Assignment 3 – Evaluation Plan to Improve your Reference Services

 Assignment 3 – Evaluation Plan to Improve your Reference Services

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Introduction

Print and digital reference materials both play an integral role in answering information questions in the LLC. Digital technology has significantly changed the game when it comes to reference services. It plays an enormous role in the speed at which information is retrieved, the amount of information available to LLC users, and the currency of the information. Riedling (2013) suggests "The Web has become the most important reference tool in the digital age, providing many of the electronic information sources required for reference services such as dictionaries, and encyclopedias, informational Web sites, and search engines used for ready-reference and inquiry learning activities. Students and staff need to be taught the skills necessary to navigate the reference materials available to them on the web, as well as through databases and other resources provided by the LLC. Along with digital reference resources, print resources are necessary for supporting students with their information pursuits. Print resources must regularly be evaluated to ensure they are current and are relevant to the BC curriculum.

Background Information

The LLC at my school has currently undergone a transformation from a Library to an LLC. The computer lab has been renovated and turned into a story studio where classes can go to collaboratively build, create, and write stories. There are mobile laptop and iPad carts. There are flexible seating areas which can be moved to accommodate large and small group work. The non-fiction section of the collection has been genrefied and put into labelled bins. The labels display the topic, and a picture. A portion of the novels, graphic novels, and fiction books are in bins by author. The walls and shelves were painted, new decorations are being added, and new furniture and shelving are being added. Free standing shelving in the middle of the space has been removed or moved onto perimeter walls. All shelves are at a height that is accessible to elementary students. The entire collection was rigorously weeded during September and October with the support of the district librarian and librarians from other schools. There are currently 2 part-time teacher librarians sharing 1 full-time position. Each is responsible for working with different grade groups: K-1, 2-3, and 4-5. The LLC program is a mix of fixed and flexible schedules. Each class has a scheduled book exchange time, and there are also scheduled times for small reading groups in the LLC and story studio. Very recently, the administrators at my school removed collaboration time from the TL’s schedules and replaced it with more literacy support blocks. This is a significant point of contention as the TL’s and teachers valued their collaboration time to develop inquiry and research projects.

Evaluation of Reference Services

In order to evaluate the reference services at my school’s LLC, I have divided it into two sections: print resources and digital resources. I used the ‘Standards for School Library Collections’ outlined in the Canadian Library Association’s (2003) Achieving Information Literacy document to analyse and evaluate the print and digital reference materials. To evaluate the print resources, I used Table 7 - School Library Collections: Accessibility and Currency. To evaluate the digital resources, I used a section of Table 6 - School Library Collections: Types of Resources called ‘Computer Software Programs’.

1) Print Resources

The print reference materials include dictionaries, thesauri, atlases, maps, and encyclopedias. They are not well circulated; none have been signed out in the last 2 years. This lack of use could be for several reasons: they are not physically accessible to users as they are housed in the TL office and only brought out if requested, they do not necessarily align with the revised BC curriculum, they are all 10 or more years old (some are even 30 years old) and do not meet the currency parameters laid out by Riedling. Riedling (2013) suggests most print sources (encyclopedias, science, technology related, inventions and medicines, and newspapers and magazines) are replaced every 5 years, while psychology, business, history, and education print sources are replaced every 10 years. Based on the CLA’s standards, the print reference materials in the LLC at my school are well below standard.

Table 7 – School Library Collections: Accessibility and Currency (Asselin et al., 2003)

Resources	Below Standard	Acceptable	Exemplary
Physical Accessibility	-Physically accessible to most users -Non-existent or limited inventory lists for learning resources located in other parts of the school. -No access to these learning resources through library catalogue	-Physically accessible to all users most of the time -Learning resources in other parts of the school are accessible through the school library.	-Physically accessible to all users. -Special formats e.g. large print, Braille, etc. -All learning resources in the school are included in the online library catalogue.
Intellectual Accessibility	-Intellectual accessibility is not addressed -Materials provide limited support for students cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills	-Intellectual accessibility is addressed in the school library -Material available to students is within the range of their cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills, and reflects student interests and the cultural interests valued by the children’s families.	-Intellectual accessibility is addressed in the school library, and the school. The wide range of material available to students is within the range of their cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills, and reflects student interest and the cultural background of the student population.
Curricular Support (relevancy)	- Materials support some of the curriculum	- Materials support much of the curriculum	- Materials support all of the curriculum
Currency	- Copyright dates within the last 10 years: less than 50% of the collection	- Copyright dates within the last 10 years: 50 - 70% of the collection	- Copyright dates within the last 10 years: 80% or more of the collection
Collection Maintenance	- Significant number of resources are worn, damaged, missing components or need of repair	- Most materials are complete and in good repair. Some items are missing components	- Materials are complete and in good repair

