Assignment 1 - Evaluation of a reference work

 

Assignment 1 – Evaluation of a Reference Work

Part 1: Evaluative review

Reference work being evaluated: Rand McNally. (2004). Exploring our world, primary atlas.

Maintaining a high-quality, current, and relevant collection is paramount to any LLC reference section. Without resources that sufficiently answer student and staff queries, an LLC fails to fulfill one of its primary purposes. Riedling (2013) states, “It is more important to have a small but relevant and up-to-date collection of materials than a large collection that is neither useful nor of good quality”. 

The library at Ocean Breeze elementary currently has 15 primary atlases that are nearly 20 years old. Riedling (2013) recommends replacing reference materials of this nature every 5 years or less. The age of this resource far exceeds Riedling’s recommendation. Due to its age, it is no longer relevant and has outdated and untrue information. Riedling suggests “a world atlas that is 5 years old portrays enough obsolete information to be considered only for historical purposes.” Based on personal observations and conversations with staff, the teachers at Ocean Breeze do not use this resource as it does not provide accurate information that is up to date.

The BC curriculum has been completely re-designed since this reference work was published and purchased by Ocean Breeze school. The curriculum now includes significant context outcomes requiring students have a greater understanding of local and global Indigenous people and ways of knowing. This resource does not include any information about Indigenous people. The Social Studies curriculum for grades K-3 doesn’t not specify geographical outcomes, however, it is important for students in these grades to have a basic understanding of maps and world geography to scaffold their learning. The content in this book isn't directly relevant to the current BC K-3 Social Studies curriculum.

Although this reference work is significantly outdated and doesn’t directly align with the BC K-3 Social Studies curriculum, it has many good qualities, including:

• This resource was published by Rand McNally, which is considered a reputable publisher. Riedling (2013) attests that Rand McNally is one of the leading publishers in the United States and that www.randmcnally.com is a “valuable source for planning trips, exploring maps, and finding addresses and driving lessons. Rand McNally has been in operation since 1868 and provides a wide range of services globally (Rand McNally, n.d.).
• This resource does not identify scale specifically, rather it teaches in primary friendly language about what scale is and other important mapping and geographical terms. It provides maps that are appropriate for primary students’ understanding. Based on personal judgement, the maps in this resource are of an appropriate scale for primary students. Riedling (2013) suggests that school librarians “decide the appropriate scale for their student population”.
• This resource has an effective index that is very user friendly for young learners. It is color coordinated by continent and the countries on that continent. It offers page numbers but does not include latitude, longitude, and grid information. Although Riedling (2013) suggests these are important aspects of an index, they are not necessarily essential for a primary atlas where students are just learning to read, read maps, and use reference materials. Too much information can be confusing and create barriers for young learners.
• The format of this resource is appropriate for its intended audience. Information is easy to find, there is minimal text, engaging pictures, and a clear, concise layout.

Evaluation Rubric for:

Rand McNally. (2004). Exploring our world, primary atlas.

	Does not meet expectations	Nearly meets expectations	Fully meets expectations
Publisher (Authority)	*Comes from a publisher with a poor reputation	*Comes from a somewhat reputable publisher of geographic materials	*Comes from a reputable publisher of geographic materials
Scale	*Scale is poor and not appropriate for the intended audience	*Scale is somewhat defined and nearly appropriate for the intended audience	*Scale is clearly defined and appropriate for the intended audience
Currency	*5 years or older *Most hyperlinks are broken	*2-5 years old *If electronic, some hyperlinks are functional	*Recently published, within the last year *If electronic, all hyperlinks are functional
Indexing	*Information is difficult to find due to an inadequate index	*Information is somewhat easy to find due to a satisfactory index	*Information is easy to find due to a comprehensive index
Format	*Format obscures ability to locate information quickly and easily	*Format allows for moderately quick and easy access to information	*Format is effective and allows for quick and easy access to information

*this rubric is based on Chapter 7: Geographical Sources in Riedling’s (2013) Reference skills for the school library media specialist: Tools and tips.

