Blog Three

Theme Three: Wide Selection of Print and Online Reference Resources

Reflection:

Theme Three provided a great deal of information about various print and digital resources available in school libraries. Growing up, I can recall using print editions of Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Atlases, and thesauri when I needed to find information or simply for curiosity. Currently, with education and the curriculum focused on technology as the forefront of education, online reference resources are primarily being used-yes, this includes Encyclopedias and Dictionaries, too! Students are using an electronic device to access these resources, and we as educators need to ensure that they are using these resources properly.

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Theme Three Highlights:

Theme Three provided me with opportunities to learn about a number of different topics, ranging from databases to geography-related resources. There were some reference resources that I thought I knew a lot about, but realized that there is more significance to that resource than meets the eye, such as maps and atlases. The following highlights some key discoveries throughout this theme…

·         Various print and online resources that my library has

·         Extended my knowledge of resources I am familiar with, such as Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Thesaurus, Atlases, maps, and yearbooks.
·        New terminologies and concepts: The “Deep Web,” databases, catalogues, and geographical  resources, gazetteers.
·         Learned new ideas on how to teach and introduce information literacy lessons to both staff and students.
·         How to evaluate and select most of the resources in Theme Three: Focus on "Accuracy, Authority, Format, Scope," and the Publisher (Mueller, Theme 3, Lesson 9).
·         How to evaluate and select the different types of reference resources (for both print and digital resources)

      ·         Articles that furthered my knowledge about a particular topic-Can we make peace with Wikipedia?

      ·       ‘Aha’ moment- I learned about digital resources through my school district! This is the list of digital resources (purchased by SD #79) for schools to use (mainly for elementary students): SD79. I also learned that EBSCO is used by my school district and the district is also a member of ERAC.

Images retrieved from: http://sd79.bc.ca/services/technology/learning-resources/digital-classroom-resources/

The following sections will explore some key takeaways...

Theme 3: Lesson 8—Deep Web

This theme discussed the topic of Grey Literature and other sources of information available on the internet-blogs, Listervs, and the “Deep Web.” I am familiar with blogs and Listervs from taking current and past LIBE courses, but have never heard of “Deep Web.” This topic was difficult for me

to grasp. I had to read a variety of articles and watched videos to help me comprehend this concept. The following video and article really helped me understand what Deep Web is and what it’s for.

Video Retrieved From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fyln1cBJmdE

I feel that this video is a wonderful watch for both staff and students, as it provides a brief overview on what “Deep Web” is.

The article by Kinlaw Library also helped me understand the meaning of “Deep Web.” From this article, I learned the majority of scholarly articles are difficult to find/unable to access using search engines. The reason is because most of these scholarly journals are only available through subscriptions, such as a database, index, or a government site (i.e. post-secondary institutions). Thus, it made perfect  sense why I was unable to view full-text articles using Google in the past. (Mueller, Theme Three, Lesson 8).

Theme 3: Lesson 9—“Indexes, Abstracts, and Full-text Databases.”

‘Index,’ ‘abstract,’ ‘database’-three terms that I used interchangeably and without realizing that they refer to completely different things! Riedling’s chapter provided many examples showing the differences between the three terms. The following briefly describes what indexes, abstracts, and databases are, as outlined in Riedling’s chapter...

      ·     Indexes: ‘Analysis of a document, typically by subject. An effective index includes enough  access points to allow the user to locate precisely what is needed.” (Riedling, p. 89. ABC-CLIO. Kindle Edition).

·      Abstracts: “An extension of indexes. They present a brief, objective summary of the content, and serve as an aid in assessing the content of a document.” (Riedling, p. 89. ABC-CLIO. Kindle Edition).

·    Periodical Databases: Newspapers, scholarly journals newspapers, magazines, “searchable by subject headings and keywords.” (Riedling, p. 90. ABC-CLIO. Kindle Edition).

