LIBE 467: Reference Materials and Information - Theme 3

 The last few weeks had an enormous about of learning in regards to information and reference materials. We covered many topics from the deep web, to bibliographies to dictionaries and thesauri.

Spending time in learning about the "invisible/deep web" I reflected as a teacher my journeys in teaching my students about searching the web. Understanding that so much of the information available isn't even accessible by a "standard" google search, made me dive into learning how searching works. "the size of the Invisible Web is 500 times larger than the Surface Web" according to Beyond the Google: The Invisible Web. Most information found in databases aren't retrieved by a basic search engine search, and so I spent some time in various databases such as our UBC library database, and learning about databases in my school district such as Gale and Ebsco. I began to realize why our school and our school district subscribe to so many different databases, and subscription websites, when I always thought the same information is on Google. Subscription websites and databases contain vast amounts of information that is protected or hidden from most basic searches. I'm quite proud of how many different sites and databases our school subscribes to, I've included a small snapshot of some primary and intermediate databases from my district. 

For me, I think an understanding has to happen for students on why they need to use databases, and why basic search queries aren't enough in terms of computer and information literacy. 

On the same branch of searching and queries, I also spent time in indexes. I did not know what an index was in terms of a reference material before this lesson, and still struggle with understanding what exactly an index is. To me an index and a database are the same? I will need to add learning and playing with index's onto my list of future learning. I also struggled in finding pricing and information if I would want to purchase an index/database for my school. I am not sure what a good price is or what I would potentially have to look for when considering a purchase. This again is something to add to my list moving forward.

Some of my takeaways from the bibliography, and biography lesson was the resources mentioned in the module as well as some I've come across on my own after reading this lesson. I'll list the ones I found interesting below. 

  A to Zoo: Subject access to children's picture books

The Children's Literature Web Guide: Internet Sources Related to Books for Children and Young Adults

Fantastic Fiction

 Lots of Lists

Understanding Prejudice 

UBC Children and Young Adult Literature  

On a small side note as I wrap up my relfection on this theme, I really enjoyed reading about encyclopedias again. As many of my peers mentioned, I also loved flipping through them and doing research projects from them as a child. I was amazed though on the sheer amount to consider when evaluating an encyclopedia though! Wow!

In summary, this theme was jam packed with information and I personally felt like it was the biggest learning step for me in the course so far because I had such little background going in.   

 

References:

"Children's Literature - Best Books Lists". People.Ucalgary.Ca, 1998, https://people.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/lists.html.

"Libguides: Beyond Google: The Invisible Web". Guides.Laguardia.Edu, 2018, https://guides.laguardia.edu/beyondgoogle.

"CLWG: Children's Literature Web Guide". Acs.Ucalgary.Ca, 2022, http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/index.html.

"Fantastic Fiction". Fantastic Fiction, 2022, https://www.fantasticfiction.com/.

"Research Guides: Children’S And Young Adult Literature: Getting Started". Guides.Library.Ubc.Ca, 2022, https://guides.library.ubc.ca/childrensliterature.

"SD42 Online Resources". Onlineresources.Sd42.Ca, 2022, https://onlineresources.sd42.ca/.

"Understandingprejudice.Org: Bibliography Of Children's Books". Understanding Prejudice, 2022, https://secure.understandingprejudice.org/readroom/kidsbib.htm.

Lima, Carolyn W, and Rebecca L Thomas. A To Zoo: Subject Access To Children's Picture Books. Libraries Unlimited, 2008.

 

 

 

LIBE 467 Assignment 2: Collaboration using CBAM

Introduction:

When considering the roles that teacher librarians play in schools, collaboration is a huge key aspect in bridging gaps and making connections. “School librarians provide the all-important human connection between students and information, as well as between teachers and information.” (Riedling, 2019 pg 4) It is understood that librarians make connections with the students that visit the library, as well as connections with their fellow staff members, but when we speak of true collaboration we talk about a process of learning, and change. Teachers each have their own practice, and each decide on how they want to evolve their practice. Some choose deeper learning, leaping outside comfort zones, and welcoming innovation, others choose a more stagnant sort, a place of comfort and treading water. Every teacher experience is different, and every opportunity is unique, however, those that choose change, leaps and innovation will find that they make bigger impacts with their teaching.

