Reference Materials & Services

Introduction

As LIBE 467 comes to a close, my journey with reference services and materials has just begun.  So much of the material being explored in this course is applicable to real-life experiences in the library.  At the beginning of the semester, I never fully realized the depth of reference services and through the final six weeks of the course, I am now better equipped to deal with reference materials when evaluating and acquiring resources that suit a particular school culture and support the curriculum.

Scope

Despite the general consensus that non-fiction circulation is in decline, I discovered through my learning that an effective teacher-librarian needs to create a sense of balance within the library between digital and print reference services.  A well-balanced collection appeals to a variety of different learning and teaching styles and increases the potential of success for students.  I was particularly inspired by a TedX (2009) titled "How I Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba that reminded me of the notion that not all students have equitable and equal access to resources and that the learning commons is essential to developing all students learning.  Through his talk, William demonstrated the power that libraries have to create a safe place for students to explore topics of interest.  This is especially prevalent with B.C.'s new curriculum that encourages experiential and personalized learning.

Conclusion

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Through the last theme of the course, I have a greater sense of appreciation for reference services and materials.   The role of a teacher-librarian is never static as information is in a constant state of change and the teacher-librarian has the power to enable students to learn effective information literacy skills that foster critical thinking and questioning techniques.  This is particularly challenging with respect to digital resources, the web, and grey literature (which is a concept I still struggle with).  Change is inevitable and knowing selection and evaluation criteria for each type of reference material (encyclopedia, digital database, atlas etc.) is essential in determining the validity of removing or adding a resource to the library based on a variety of criteria such as cost, accuracy, currency, vendor, authority, format, scope, etc) in order to best support student learning.  Resources that I've been exposed to through this course such as Riedling's (2013) "Reference Skills for the School Librarian: Tool and Tips" will be invaluable moving forward in my career.


References

1. Kamkwamba, William. (2009). "How I Harnessed the Wind". TEDX.

2. Riedling, A. M., Shake, L., & Houston, C. (2013). Reference skills for the school librarian: tools and tips. Santa Barbara, CA: Linworth, an imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC.