Assignment #3:

Evaluation Plan to Improve Reference

Services

Rachel Wright

University of British Columbia

Aaron Mueller/ LIBE 467

07/04/2020
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Evaluation

Our primary school currently has no non-print/online reference resources curated or

introduced to students for use. If you look below at the screenshot of our Destiny library

homepage, we have some online resources available but all are for pleasure reading (except

possibly Epic which has many great non-fiction books that could be used with primary students).

As school librarians, it is our responsibility to work with students to use Web resources to

meet instructional needs such as critical and information literacy. Online reference resources are

constantly being updated, expanded upon, and verified (Riedling, 109). They give learners the

opportunity to practice selecting and evaluating from enormous amounts of data; a crucial skill to

have for their educational journeys. These resources also provide opportunities to obtain soft

skills such as perseverance, adaptability, and problem-solving.

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Rationale

In the Collection Development Policy (2019) for our school, it states that part of the aims

and goals of this policy is to ensure the information resources selected and managed by the

library are relevant, support the curriculum, and reflect the multi-device environment in which

students learn by being available in non-print versions. As Riedling reminds in Part 5 of her text,

knowing the needs (both unknown and anticipated) of your school community is very important

when selecting and evaluating resources (2013). Given the current situation with COVID19

closing down schools, access to online reference materials is paramount to ensuring learners can

continue learning no matter where they are physically located. If our teachers wish to give

students an information or research project for their home learning, students have no school

evaluated and vetted reference materials to use. They are currently using Google with the

supervision (we hope) of their parents or guardians. Having little to no prior experience or

lessons on navigating these huge online databases students are struggling to perform the desired

outcomes and often come back to teachers confused and unsuccessful.

Plan

To remedy our lack of online reference materials, I would like to start small by using a

resource I have had experience with in the past, ​Britannica School​. Britannica School is a safe,

up-to-date, and age-appropriate information resource for elementary, middle and high school. It
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contains ​encyclopedia articles, multimedia, primary sources, games, and other learning resources

that support student research (Britannica School, 2020).

(Figure 1 ​Screenshot of Britannica School Elementary homepage​)

I would start by bringing attention to our teacher librarian at both of our campuses and

the educational technology head, the discrepancy between what our collection policy says and

our reality. Section 4.3.2 of the collection policy states that ​“increasingly reference materials

will be sought in electronic format as currency is more reliable” ​(2019). As well, Section 6:

Online Resources states,

“Subscriptions to online materials are an important element of the library collection as

they increase the digital literacy of the students. Given space constraints online resources

provide a viable alternative to print based material...Online resources ensure that information is
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continually updated and current. Publications will not normally be obtained if the items can be

accessed electronically.” (​ 2019).

I would then propose the introduction of Britannica Schools as our online educational

reference resource​.​ To help evaluate this tool and show its worth, I would set up three simple

tasks that could be done for Grade 2-3, 4-5 and 6. We (myself, the librarians and technology

head) would join me in attempting to complete one of these tasks using the free trial I have

obtained for Britannica School. We would then complete a Google form questionnaire with

sample follow up questions to evaluate and ascertain if this resource would be appropriate for

our campus. The questions I’ve chosen were developed from consulting resources such as

Mardis (2016), Riedling (2013), and the ERAC guide (2008):

❏ Arrangement/Presentation: ​how easy/difficult is it to navigate from page to page

or to find information?​ ​Are font features utilized to differentiate between

important texts? Is the information laid out in an attractive and easy to

understand way?

❏ Appropriateness/Audience: ​does it fit the intended audiences developmental

level?

❏ Accuracy: ​is the information verifiable? Are references listed?

❏ Currency: ​when was the information last updated? Is it current?

❏ Scope: ​does it meet the needs of our collection and curriculum content?

❏ Authority: ​what credentials/experiences do the authors and company have?

❏ Bias: ​are multiple points of views presented?

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❏ Differentiation/Supports: ​are there supports for visual, auditory, kinesthetic

learners? How friendly is it for ELL’s?

❏ Cost: ​does the cost match with the benefit to students or the quality of the

product?

Two weeks would be given to complete this task as I understand in this current climate it

is tough to find the willpower to be productive. By giving a deadline and reminders one or two

days beforehand, I would hopefully motivate the staff involved to complete the tasks. After my

“dream team” has evaluated this resource and hopefully reached the same conclusion as me (that

is useful), I would ask the librarians to assist me in taking my findings to the administration for

approval to purchase this resource. As we are a profit school, I am optimistic that this resource

would be approved.

If we were still in school, I would have presented the inquiry question, ​“How can an

online database be more useful than the internet”​ (as suggested by Riedling in Chapter 11) to

staff at a meeting. However, as we are all in seperate places, I would instead send out a 3-4 pages

slideshow that starts with this inquiry question, goes on to answer it, introduces the new

reference materials and provides specific examples of the use in each subject's area/connections

to each grade level including the sample tasks I’ve organized for the evaluation. In the following

weeks, I would introduce students to the reference resource with very simple steps on our home

learning while keeping teachers aware of what students have been introduced to by sharing the

lessons. Success for this plan means that after a couple weeks of my introduction, I can see one

or two teachers trying it out for themselves in their classes.

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References

BC ERAC. (2008). ​Evaluating, Selecting, and Acquiring Learning Resources: A Guide​.

Retrieved from ​https://bcerac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/ERAC_WB.pdf

Britannica School. (2020). Retrieved from: ​https://school.eb.com/

Mardis, Marcia A. (2016). ​The collection program in schools: Concepts and Practices.​ (6th ed.).

Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited

Riedling, Ann Marlow, et al. (2013). ​Reference Skills for the School Library: Tools and Tips​,

(3rd ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Linworth.

Shrewsbury International School Bangkok Riverside (2019). ​Collection Development Policy.

Retrieved from: Private school Google Drive.