When we look at the librarians, the library, students, and teachers we understand what connects them. We also understand what is generally expected for each within the library. What is often overlooked is the importance the librarian has on not only the library itself but the importance of promoting information literacy of her colleagues and students. Information literacy is generally defined as the ability to locate, evaluate, and use information found in a variety of formats to meet learning and information needs. As librarians we can only do so much in promoting this within the boundaries of our role, this is why collaboration between teachers and librarians is so vital, so that these skills that lead to information literacy can be taught and practiced.

For the purposes of this assignment, two case studies of teachers were evaluated, and using the Concerns-Based-Adoption-Model were then aided in increasing their effective use of reference resources by working through the process and taking each teacher to a higher level of integration, embedding and application.  The process for these two teachers will be laid out individually.

 

 https://sedl.org/cbam/cbam-300.jpg

A Look at Teacher 1:

About:

“C” has been teaching for about 8 years. She’s a young energetic teacher full of ideas and willingness to try new things. She teaches grades 6 and 7, often doing split classes. She has great classroom management and teaches her students independence. She focuses a lot on project and the skills that come with being able to do them, as well as social emotional learning. She works in a school with a high level of needs, so she has grown used to adapting her teaching to fit many different learning styles. She struggles with resources in her classroom and finds little help in her school library. “C” spends a lot of outside time tracking down resources for her room, lessons, and projects. She finds curating resources a challenge. She collaborates, when possible, with other teachers that teach the same grades, but finds the environment for doing so not as welcoming.

She uses lots of technology in her room and often hosts an “iPad class” for the school year (where each student has an iPad), she struggles with teaching her students how to accurately use the internet and reference services to aid their learning. The lack in information literacy worries “C” that they will go into the next chapter of their learning journey with a limited knowledge of how to access information properly.  

Evaluation:

In respect to effective use of reference services and the CBMA model, I would say that “C” is somewhere between an informational and a personal level. She is interested and would like to learn more to aid her practice and looking at how it will impact her and what her plan is moving forward.

https://sites.google.com/site/ch7cbam/_/rsrc/1267895306255/home/stages-of-concern/stages%20of%20concern.jpg

“C” main problem is the lack of support in both collaboration and resources. She feels stuck on where to start but is eager in starting.  

Innovation Configuration: providing a well-defined picture of what constitutes stellar—and not so stellar—implementation of a program. ("Innovation Configurations, A Dimension Of The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM)")

Effective use of reference resources – this is the goal for “C”.

-          Accesses relevant and accurate recorded knowledge and information (adapted from professional competencies for reference and user services librarians, www.ala.org/rusa/resources/guidelines/professional)

Aiding and Directing:

Clear and accurate information needs to be made for “c” in what effective use of reference resources are. What do they look like, and how will it be known that they are achieved. A chart or rubric can be made amongst the teachers in that grade range, as well as with the TL. Each aspect of the chart can be focused on one step at a time. Collaborative co-planning lessons with the TL as well as opportunities to visit teachers in other schools who are masters/experts/or even just comfortable teaching effective use of reference resources can be arranged. Check ins on a weekly basis with TL allows “c” to stay on track as well as ask questions. This will hopefully lead her to a concern of management or consequence (changes in routine, and how much time will this need).

Levels of Use interview tool can help determine how well the implementation of effective use of reference resources is going. At the beginning “C” will most likely be sitting at an orientation level of use, meaning that she is discussing at looking at materials and considering using it in the future. After discussion, connections, and a well-developed outline for what the goal will look like, “C” will be moving towards a preparation level of use for this innovation.

