Assignment 3: Evaluation plan to improve reference services

LIBE 467 

Assignment 3: Evaluation plan to improve reference services

Laura Fletcher

Introduction

This evaluation plan aims to improve reference services in an East Vancouver elementary school library with a large community of approximately 450 students from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds. Approximately 190 students self-identify as English Language Learners and many students are new to Canada. 2016 city data shows that 55.9% of the population’s mother tongue is a language other than English in this neighbourhood (Statistics Canada, 2016). A controversial ranking system, the Fraser Institute, ranks this school 5.9 out of 10; to an outsider it can appear “low” academically. The school library is a well-loved and well-used space within the school, and the limited budget has been dedicated to the fiction collection that supports learning to read; little attention has been paid to the reference collection. This plan aims to provide strategies to improve the reference services available to staff and students. Presently, the bulk of the reference collection consists of out-dated encyclopedias; the quality of resources no longer support student needs.

Present conditions within the reference collection

In The Collection Program in Schools: Concepts and Practices Marcia A. Mardis states, “[c]ollection mapping is a visual display of the strengths and weaknesses of a library collection” (2016, p.177). Applying this process in a brief review of reference resources determined the average collection age is twenty-years-old, and portions of British Columbia’s New Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2019) are not sufficiently supported. Although the encyclopedias are in good physical condition, some of the content may be out-of-date, or its presentation is too text-heavy for this school population (lower-reading-levels and comprehension abilities may result in increased “copy-and-paste researching”). A more detailed collection map could be created to look deeper into this area of the reference collection.

Previously when evaluating the reference collection (Fletcher, 2019) based on considerations outlined in Reference skills for the school library media specialist: Tools and tips (Riedling, Shake, & Houston, 2013), it was determined that the current encyclopedias are inadequate. Focusing funds on reimagining this section through replacements would offer current information and formatting that better complements student learning needs.

Rationale – why this area needs improvement

The goal is to redevelop this collection by increasing the variety of types of encyclopedias available, address diversity in reading/content levels, and to better tailor the resources to the B.C. Curriculum.

A rubric (Appendix A) was designed based on the Brief Evaluation of Encyclopedias (Riedling et al., p. 72). The current collection is a “Weak Resource,” specifically in the following categories:

Currency ·         Information dated (<10 years)

Format ·         Illustrations are dated, not functional, indistinct, difficult to follow, and inappropriate for the intended audience ·         Page layout is dysfunctional, unclear, and not suitable for the audience ·         Organizational formatting is not user friendly

Indexing ·         Lacks detailed index for subjects and major subtopics ·         No image index

Objectivity ·         Obvious or implicit biases excluded, emphasize, or deemphasize particular beliefs or groups of people

Scope ·         Inappropriate for the age group it claims to serve ·         Subject coverage uneven from discipline to discipline ·         Contemporary issues excluded

This affects student learning because many are unable to read or comprehend the information, many have difficulty navigating resources independently, the age of the collection lends itself to a lack of enthusiasm in learner engagement, and there is general avoidance in using this collection by students and colleagues. Although the collection size appears sufficient it has become irrelevant, and “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” (Riedling et al., 2013, p. 23).

Proposed plan

This plan outlines how to improve the reference encyclopedia collection. A potential replacement strategy is to purchase a number of smaller subject area encyclopedias that focus on specific areas of the curriculum. This increases availability and accessibility, and it also provides a variety of formatting and text-image ratios, which makes it easier to support a diverse reading population.

How the change will take place

·         Collection mapping to specifically assess the area in greater detail

·         Deselection/weeding of current encyclopedias based on local policies:

o   British Columbia Ministry of Education (2017), Learning Resources Policy

o   Educational Resource Acquisition Consortium (2008), Evaluating, Selecting and Acquiring Learning Resources: A Guide

o   Vancouver School Board (2018), Policy Manual/ I: Instruction. IIAC: Library Materials/ Selection and Adoption

·         A proposed list of replacement options was created (Fletcher, 2019)

o   Review with school community to gather feedback

·         Where possible, copies of suggested replacement items could be borrowed from a public library system so that a hands-on review and evaluation of resources could take place

·         Use the rubric created to evaluate encyclopedias

·        Survey colleagues and students regarding current usage, knowledge of how to use the resources, strengths and weaknesses of currently collection, and create a “wish list” of possible content areas to focus

·        Determine the budget available through various funding streams (meeting with administration and office accountant to assess funds currently in library account; seek out potential fund-raising opportunities or grant/donation applications available through community philanthropists)

