Reference Evaluation Criteria for Teacher Librarians

- "The school librarian collaborates with the teaching staff to develop an up-to-date
collection of print and digital resources in multiple genres that appeals to differences in
age, gender, ethnicity, reading abilities, and information needs"
- Internet search engines are not considered reference resources because they retrieve a
number of information resources and not a definite item of information.
List of reference selection tools/aids (to be used after consulting with teachers about their
curriculum/needs/teaching styles, and reviewing what the library already has):
- American Libraries (American Library Association)
- American Reference Books Annual (Libraries Unlimited, Inc.)
- Booklist (American Library Association)
- The Horn Book Magazine (The Horn Book, Inc.)
- Library Media Connection (Lin worth Books/ ABC-CLIO)
- Internet@Schools (Information Today, Inc.)
- School Library Journal (MediaSource Inc.)
- A Guide to Reference Materials for School Libraries, 6th ed. (Libraries
- Children's Core Collection (H. W. Wilson/EBSCO) – (for Primary and Elementary)
- Best Books for Young Adults (for Secondary)
- The Middle and Junior High Core Collection (H. W. Wilson/EBSCO) (for Secondary)
- The Senior High School Core Collection (H. W. Wilson!EBSCO) (for Secondary)
- KidsClick.com (www.KidsClick.com) (website)
- Internet Public Library (http://www.ipl.org) (website)
How to know if a resource is good:
- Scope: How current is it? When/where does it cover? Is every aspect of the topic
covered? Any omissions?
- Accuracy: What is the experience of the authors with the subject? How reputable is the
publishing house? Look for statements of authority. Does the author have a bias? Is a
controversial issue balanced? Is it advertisement or scholarly?
- Presentation: Is the source appropriate for the age group? Use good graphics? Easy to
navigate? Well organized in a table of contents? Use of index? Layout?
- Relation: How does the resource fit in alongside what is already in the school library?
Offer new information? Does it contradict current resources?
- Timeliness: Is it still current? Is the website updated regularly? No guarantee a website
will be in the same location permanently.
 - Accessibility: Are there resources that meet the linguistic, cultural, and intellectual level
of all learners – including those with special needs. Have multiple sources of the same
content in varied formats, languages, levels.
- Cost: Does it reflect how often it will be used? In-library use only license, or licesnse to
distribute? Hardware and maintenance cost for electronic materials.
Organizing and Maintenance of Materials:
- Put ‘in-library use only’ materials in a comfortable area for students to work.
- Create a space of organized websites to be used for students who need to research
outside library.
- Encyclopedias should be replaced every 5 years (discard old materials, do not send
around school). Same for pure science (not botany or natural history) books, and
invention/medicine books.
- Psychology, history business, and education sources are dated in 10 years.
- Magazines, newspapers should be kept 5 years.
- Online resources and CD-ROM or DVDs should be updated and reviewed yearly. These
are decided on by the TL and is dependent on the needs of the school/access to
technology. Internet resources should be aimed more for older students, as they can
better utilize search engines on their own.