A Look at Teacher 2:

About:

“F” is a veteran teacher. She is close to retirement and has worked at her school for over 20+ years. She is comfortable in her role, and comfortable in how she chooses to teach. She has great classroom management, although struggles to adopt new strategies and techniques for social emotional learning, more so due to refusal to adapt rather than the content being challenging. She runs a tight ship, so to speak and is firm but kind. She adopts a more traditional role of learning in her classroom, often preferring the use of textbooks over anything digital. She is happy to collaborate with teachers of similar style and enjoys mentoring teachers. She has a firm belief in information literacy in terms of physical materials. She puts a big focus on reading and writing in her room, spending lots of time teaching students how to read, understand and answer prompts from books. She has a digital projector easily accessible in her room, as well as a laptop.

The amount of information, programs and skills needed to start using technology is too much for her, and she finds keeping up with everything new too challenging.

Evaluation:

In respect to effective use of reference services and the CBMA model, I would say that “F” is at a Management stage. She is well established in the idea of using reference resources effectively but lacks the digital aspect to it. She is concerned about how a new approach (ie using digital resources) will take time and effort from her teaching.

 

https://sites.google.com/site/ch7cbam/_/rsrc/1267895306255/home/stages-of-concern/stages%20of%20concern.jpg

Innovation Configuration: providing a well-defined picture of what constitutes stellar—and not so stellar—implementation of a program. ("Innovation Configurations, A Dimension Of The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM)")

Effective use of reference digital resources – this is the goal for “F”.

-    Accesses relevant and accurate recorded knowledge and information (adapted from professional competencies for reference and user services librarians, www.ala.org/rusa/resources/guidelines/professional)

Aiding and Directing:

Address the “how to” concerns. Give opportunities to work with other teachers. Mini Workshops or lessons on digital resources will be effective for “F”. Exact steps, and solutions will be the most beneficial. “F” should consider working with one database/resource to start. Allowing students to use a digital resource for a familiar project or lesson can allow a chance for “F” to work out the details, while still maintaining her teaching.

Levels of Use interview tool can help determine how well the implementation of digital use of reference resources is going. “F” will probably sit around the refinement/routine use aspect of levels of use. She is comfortable with the resource use but needs to refine her practice with the use of technology.

Conclusion:

The three components of CBAM: Innovation Configurations, Stages of Concern and Levels of Use allow these two teaches to gain new skills, while addressing their concerns, and supporting them in each step of the new implementation of this innovation (effective use of reference materials). Opportunities for teachers to improve and collaborate is important, and with mentors like this program or a TL, they can seek support. A huge part of being able to make a decent change in the library is developing an open library and the values and beliefs of a library learning commons. By allowing teachers to collaborate, to use the library for things other than book exchange we can open the flow of information, and make teachers feel more comfortable in coming and asking questions on how to improve their practice. A teacher librarians role in the library is to promote stratgeies, and teach skills for learners (student and teacher). In both these looks at teachers, a main obstacle was the fact that neither teacher had a relationship with their library or teacher librarian, and that is one of the biggest factors in the changes. 

 

References

"Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM)". Sedl.Org, https://sedl.org/cbam/.

"Innovation Configurations, A Dimension Of The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM)". Sedl.Org, https://sedl.org/cbam/innovation_configurations.html.

"Professional Competencies For Reference And User Services Librarians". Reference & User Services Association (RUSA), https://www.ala.org/rusa/resources/guidelines/professional.

Rieding, Ann Marlow, and Cynthia Houston. Reference Skills For The School Librarian. 4th ed., Libraries Unlimited, 2019.

"Summary - Concerns-Based Adoption Model". Sites.Google.Com, https://sites.google.com/site/ch7cbam/home/summary.

LIBE 467 Theme 2: Maintaining and Evaluating Reference Services and Resources

 

Reflecting back on these last few weeks and the theme of managing and evaluating reference services, I've realized how difficult it is to achieve an ideal library learning commons where reference services are supported fully. I think some of the biggest challenges currently are time and budget when looking at what needs to happen in order to provide reference services in school libraries that will support the learning community's needs. 