·    Electronic Indexes (Keyword, browsing, and searching): EBSCO; full-text versions-“organized by broad topics such as current events, science, or the humanities.” (Riedling, p. 90. ABC-CLIO. Kindle Edition).

·   Periodical Indexes: EBSCO (Research Databases); Gale; Proquest (Mueller, Theme 3, Lesson 9).

Image Retrieved From: http://mcsd-communications.blogspot.ca/2016_02_01_archive.html

This lesson also presented information on how to select and evaluate digital resources. As a new TL, I found this part of the lesson useful, as I am still in the process of learning about the digital resources available at my school. Thus, far, I have learned that the following criteria is critical when selecting and evaluating resources (basic):

Theme 3, Lesson 10: “Bibliographies, Biographies, and Directories”

This lesson helped me differentiate between the terms bibliography, biography, and directory. I do have some background knowledge about these terms, but was unaware that each of these resources have different types and categories that exist.

Bibliographies:

            ·         Bibliographies (bibliographic control-bibliographic access and physical access; library catalogs; bibliographic utilities; universal bibliographies)

            ·         Types of bibliographies (national and trade bibliographies; catalogs-library, union, and subject). (Riedling, p. 29. ABC-CLIO. Kindle Edition).

Biographies:

             ·         Types: ‘Direct’ and ‘indirect.’

             ·         Direct Biographies: “Provide factual information about a person, such as date of birth, date of death, place of birth, career history.” (Riedling, p. 51. ABC-CLIO. Kindle Edition).

             ·         Indirect Biographies: leads to “other works that may contain the information  sought.” (Riedling, p. 51. ABC-CLIO. Kindle Edition).

             ·         Categories of Biographies: ‘Current’ and ‘retrospective.’

             ·         “Current sources provide information about living persons; retrospective sources supply information about historical figures.” (Riedling, p. 51. ABC-CLIO. Kindle Edition).

Directories: I thought phone books were the only types of directories in schools. After reading this lesson, I discovered other types of directories that are available to teach students, such as using Canada Post and Mapquest-contacts and driving directions (Mueller, Theme Three, Lesson 10).

Theme Three, Lesson 11: “General and Specialized Encyclopedias

Video retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5LOhdARSWg

I enjoyed reading and learning new information in this lesson, especially about the use of Wikipedia in schools. The following articles: Wikipedia and Britannica: The Kid's All Right (And So's the Old Man) (Berinstein) and Can we make peace with Wikipedia?  (Harris), helped me reflect on my experiences using Wikipedia and how educators view this source.

Prior to reading the articles, I was one of those educators who discouraged students to use Wikipedia as a resource for their projects. Yet, I use it often as a starting point to gain background knowledge of a particular topic. After reading the articles, however, I learned a number of different ways to demonstrate how to use Wikipedia and other similar sites.

Now that many students have access to internet in some way at home, it is going to be more difficult to steer them away from using sites such as Wikipedia. After reading Harris’ article, I learned a lot of positive and useful ways to use Wikipedia for students:

1) At least three sources are required to verify research.

2) General encyclopedias like Wikipedia are a great place to get started, however …

3) Serious research projects cannot cite general knowledge encyclopedias (Harris).

Even with all the information literacy skills that are taught by the TL, such as looking for scholarly sources and not using Wikipedia, students will find a way to visit the site anyways (Harris). I also really like how the following was mentioned: “To be quite frank, continually bad-mouthing Wikipedia to the very people who use it—successfully—makes us look a bit daft. It would be much more productive to teach colleagues, students, and parents how to best use Wikipedia” (Harris). This quote is very true-Instead of chastising the website, it would be beneficial to teach students how to use this website as a tool (as a starting point) and then find information that is reliable.

Theme 3, Lesson 12: “Dictionaries and Thesauri; Almanacs, Yearbooks, and Handbooks”

I learned some new and valuable information regarding the importance of Dictionaries/Thesauri. For instance, I learned new types and features of Dictionaries that I have never heard of before

           ·    Dictionary Types: Prescriptive and descriptive (Riedling, pg. 61).