Who is involved

The Teacher-Librarian will make final decisions using professional judgement, however, consultation with others and “[d]iscussions at meetings or professional development events on, ‘What works and what doesn't?’ can be a great help when trying to determine which references to purchase”(Mueller, 2019, Lesson 3). Consultation could include:

·         Anecdotal comments from colleagues and students about current resources

·         A review committee of classroom teachers

·         A review committee of intermediate students

·         Conversations with other Teacher-Librarians

·         Peer-to-peer support regarding what has been done at other schools

Estimated timeline for improvement

Considering all other commitments, this process could easily take a full school year to complete. The most time consuming portion will be meeting with colleagues and students, as scheduling can be difficult. To keep track of the plan’s status, monthly progress check-points could be put in place as goals (but could also be reassessed if unrealistic).

How the change will be communicated

·         “Talk-up” new resources at all-staff meetings and intermediate/primary teachers meetings

·        Collaborative projects with classroom teachers that specifically highlight the use of the new resources, because “[i]f we prioritize the process involved in doing a research assignment and the inherent skills in the process and not the end product it holds that cooperative planning on the part of the classroom teacher and the teacher-librarian is essential” (Mueller, 2019, Lesson 5).

·         Class tours of the new resources and how/why they are used in our learning

·         New shelf-markers to highlight content areas

·         Highlight new resources and changes on school and/or library website or newsletter

Evaluation of change after implementation

·        Circulation statistics of area and observation of frequency of in-house use (messy or dusty resources on shelves?)

·        Anecdotal comments from colleagues and students using the resources

·        Reconvene with review committees to discuss if plan was successful and what changes or additions could be made

·        Review collaborative teaching and how the new resources were/weren’t used

Potential challenges and issues

Time to meet with review committees could be stretched as people often over-commit themselves and it takes longer to meet projected deadlines than anticipated. Selecting, acquiring, and processing the new resources will likely take the largest portion of time. The process from the start of the plan to the items being ready-for-use on the shelves could take a long time and momentum could wane.

Additionally, financial set-backs like decreased funding and an over-stretched budget could be roadblocks. There could be resistance to replacing and re-energizing a significant size of the resources as there may be a push towards digital options being more viable and worthy of the budget. Also, primary teachers may feel less supported as this part of the reference collection is generally geared towards intermediate students.

Perhaps an issue larger than the age of the collection (eg. weak information literacy skills) is underlying the lack of use, and “Teacher-librarians are often frustrated by the lack of thinking and organization that go into the development of research activities for students. Some commonly taught research units require little thinking or creativity resulting in learning that has little meaning or application” (Mueller, 2019, Lesson 2). In this case, stronger collaboration between teacher-librarians and classroom teachers is beneficial. If they co-create projects that focus on the use of encyclopeadias, then students are better supported in learning how to use this collection independently.

Conclusion

When maintaining “a school reference collection that meets the informational needs of students, effective selection and evaluation of resources by the school librarian is essential” (Riedling et al., 2013, p. 25), and working with the school community is vital. This plan aims to provide strategies to improve the reference services available to staff and students. Presently, the bulk of the reference collection consists of out-dated encyclopedias and the quality of these resources no longer fit student needs. By refocusing attention on the use of encyclopedias the teacher-librarian can better communicate “the information skills that will help students to ask the right research questions and to find the best information to answer these questions”. With an increase to the availability of information, it has become more important for teacher-librarians to equip students with the necessary information literacy skills “that will assist them in organizing, interpreting and using the ‘retrieved’ information well” (Mueller, 2019, Lesson 2). Although this plan will take a considerable amount of time, effort, and funds to carry-out, the end-result will improve the reference services available to staff and students.

References

British Columbia’s Ministry of Education (2017). Learning Resources Policy. Retrieved from
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/administration/legislation-policy/public-schools/learning-resources

Canadian Library Association. (2014). Leading Learning, Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada. Retrieved from http://accessola2.com/SLIC-Site/slic/llsop.pdf

City of Vancouver. (2019). Kensington-Cedar Cottage. Retrieved from https://vancouver.ca/news-calendar/kensington-cedar-cottage.aspx

Educational Resource Acquisition Consortium. (2008). Evaluating, Selecting and Acquiring Learning Resources: A Guide. Retrieved from https://www.bcerac.ca/resources/whitepapers/docs/erac_wb.pdf

Fletcher, L. (2019). Assignment 1: Evaluation of a Reference Work [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://msfletcher921f.blogspot.com/p/libe-467-assignment1-evaluation-of.html

Mardis, M. A. (2016). The collection program in schools: Concepts and Practices. (6th ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

Ministry of Education. (2019). BC’s New Curriculum. Retrieved from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/

Mueller, A. (2019). Lesson 2: The Reference Process and Information Skills, course modules LIBE 467 63C: University of British Columbia Vancouver, online. Retrieved from Canvas learning platform. 