Reference Services

It's been said before, and not only by me, but one of the primary (and important) functions of a school librarian is to aid students in using the library. We as teacher-librarians act as guides and facilitators to the information, we provide the means of getting to the information. Chapter 9 in Riedling’s book talks about the reference interview and how the teacher-librarian communicates with the student or teacher in determining what they need or want and clarifying those goals. I have never seen a reference interview done, and I can't say many librarians in the schools that I have worked in would have been willing to do them. I appreciated how Riedling spoke about the structure and methods that allow a teacher-librarian to effectively communicate with the student over a need they have. I personally felt that the way the reference interview is set up by Riedling, required previous learning and teaching because currently students in many schools don't know how to ask for information or that they can ask librarians questions beyond simple book requests. I think this also comes from a lack of cooperative planning between teachers and teacher-librarians. I see this already as a classroom teacher, a lack of cooperative planning and teaching. When use of a library is needed, it seems counterproductive to not include the teacher librarian in the planning process. This also doesn’t mean big inquiry projects or research presentations either, a teacher librarian can help teach the basic information searching skills that every student needs. 

Managing the Reference Collection

Again, like in many of the lessons and modules we’ve read, the role of the teacher librarian comes up. One of the many roles we have to fulfil in the job is managing the collection as a whole, but more specifically in terms of this course, the reference section. I feel like this lesson was frustrating to read because in reading the Greater Victoria role description posted in the module and from various readings in this and other courses, there are so many expectations of teacher librarians, yet the tools to achieve them are nonexistent or limited. We are expected to manage the collection by evaluating it, selecting materials for it, maintaining it, balance a budget, build policies and procedures, amongst many other things. Its frustrating in reality to know that we want to do all of this but are affected by limited time and budgets. While participating in discussions in this and other courses, I’ve come to realize that most of the teacher-librarians that works have only part time allotments. How are we to effectively teach our students information literacy with a tiny sliver of time? When it comes to budget, I feel I know very little. Even in my teaching world, I feel like I have a huge gap in knowledge when it comes to knowing where money is coming from, and why it is allocated where it is. This will be a goal for me when I go back to work in either a classroom or a library. I would like to be able to advocate for the users of my library and that requires a knowledge of how the system works. 

 Evaluating Reference Services

 Looking at building a collection, which includes budgeting, purchasing, evaluating and selecting requires librarians to know their collection. Evaluating a collection is very important, as it gives an idea on how well references and reference services are used. Evaluating can be done a multitude of ways. Luckily, in my LIBE 463 class as well as this one, I had the chance to put into practice, evaluating a collection and creating a report. Many things come under the microscope when evaluating a collection or references specifically. My report for my other class focused on the evaluation from a perspective of physical and quantitative circulation data, what our course module discusses is based off of access, skills, policies/procedures/practices, and informational need. 

Collection Evaluation Report LIBE 463

Evaluation of a Geographical Source 

if you're interested in reading my collection evaluation reports click here ↑

I think what stuck with me the most in this lesson was the question of access. Having read much about intellectual access in Mardis’ book "The Collection Program in Schools", understanding the importance of librarians and their place in being guides to knowledge and not protectors of it. I believe I mentioned this in one of my discussions but a huge takeaway for me was understanding that everyone has a right to all knowledge and that I have to put my biases aside in this job. 

Ultimately reference resources must be managed (by being evaluated, selected, purchased) with consideration from its users, and how it can support the needs of the learning community. Even with the challenges presented in daily real life such as time and budget, there are still many aspects to focus on, on what can be done with what we have and to make certain parts of the library valued. Above all, learners need to learn the skills to access information, guided by a teacher librarian if needed, to achieve the goals that reference services and reference materials can help answer.  

 

References:

Mardis, Marcia A. The Collection Program In Schools. 7th ed., Libraries Unlimited, 2021.

Riedling, Ann Marlow, and Cynthia Houston. Reference Skills For The School Librarian. 4th ed., 2019.

Oxley, Kristie. "Lessons: 5-7". 2022.  