 

2) Digital Resources

The digital reference materials available through the LLC at my school are excellent. There is a wide range of resources that are connected to curriculum, current, include diverse groups of people, meet the literacy levels of K-5 students, and are accessible to all users at school and at home. They are evaluated, purchased, and maintained at the district level, and then made available to all elementary schools through their standardized LLC webpages. Unfortunately, these digital resources are very underutilized. Most teachers don’t know about their existence, don’t know how to navigate them, or don’t understand their potential use. Little is being done to show teachers how to use these reference resources to support inquiry and resource-based learning.  Based on the CLA’s standards, the digital reference materials in the LLC at my school are exemplary. It’s important to note that the CLA’s Achieving Information Literacy Document was published in 2003. Significant technological advances have been made since then and the digital landscape in LLC’s is much different in 2023. I chose to use Table 6 for evaluation purposes because it still provides a basic framework for digital reference materials, however, the expectations of digital resources provided by the LLC are much greater now.

Table 6 – School Library Collections: Types of Resources (Asselin et al., 2003)

Resources	Below Standard	Acceptable	Exemplary
Computer Software Programs: -Curriculum related, instructional, reference, library management, production, administration, utility, etc. -Subscribed and free online databases Internet access	Elementary: -1 reference database -5 curricular programs -Word processing software	Elementary: -1 reference database -5 curricular programs -Electronic encyclopedia -Internet access -Presentation, database utility & word processing software	Elementary and Middle: -Includes all the components in the ACCEPTABLE category plus the following: -Online databases in sufficient number to support all instructional programs and a broad range of user needs -Sufficient software to support all instructional programs and a broad range of user needs -Networked library catalogue with catalogued WWW sites -Interactive circulation program that provides user and resource information

Rational for Change

Riedling (2013) states, “Successful reference services for school librarians consist of three components:

1) knowledge of the library media collection, electronic information services, and tools;

2) effective conversational skills (communication);

3) competence in selecting, acquiring, and evaluating resources to meet students’ needs”

If these are the benchmarks for successful reference services, the LLC at my school is not yet meeting expectations. The print reference materials are inadequate and underused, while the digital reference materials are adequate but underused. Shortcomings with print resources can be addressed by better funding, selection, acquisition, and evaluation of the current print resources. The use of and proficiency with digital resources can be addressed by better promotion and communication between TL’s and LLC users (mainly teachers and students).

Plan for Change

Step 1 - How will the change take place? Who will be involved?

Print resources – the current print resources will be weeded according to the LLC’s weeding policy and with consideration of the print resource currency specifications outlined by Riedling. New print resources will be selected by the TL’s in collaboration with teaching staff, with consideration of the current BC curriculum, and using the factors identified by Riedling (2013)

-Content Scope

-Accuracy, Authority, and Bias

-Arrangement and Presentation

-Relation to similar works

-Timeliness and permanence

-Accessibility and Diversity

-Cost

Asselin et al. (2003) suggest the collection has a “wide range of material available to students that is within the range of their cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills, and reflects student interest and the cultural background of the student population”.

