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/.

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.