 

Part 2: Evaluation of potential replacement resource

World Book Kids online is an excellent potential resource to replace the print atlas, Exploring Our World, Primary Atlas at Ocean Breeze Elementary. This online resource is a website and database that is aesthetically pleasing and encourages curiosity and exploration. Information as regularly updated and current. Riedling (2013) states “geographical 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.” World Book Kids offers all of the above and more.

World Book Kids

World Book Kids aligns with the current BC Social Studies curriculum and would be useful for many other subject areas as well. It provides up to date information about First Nations people, and Indigenous people around the world. World Book online is a well-known and widely used database and the supplementary resource, World Book Kids is appropriate for elementary students. It has a very user friendly format with interactive maps and a ‘read to me’ feature that can read information to students who are not yet able to decode text at that level. It is not text heavy, allowing younger students to search, locate, and comprehend information quickly and easily.

Riedling (2013) stresses the importance of involving others in the selection process; including, administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community members. Riedling goes on to say, “above all, collaboration with teachers on assignments using information resources is crucial for continuous improvement in developing an effective reference collection”. After conversations with teachers, the TL, and students at Ocean Breeze elementary, World Book Kids, would be a far superior resource to, Exploring our world, primary atlas. Teachers felt the format and usability of World Book Kids would fit with the K-3 audience and that the content aligns with the current BC curriculum.

Cost: Cost: Based on the number of students who attend Ocean Breeze Elementary a year subscription to World Book Kids would cost $150 at $0.50/student. However, there is a $500 minimum for new clients, so the cost would initially be $500.

Evaluation Rubric for:

World Book Online Reference Center: Online Reference Book: Online Encyclopedia. World Book. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22, 2023, from https://www.worldbookonline.com/kids/home

	Does not meet expectations	Nearly meets expectations	Fully meets expectations
Publisher (Authority)	*Comes from a publisher with a poor reputation	*Comes from a somewhat reputable publisher of geographic materials	*Comes from a reputable publisher of geographic materials
Scale	*Scale is poor and not appropriate for the intended audience	*Scale is somewhat defined and nearly appropriate for the intended audience	*Scale is clearly defined and appropriate for the intended audience
Currency	*5 years or older *Most hyperlinks are broken	*2-5 years old *If electronic, some hyperlinks are functional	*Recently published, within the last year *If electronic, all hyperlinks are functional and is constantly updated
Indexing	*Information is difficult to find due to an inadequate index	*Information is somewhat easy to find due to a satisfactory index	*Information is easy to find due to a comprehensive index
Format	*Format obscures ability to locate information quickly and easily	*Format allows for moderately quick and easy access to information	*Format is effective and allows for quick and easy access to information

 

Conclusion

Although Exploring our world, primary atlas, is a wonderful, developmentally appropriate resource for primary students, it is too outdated to be of use. World Book Kids online provides all of the information found in Exploring our world, primary atlas, and much more. The information found on World Book Kids is constantly being updated, so the information found on the database is accurate and reliable. World Book Kids is engaging, interactive, and easy to navigate. It serves the purpose of providing high-quality, relevant, and accurate information. The replacement of Exploring our world, primary atlas with World Book Kids online is an example of  Riedling’s (2013) “maximization of resources”. “Reference processes, sources, and services revolve around the basic principle of maximization of resources, which underlies all reference work (Riedling, 2013). In today's increasingly digital world, LLC users need high-quality reference materials that can meet their informational needs quickly and easily.

Appendix 1

BC Social Studies curriculum outcomes for K-3 

Kindergarten

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Works Cited

Rand McNally. (2004). Exploring our world, primary atlas.

Rand McNally. (n.d.). Rand McNally: History. Retrieved January 23, 2023, from https://www.randmcnally.com/about/history 

Riedling, Ann. (2013). Reference skills for the school library media specialist: Tools and tips, (Third Edition). Linworth. 

Social Studies. Building Student Success - B.C. Curriculum. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2023, from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/social-studies 

World Book Online Reference Center: Online Reference Book: Online Encyclopedia. World Book. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22, 2023, from https://www.worldbookonline.com/kids/home