Digital resources – although the digital resources are of great quality, they are not being used by many teachers or students. To improve their use, TL’s need to advertise the digital resources at staff meetings, through emails to staff, and on posters/pamphlets. In addition to advertisement of resources, a mentorship/collaboration program needs to be put in place that incorporates the CBAM model. According to the CBAM ‘Stages of Concern’, the staff at my school are in the Awareness (What is it?) and Information (How does it work?) stages. In order to move staff beyond these initial stages to the Personal (What’s my plan to do it?) and Management (How can I master the skills and fit it all in?) stages, there needs to be time and support provided to teachers and TL’s to collaborate and work with the digital resources (Loucks-Horsley, 2005). The teacher-librarian can also offer training and demonstrations and possibly professional development opportunities to further teacher’s understanding of the digital reference resources. Collaboration with the TL is paramount to educational change with respect to digital reference resources. The infographic developed by the Surrey Teacher Librarian Association summarizes the benefits of collaborating with a TL. 

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Step 2 – Timeline for improvement

-This plan will be implemented over the course of 2-3 years. I chose this time frame because Loucks-Horsley (2005) stresses “the importance of paying attention to implementation for several years, because it takes at least three years for early concerns to be resolved and later ones to emerge.”

-Budget will impact change in both the print and digital reference resources. Without adequate funding, new print resources can not be purchased. Without funding, release time can not be given to teachers and TL’s to collaborate and make a plan for learning about and using the digital resources. Change does not happen fast in education and there will likely be many obstacles encountered along the way.

-Loucks-Horsley (2005) state, “We also know that help over time is necessary to work the kinks out and then to reinforce good teaching once use of the new practice smooths out.” I recommend that this mentorship and collaboration be established for a long period of time so that there is on-going, consistent support for teachers to change their practice and incorporate more digital reference resources into their lessons and units.

Step 3 - Communication of change

Print resources – posters, displays, pamphlets, bulletin boards, emails, and announcements can be made when the new print reference materials arrive. TL’s can showcase the new materials during book exchange time, at staff meetings, and in a display. They can also be integrated into the collection instead of being housed behind closed doors. Bins could be added to the nonfiction section that are labelled ‘Atlases’, or ‘Dictionaries’ so that students and teachers can locate them easily. This section could also have signage that says ‘Reference Materials’. Students and teachers must be shown that these resources exist, where to find them, and how to use them. This is the responsibility of the TL.

Digital resources – all the same methods can be used to disseminate information about the digital resources. In addition, the TL could model at staff meetings some of the digital resources and their potential uses. This might spark interest from teachers and begin the process of collaborative planning and resource sharing.

Step 4 - Follow up plan to determine success

This is a long-term plan that is meant to take place over 2-3 years. It’s successes or shortcomings should be reviewed at the end of each month or term by the TL’s, teachers, and administrators in a team meeting. This should be a team effort where everyone’s input is valued. If necessary, changes should be made to the mentorship or collaboration relationships to ensure success. TL’s should actively seek input and feedback from teachers and administrators. This could be done through conversations, emails, or surveys. Success could be measured by the increased circulation of print reference materials and surveys or conversations with teachers to determine if they are making better use of the digital reference materials.

Conclusion

After evaluating the reference services at my school, I found that: 1) the print resources were outdated, in poor condition, and not accessible to LLC users; 2) the digital resources were of great quality and relevance, but were not being accessed by LLC users. To address these areas of concern, I recommended that old print resources be weeded, and new print resources be purchased and promoted to staff and students. I also recommended the establishment of a mentorship or collaboration plan where TL’s work with teachers to support their professional growth in using digital reference resources to support inquiry and resource-based learning. If these two areas are addressed, the LLC at my school will move closer to meeting the parameters for successful reference services outlined by Riedling (2013):

1) knowledge of the library media collection, electronic information services, and tools;

2) effective conversational skills (communication);

3) competence in selecting, acquiring, and evaluating resources to meet students’ needs”

 

Works Cited

Asselin, M., Branch, J., & Oberg, D., (Eds). (2003). Achieving information literacy: Standards for school library programs in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Canadian School Library Association & The Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada. Retrieved from: https://accessola.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2003-AchievingInfoLiteracy.pdf

Canadian Library Association. (2014). Leading Learning:  Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada. Retrieved from: http://llsop.canadianschoollibraries.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/llsop.pdf

Loucks-Horsley, S. (2005). The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM): A Model for Change in Individuals. Retrieved from: Microsoft Word - CBAM.doc (wsu.edu)

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