
User-friendliness (format)	-Illustrations aren’t current, functional, clear, easy to follow, appropriate for the target audience, and are poorly laid out. -The printed word layout is not pleasingly laid out. -Layout and/or grammar errors are noticeable and distracting.	-Illustrations are somewhat current, functional, clear, easy to follow, appropriate for the target audience, and laid a bit awkwardly. -The printed word layout is awkwardly laid out. -Layout and/or grammar errors are mildly present but not distracting.	-Illustrations are current, functional, clear, easy to follow, appropriate for the target audience, and laid out nicely. -The printed word layout is pleasingly laid out. -Layout and/or grammar errors are at least minimal.
Curricular Connections	-Doesn’t clearly connect to BC curricular content or does so in a limited or tangential manner.	-Connects to much of the BC curricular content but is too brief and too vague to have a decent understanding.	-Connects well to, at least, nearly all of the BC curricular content and is detailed enough to understand.
Efficient Use of Space	-Is needlessly bulky and hard to place on shelves. -The pages/links are inefficiently formatted, with a print size that is too big.	-Is bulkier than it needs to be but can fit on shelves, tightly. -The pages’/links’ formatting is fairly efficient but could be improved.	-Is no bulkier than most books of its format and fits well on shelves (or is an online resource that takes no space). -The pages/links are efficiently formatted.

A Recommended Supplement

https://www.amazon.com/World-Book-Encyclopedia-2018-Set/dp/0716601184

     Younger students use printed reference materials more, while older students use online reference resources more (Riedling, 24), so having both formats of encyclopedias available has more use than recommending to replace one for another. So, I suggest that the library under review add a physical encyclopedic set. This library has the 11^th most number of books when compared to the 29 other locations; 12 of which have physical encyclopedic sets. Some of the libraries in the region are only open for 1 or 2 days, but this location is open 5 days a week, from 10-5, except Saturdays are 10-8. Given that the library’s size is comparable to the libraries that have physical encyclopedias, that the library has accessible hours of operation, and that having printed encyclopedic sets makes research more accessible to younger readers, adding an encyclopedic set to the library’s collection becomes a reasonable recommendation. The best encyclopedic set I could find, based on criteria to determine its relevancy and purpose for being included, such as its currency, accuracy, bias, scope, user-friendliness, indexing, curricular connections, and efficient use of library space, is “The World Book Encyclopedia 2018.” To come to this recommendation, I used the set from my local public library as a reference, comments from Riedling’s book, and online research which led me to find out that its biggest competitor, Encyclopedia Britannica, stopped publishing physical encyclopedias in 2010.

https://www.amazon.com/World-Book-Encyclopedia-2018-Set/dp/0716601184

     To check how current this resource was, I looked at every adapting technology as a guide, in this case video game consoles and virtual reality technology, and a current event. The set had a reference to the Oculus Rift, which was released in March 28, 2016, and had references to all the current video game consoles except Nintendo’s Switch, which came out in March 3, 2017. The set, under the Donald Trump heading, listed him as taking presidential office on January 20, 2017. So, at the very least, the set is current up to January 20, 2017, but possibly not as far as March 3, 2017. “Since 1917, World Book Encyclopedia (World Book) had provided accuracy, objectivity, and reliability” (Riedling, 74). But, as a quick check as to accuracy, I compared the information from NASA’s website on Saturn with the set. The information matched. As a quick check as to bias, I verified the wording, in the set, from their biography of Donald Trump to make sure the wording didn’t suggest an opinion, but rather stuck to well-documented facts. It did. To verify scope, I perused the set’s entries on “global warming” and “Donald Trump”. The entries were detailed and handled the controversial issues present in those subjects by sticking to widely acknowledged science and reporting. The readability was on par with the "Kids" and "Young Adults" readability of the online Britannica encyclopedias. 

	Questionable utility	Has Some Utility	Very useful
Currency/ Accuracy/ Bias	-Is from a non-reputable or unknown publisher. -Hasn’t been updated in 11+ years. -Content is clearly biased, possibly propaganda, or influenced by advertisement.	-Is from a semi-reputable publisher. -Has been updated within 6-10 years. -Some content has a questionable bias and/or stereotypes.	-Is from a reputable publisher. -Has been updated within 5 years. -Is carefully worded to avoid bias; is objective and factual.
Scope	-Is inappropriate for the target age range. -The subject coverage is grossly unbalanced. -Contemporary issues are either not present, significantly down-played, ignored, or not politically correct.	-It is appropriate for the target age range. -The subject coverage is a bit unbalanced. -Contemporary issues are present but are inadequately represented and/or not using current politically correct terms.	-It is appropriate for a wide age range. -The subject coverage is well-balanced. -Contemporary issues are present, adequately represented, and politically correct.
User-friendliness (format)	-Illustrations aren’t current, functional, clear, easy to follow, appropriate for the target audience, and are poorly laid out. -The printed word layout is not pleasingly laid out. -Layout and/or grammar errors are noticeable and distracting.	-Illustrations are somewhat current, functional, clear, easy to follow, appropriate for the target audience, and laid a bit awkwardly. -The printed word layout is awkwardly laid out. -Layout and/or grammar errors are mildly present but not distracting.	-Illustrations are current, functional, clear, easy to follow, appropriate for the target audience, and laid out nicely. -The printed word layout is pleasingly laid out. -Layout and/or grammar errors are at least minimal.
Indexing	-Doesn’t have an index.	-Has an incomplete index.	-Has a detailed index.
Curricular Connections	-Doesn’t clearly connect to BC curricular content or does so in a limited or tangential manner.	-Connects to much of the BC curricular content but is too brief and too vague to have a decent understanding.	-Connects well to, at least, nearly all of the BC curricular content and is detailed enough to understand.
Efficient Use of Space	-Is needlessly bulky and hard to place on shelves. -The pages are inefficiently formatted, with a print size that is too big.	-Is bulkier than it needs to be but can fit on shelves, tightly. -The pages’ formatting is fairly efficient but could be improved.	-Is no bulkier than most books of its format and fits well on shelves. -The pages are efficiently formatted.