Mueller, A. (2019). Lesson 3: Building a Reference Collection for your School Library, course modules LIBE 467 63C: University of British Columbia Vancouver, online. Retrieved from Canvas learning platform. 

Mueller, A. (2019). Lesson 5: Information Services and Cooperative Program Planning and Teaching, course modules LIBE 467 63C: University of British Columbia Vancouver, online. Retrieved from Canvas learning platform. 

Riedling, A. M., Shake, L., & Houston, C. (2013) Reference skills for the school library media specialist: Tools and tips (3rd ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Linworth.

Statistics Canada. (2016). Kensington-Cedar Cottage. Retrieved from https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/Kensington-Cedar%20Cottage-census-data.pdf

Vancouver School Board. (2018). Policy Manual/ I: Instruction. IIAC: Library Materials/ Selection and Adoption. Retrieved from https://www.vsb.bc.ca/District/Board-of-Education/Policy_Manual/I-Instruction/Chapter%20I%20Policy%20Manual/IIAC.pdf

Appendix A

Rubric to evaluate encyclopedias for student use as library reference resources (Fletcher, 2019)

Weak Resource	Adequate Resource	Strong Resource
Accuracy ·         Non-reputable publisher ·         Contributors/ authors unapparent ·         Lacks objectivity and obvious bias present	Accuracy ·         Generally reputable publisher ·         Contributors/ authors generally apparent ·         Objectivity and no obvious bias mostly present	Accuracy ·         Highly-recognized reputable publisher ·         Contributors/ authors apparent ·         Objectivity and no obvious bias present
Authority ·         Authors writing the articles or the publishers who distribute it are non-reputable ·         Contributors are not prominent in that subject area ·         Publishing company is non-reputable	Authority ·         Scholars who write the articles or the publishers who distribute it are generally reputable ·         Contributors are recognized in that subject area ·         Publishing company is generally reputable	Authority ·         Scholars who write the articles or the publishers who distribute it are reputable ·         Contributors are prominent in that subject area ·         Publishing company is reputable
Currency ·         Information dated (<10 years)	Currency ·         Information mostly current (>5 and ≤10 years)	Currency ·         Information current (<5 to10 years)
Format ·         Illustrations are dated, not functional, indistinct, difficult to follow, and inappropriate for the intended audience ·         Page layout is dysfunctional, unclear, and not suitable for the audience ·         Organizational formatting is not user friendly	Format ·         Illustrations are mostly current, functional, clear, easy to follow, and generally appropriate for the intended audience ·         Page layout is usually functional, clear, and suitable for the audience ·         Organizational formatting is generally user friendly	Format ·         Illustrations are current, functional, clear, easy to follow, and appropriate for the intended audience ·         Page layout is functional, clear, and suitable for the audience ·         Organizational formatting is user friendly and supports diverse learners
Indexing ·         Lacks detailed index for subjects and major subtopics ·         No image index	Indexing ·         Index for subjects, but major subtopics may not be present ·         Image index present or not	Indexing ·         Detailed index for subjects and major subtopics ·         Image index
Objectivity ·         Obvious or implicit biases excluded, emphasize, or deemphasize particular beliefs or groups of people ·         Obvious biases towards sponsors ·         Advertisements obviously embedded in text or images	Objectivity ·         Some obvious or implicit biases that exclude, emphasize, or deemphasize particular beliefs or groups of people ·         Some biases towards sponsors ·         Some advertisements embedded in text or images	Objectivity ·         No obvious or implicit biases that would excluded, emphasize, or deemphasize particular beliefs or groups of people ·         No obvious biases towards sponsors ·         No advertisements implicitly embedded in text or images
Scope ·         Inappropriate for the age group it claims to serve ·         Subject coverage uneven from discipline to discipline ·         Contemporary issues excluded	Scope ·         Generally appropriate for the age group it claims to serve ·         Subject coverage uneven from discipline to discipline ·         Some contemporary issues included	Scope ·         Appropriate for the age group it claims to serve ·         Subject coverage uniform from discipline to discipline ·         Contemporary issues included