Evaluation of a Geographical Source - LIBE 467

 

Introduction:

“A good reference is one that serves to answer questions…” (Rielding, 2019 pg. 23) When we consider geographical sources, these reference materials are usually used to answer questions. The subject of geography is usually split between two broad categories: Physical geography and human geography, for the purposes of this report, we will be discussing references related to physical geography. The materials related to physical geography are maps, atlases, gazetteers, etc. This report will discuss the evaluation of a set of maps at our local library. This library is a branch of the Fraser Valley Regional Library which has 25 library locations. For the purpose of this assignment I am purely evaluating a resource at this specific branch. Maps fall under the category of geographical reference sources. Evaluation of a geographical source requires several points of criteria as outlined in Reidling’s book, as well as ones suggested by Focused Resources, and the modules from our course.

Part 1 The Evaluation:

“The evaluation of any library collection, including a school library collection, should be based upon how well the collection serves the needs of its users” (Mardis, 2021 pg 175) While we are not evaluating an entire collection in this instance, the point that Mardis is making still stands. Effective evaluation of reference sources allows librarians to select and keep resources that will support the needs of learners and make informed decisions on selecting new resources for the collection. Evaluation for purchase allows librarians to get the best value for the money and make decisions for their collection that will create high quality collections.

The rubric below was designed after consulting various guides and books, so that the user can see where a resource falls in terms of a variety of criteria. The resource selected was evaluated in nine different areas:

Authority

Scale

Currency

Indexing

Format

Relevance

Purpose

Curricular Connections

Use of Space

The Resource:

The resource chosen to be evaluated is a collection of maps. The section in the library consisted of folded road maps as well as big table sized maps of various types. See figures below:

 

The Evaluation Rubric:

Criteria	Not Meeting	Meeting	Exceeding
Authority What is the reputation of the publisher/author?	Resource is not from a reputable/reliable resource or is unknown.	Resource is from lesser known company/publisher but can still be considered reputable. May be from a local community company	Resource is from a reputable or reliable source/organization that is well known for creating those types of resources and lists contributors.
Scale How much information is shown on the map? Is there a scale so that the reader can accurately identify items on the map?	Little to no information is displayed on map. There is no scale visible or identified. May be outdated.	A scale is identified. May be slightly outdated, or slightly inaccurate.	Resource identifies the scale, and give accurate comparisons. There is lots of information included.
Currency How old is the current material? Is the content up to date?	Resource is 10 + years old. Has had no revisions.	Resource is up to date Minimum less than 5 years old, maximum 10 years old.	Resource is up to date and is updated frequently to include new information.
Indexing Is the main text/content adequately complemented by indexes/cross references, etc.	No index is present.	Includes an index. May not be alphabetized or include extra features.	Full alphabetical list of all place names that appear on the map, reference to map, includes: longitude, latitude, and grid information. May also include national parks, mountains and historical sites. Includes as many features as possible.
Format How is the information organized or presented? Does this resource support student learning? Is it useful to the user?	Resource is difficult to read. May be unclear or illegible. Resource is not high quality, or user-friendly.  There is little to no information.	Resource is relatively easy to access and is legible and clear. Resource may have too much information or not enough.	Provides information efficiently. Clear and legible, user friendly. Resource is selected by need and by relative cost.
Relevance Does the information reflect student interests? Is it the type of information needed?	Information is not relevant, inaccurate, and doesn’t not meet needs of students	Information is mostly relevant, accurate and needed. Some parts may be missing or incomplete.	Meets the information need and interest of the students. Information is relevant, accurate, and needed.
Purpose For whom is this intended? Is the information accessible?	Does not provide a good starting point. Inadequate information for the subject, information is presented in an unclear and confusing way.	Information is appropriate for the task. It is relatively organized.	Information meets the needs of the student, the information is accessible, clear, organized and meaningful.
Curricular Connection Does the resource support the philosophy, pedagogy, rationale and goals of the BC curriculum?	Resource does not or barely links to current curriculum.	Resource links to curriculum but may be slightly outdated or inaccurate.	Resource connects and supports the current curriculum and may make cross curricular connections.
Use of Space Does it efficiently use space in the library? Is it accessible to all learners?	Takes a large amount of space up in the library, is difficult to access for students with needs.	Takes up minimal amount of space. The resource can be accessed by most students.	Resource use its space efficiently and is accessible to all learners.