References

Britannica Kids, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., kids.britannica.com/.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/.

Readability Formulas, http://www.readabilityformulas.com/free-readability-formula-tests.php

Riedling, Ann Marlow, et al. Reference Skills for the School Librarian Tools and Tips. Linworth, 2013.

“Saturn.” NASA, NASA, 28 Jan. 2019, solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/saturn/overview/.

“The World Book Encyclopedia 2018.” The World Book Encyclopedia 2018, 22 Volume Set, World Book, Inc., a Scott Fetzer Company, 2018.

In Some Ways, Teacher-Librarians are Like Veterinarians, Doctors, and Salespeople

     I stumbled across an amusing Youtube clip that reminded me of LIBE 467, a teacher-librarian course I am currently taking, which, right now has been about research strategies and referencing/research resources. In the clip, a man takes his cat to the vet.

     Vets, doctors, salespeople, and librarians all aim to help the customer find the information they seek. Like the vet in the clip, to be most effective, they’ll need to know which questions to ask to determine how best to help and they’ll need to know how to help them. For a teacher-librarian, this includes knowing research strategies to really get to the heart of what the customer (student, teacher, parent, admin) wants to find out and which reference resources to use to find the information they’re looking for, as well as potentially teach both things to the customer so they can learn to do this themselves. Simple, right? Well, not exactly…

https://bctla.ca/resources/point-of-inquiry/

     For one, there are many steps to researching and many different models on what those steps are. Not only that, but some are friendlier for younger customers being introduced to research methods, others work well with creative teenage or adult customers (with an emphasis on inquiry and discovery), and others work well with technical, detailed, research (such as for math, science, or business). The model used reflects the individual’s preference, their goal, and their audience. For a teacher-librarian to know multiple methods could then be more helpful than just one (for some examples, you can check out three different models below). 

https://thebig6.org/

http://www.sd43.bc.ca/school/heritagewoods/ProgramsServices/Library/Documents/The%20Research%20Quest%20Model.ppt

     Teacher-librarians also need to know which reference resource to use to best guide their customer to useful resources. Should they use an encyclopedia, a factbook (such as Guinness World Records), an almanac, a dictionary, a search engine (Google, Yahoo), a web 2.0 tool (Wikipedia), a periodical database, a digital library, etcetera… Each resource reference has its advantages and disadvantages based on what it is the customer is searching for. Wikipedia is great to find information fast if it doesn’t necessarily matter if it’s accurate, as anyone can modify the entries, so be sure to verify the information afterwards! I find search engines, like Google, are useful to find lists (such as top products of a specific technology), but it can be a chore to find exactly what you’re looking for with them (especially unbiased and authoritative sources) as they have high recall, low precision, and I assume they prioritize popularity (visits) and monetary influence (I’ve noticed that some website-creation companies offer paid packages that will prioritize your created website in certain search engines). So, use search engines at your own risk and don’t be surprised or annoyed if nothing useful becomes of it.

     Teacher-librarians need to also know how to use the reference resource, such as using search engine features like quotations marks, question marks, plus and minus signs, pound/star symbol, etc. as they can help narrow their focus. Also, knowing which keyword to use is tremendously useful. In my last few posts I described my experience looking up online courses and virtual reality in the classroom. When I found, and was guided to, certain keywords, my search results improved, and I was able to find the information I sought.

     A teacher-librarian should also present their reference resources in an accessible and clearly marked section, and “into a 21^st-century learning space [that has] easy access to technology, inviting, spaces for social interaction, and spaces for individual inquiry” (Riedling, 119). They should also evaluate whether to weed out reference resources every 5-10 years depending on the resource type (Riedling, 24).

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-high-school-library-reading-room-26825966.html

     As you can see, when a teacher-librarian helps a customer, more expertise is required than what anybody could do themselves just by using Google or Wikipedia alone. Veterinarians, doctors, and salespeople are valued for the help they give their customers, and so should teacher-librarians.

References

Holmes, Pete. “Realistic Garfield.” YouTube, YouTube, 18 June 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOPXRq-HgPw&t=1s.

Riedling, Ann Marlow, et al. Reference Skills for the School Librarian Tools and Tips. Linworth, 2013.

“TheBig6.Org.” TheBig6, thebig6.org/.

“The Research Quest Model: A Student Guide to Effective Research.” 26 Feb. 2009.