           ·   Dictionary Categories: Unabridged and abridged (Riedling, pg. 62)

           ·    Other types of Dictionaries: “foreign language, historical, geographical, biographical, slang and dialect, reverse dictionaries, thesauri, subject, visual, and so forth.” (Riedling, pg. 62).

Image Retrieved From: https://elc.polyu.edu.hk/advdicts/types.htm

Although digital resources are being preferred over print version of resources, I still believe that it is critical for schools to carry the print version of Dictionaries and Thesauri in schools. Print version of reference resources help enhance students’ vocabulary and language skills, such as to practice finding words in chronological/alphabetical order (Mueller, theme 3, lesson 12). With print versions of Dictionaries, students have the opportunity to browse random pages and discover new words and definitions that they did not know. For example, whenever I see students working on an assignment that involves using a print Dictionary, I see positive, engaging discussions taking place about words they find funny, interesting and fascinating.

Theme 3, Lesson 13: “Lesson 13: Maps, Atlases, and other Geographical Sources”

According to Riedling, Geographical resources are “requests can vary widely, requiring an assortment of geography-related sources such as current, historical, and thematic atlases, maps of varying types, gazetteers, travel guides, and even general reference materials that include geographic information such as encyclopedias.” (Riedling, pg. 79).

Lesson 13 provided was very useful for me, as I have never felt confident using geographical resources as a student. In this lesson, I learned that maps and atlases go beyond just pointing and finding out where specific places are located in a text or on the globe; learning about geography involves “informing issues investigated by other fields, often as the missing link to help answer critical social concerns.” (Mueller, Theme three, Lesson 13). Basically, students are learning beyond just locating places and regions on a map or atlas resource.

Initially, I did not find value in replacing atlases and maps because they are costly. Once I was reminded about new places being officially declared or repatriated, it is critical to ensure that these resources get replaced/most up-to-date-edition in order for students to have the most recent information. (Mueller, Theme three, Lesson 13).

Video Retrieved From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr12PcFuXrQ

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I gained a lot of valuable knowledge about both print and digital resources that my school has access to. I am excited to try and encourage students and staff to utilize the school library's reference resources more often.

References:

Berinstein, P. (2006). Wikipedia and Britannica: The Kid's All Right (And So'sthe Old Man). Searcher 14(3), 16-26.

Harris, C. (2007). Can we make peace with Wikipedia? School Library Journal, 53(6), 26.

Long Lieu. (2012, October 7th). "How to use an Atlas." Video Retrieved From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr12PcFuXrQ

MCSD Communications. Image Retrieved From: http://mcsd-communications.blogspot.ca/2016_02_01_archive.html

Mueller, Aaron (UBC Instructor). (2017). LIBE 467-Theme Three, Lessons 8-13.

P. Faul Library. (15, January 29). “What’s The Deep Web.” Retrieved From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fyln1cBJmdE 

Riedling, Ann; Shake, Loretta; Houston, Cynthia. Reference Skills for the School Librarian: Tools and Tips. ABC-CLIO. Kindle Edition. https://www.amazon.ca/Reference-Skills-School-Librarian-Tools/dp/1586835289.


School District #79. Images retrieved from: http://sd79.bc.ca/services/technology/learning-resources/digital-classroom-resources/



SECCEducationalTV. (2014, July 24). "21st Century Skills: Information Literacy-Searching for an

Answer." Retrieved From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5LOhdARSWg

Tolisano, Silvia. “21^st Century Learning.” Arcadia Library. Image Retrieved From: http://acadialibrary.pbworks.com/w/page/25604293/21st%20Century%20Learning


"Types of Dictionaries." Image Retrieved From: https://elc.polyu.edu.hk/advdicts/types.htm