 

Analysis:

Authority: Exceeding Most of the resources here are from reliable and trusted organizations or publishers. Most of the maps here are from Environment Canada, Energy, Mining and Resources Canada, NRCan Topographic Maps, and Rand McNally.  

Scale: Meeting/Exceeding Most of the resources have a scale on the map, some of them do include information to help the reader identify what is on the map. Only a few of the maps contained only a scale and no other information.

Currency: Not Meeting Resources are all older than 10 years. Very few are revised editions, and many are undated.  

Indexing: Not Meeting/ Meeting Some of the map books include indexes as well as cross references. Most of the single sheet maps do not include an index.

Format: Not Meeting/ Meeting The resources are not organized; many are low quality. A select few are legible and clear. The maps themselves are easy to access, being all housed in one shelving unit.

Relevance: Not Meeting Information in these resources is barely relevant. Some maps have information that is accurate due to lack of change in the community or of that specific geographical area, however, because most of the maps are outdated or incomplete it is not considered a relevant resource that can meet the needs of most students.

Purpose: Not Meeting /MeetingThese resources may provide a very basic starting point, but because it is not current or relevant, the information is not accessible. The large variety of different maps allows for a good basic view or jumping off point, but it cannot provide enough information to meet the need.

Curricular Connections: Not Meeting This resource has some small connections to the current curriculum. Science 3 includes a large portion of content around local landforms, changes in environment and biodiversity. The maps can show some of those aspects, but again, due to the slight inaccuracy because of currency, it is not an ideal resource for curricular connections.  

Use of Space: Meeting The use of space in the library is minimal. All maps are housed in one shelving unit on the main floor of the library. The maps are accessible by most patrons with the exceptions to those with visual impairments.  

 

Part 2: Potential Replacement Resources

A "collection of maps should include maps of various sizes to meet the different needs of individuals and groups” (Mardis, 2021 pg. 108) There are some disadvantages here when reflecting on what a collection of maps should have according to Mardis. Having many types of maps, sizes and needing them to stay up to date presents a cost and maintenance challenge for libraries and librarians. When considered the best resource to replace the current maps that are in place at this library, I would say digital is the most optimal. Ideally providing a computer or piece of technology to be able to access maps and globes online would eliminate the need for constant updating and relevancy issues. In understanding that providing the same resource in digital format may also create some accessibility issues, especially for those who struggle with technology, or requiring a log in system, overall, the benefits would outweigh the disadvantages.

The current collection of maps are from a variety of publishing companies and include both local maps and worldwide, picking one resource to potentially replace the collection was not feasible as there are too many types of maps and too many varied locations for one single company, website or organisation to have. Instead, I have picked a resource that will greatly aid in helping replace the collection. 

 

https://maps.gov.bc.ca/ess/hm/imap4m/

Criteria	Not Meeting	Meeting	Exceeding
Authority What is the reputation of the publisher/author?	Resource is not from a reputable/reliable resource or is unknown.	Resource is from lesser-known company/publisher but can still be considered reputable. May be from a local community company	Resource is from a reputable or reliable source/organization that is well known for creating those types of resources and lists contributors.
Scale How much information is shown on the map? Is there a scale so that the reader can accurately identify items on the map?	Little to no information is displayed on map. There is no scale visible or identified. May be outdated.	A scale is identified. May be slightly outdated, or slightly inaccurate.	Resource identifies the scale and give accurate comparisons. There is lots of information included.
Currency How old is the current material? Is the content up to date?	Resource is 10 + years old. Has had no revisions.	Resource is up to date Minimum less than 5 years old, maximum 10 years old.	Resource is up to date and is updated frequently to include new information.
Indexing Is the main text/content adequately complemented by indexes/cross references, etc.	No index is present.	Includes an index. May not be alphabetized or include extra features.	Full alphabetical list of all place names that appear on the map, reference to map, includes: longitude, latitude, and grid information. May also include national parks, mountains and historical sites. Includes as many features as possible.
Format How is the information organized or presented? Does this resource support student learning? Is it useful to the user?	Resource is difficult to read. May be unclear or illegible. Resource is not high quality, or user-friendly.  There is little to no information.	Resource is relatively easy to access and is legible and clear. Resource may have too much information or not enough.	Provides information efficiently. Clear and legible, user friendly. Resource is selected by need and by relative cost.
Relevance Does the information reflect student interests? Is it the type of information needed?	Information is not relevant, inaccurate, and doesn’t not meet needs of students	Information is mostly relevant, accurate and needed. Some parts may be missing or incomplete.	Meets the information need and interest of the students. Information is relevant, accurate, and needed.
Purpose For whom is this intended? Is the information accessible?	Does not provide a good starting point. Inadequate information for the subject, information is presented in an unclear and confusing way.	Information is appropriate for the task. It is relatively organized.	Information meets the needs of the student, the information is accessible, clear, organized and meaningful.
Curricular Connection Does the resource support the philosophy, pedagogy, rationale and goals of the BC curriculum?	Resource does not link to current curriculum.	Resource links to curriculum but may be slightly outdated or inaccurate.	Resource connects and supports the current curriculum and may make cross curricular connections.
Use of Space Does it efficiently use space in the library? Is it accessible to all learners?	Takes a large amount of space up in the library, is difficult to access for students with needs.	Takes up minimal amount of space. The resource can be accessed by most students.	Resource use its space efficiently and is accessible to all learners.

 

Analysis:

Authority: Exceeding

Resource created by the BC government and other public sector agencies. This website is a reliable and reputable source of information.

Scale: Exceeding

This digital tool allows users to select various scales for the map. There are also possibilities to add other pieces of information to the map.

Currency: Exceeding

This resource is a current source of information, which means any time users use this resource they are receiving the most up to date information.

Indexing: Exceeding

The user has the option of selecting to make all place names appear on the map or find the location on the map by clicking the name. The user can add layers to the map to include other options such as parks, first nations reserve, historical sites, etc.

Format: Meeting

Resource has a little bit of a learning curve to figure out how to use the tools. I would not say it is user friendly or intuitive at first. There is a lot of information presented on this site. This may be difficult for students to use, and more suited for a technology literate adult to use.  

Relevance: Exceeding

This resource meets the needs of any user needing map services. It is relevant, and accurate.

Purpose: Exceeding

This site is intended for adults who are familiar with digital web mapping tools. The information is clear, organized, and because of the various options that can be selected it is meaningful. The accessibility is relatively easy, with a minor flaw in that those who are not comfortable in using web tools, may find it difficult to navigate.

Curricular Connections: Exceeding

Resource connects and supports the current curriculum.

Use of Space: Exceeding

Resource uses its space efficiently and is accessible to most learners. The webtool allows access from any piece of technology that allows an internet connection. This resource would take up a small physical amount of space in the library and no extra physical space in the collection.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, because of the importance of relevancy and currency for maps, I feel that a digital system for maps would be far more beneficial to the library and its users. The current collection of maps are very outdated, and irrelevant causing it to take up space in the library and have very little use from patrons.

 

References

"Evaluation Checklist - National School Library Standards". National School Library Standards, https://standards.aasl.org/project/evaluation/.

"Evaluation Criteria Guides". Focused Education, https://focusedresources.ca/en/evaluation-criteria-guides.

"Imapbc - Province Of British Columbia". Www2.Gov.Bc.Ca, https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/data/geographic-data-services/web-based-mapping/imapbc.

Mardis, Marcia A. The Collection Program In Schools. 7th ed., Libraries Unlimited, 2021.

Oxley, Kristy. "Lesson 3: Building A Reference Collection For Your School Library". 2022.

Riedling, Ann Marlow, and Cynthia Houston. Reference Skills For The School Librarian. 4th ed., Libraries Unlimited, 2019.