Assignment 3: Evaluation Plan to Improve Reference Services

Assignment 3: Evaluation Plan to Improve Reference Services 

Introduction 

School libraries are a hub for information, learning, and collaboration. Teacher librarians must ensure their library has ample reference materials to support students in their reference needs and development as information literate citizens. In order to ensure students’ information needs are met by the library’s reference resources, teacher librarians must evaluate their reference collection, both print and digital, and make improvements accordingly. Digital reference resources are a key part of teaching students to become information literate in an increasingly digital world. Ecole Elm School is currently a French and English dual-track Kindergarten – Grade 6 school. However, with the construction of a new French Immersion K-8 school in the neighborhood underway, the current school will become an English K-8 school in the 2024/25 school year. The change in language programming and grade levels will mean a change to the information needs of the students and therefore a change to the digital reference resources available to students. This report seeks to analyze and evaluate the digital reference materials available to students in our school and to plan for improvements to our digital reference collection for the future.  

Part 1: Evaluation of the Digital Reference Collection and Services 

Currently, the students at Ecole Elm School have access to a few online reference materials through their divisional home page when they login to a device using their divisional login information. These reference resources include EBSCOhost, Encyclopedie Universalis Junior, World Book Online, and the LRSD Digital Library. Students and teachers are not able to access their EBSCOhost, Encyclopedie Universalis Junior, or World Book Online accounts from outside of the school wifi network. No further reference resource links are provided for students, nor are they communicated about by the library staff. Students have limited access to the school library to ask for support with navigating or finding information on digital resources due to the full schedule of the library support staff with classes for book circulation and due to the Teacher-Librarian role being a 0.5 position in a school of approximately 775 students. The Teacher-Librarian teaches classes how to access the library’s digital resources at the beginning of the year, when requested by classroom teachers. 

Image 1: A screenshot of the divisional home page where students can access links to digital library resources.  

The CASL provides criteria for the development of library collections using the indicators below standard, acceptable, and exemplary (Asselin, et al.). I have developed a rubric to assess the school’s digital reference collection, using evaluation criteria from Asselin et al. in addition to aspects of Riedling (2019)’s evaluation process criteria: content scope, accuracy, presentation, and accessibility.  

Digital Reference Collection Rubric 

	Below Standard	Acceptable	Exemplary
Content Scope	Materials support  some of the  Curriculum (Asselin et al., 33).    Students are able to find some of the information they require on the available digital resources when researching and engaging in inquiry.	Materials support  much of the  curriculum (Asselin et al., 33).    Students are able to find most of the information they require on the available digital resources when researching and engaging in inquiry.	Materials support all  of the curriculum (Asselin et al., 33).    Students are able to find all the information they require on the available digital resources when researching and engaging in inquiry.
Accuracy	Information on the author, editors, and contributors is not present on web resources or is difficult to locate.	Most web resources contain information about “the education and experience of the authors, editors, and contributors” (Riedling, p. 23).	The web resources contain clear information about “the education and experience of the authors, editors, and contributors, as well as the reputation of the publisher or sponsoring agency” (Riedling, p. 23).
Presentation	Students are not able to navigate to the reference resources without adult support due to an unclear layout and no visuals.	Younger students require some support with how to access the digital reference collection as visuals are limited.	“layout, navigational links, motion, and sound in electronic formats should be functional, clear, and suitable for the audience” (Riedling, p. 67).   Students (K-8) are able to get to the reference resources with independence due to the digital reference collection ease of use and visuals.
Accessibility	Students and teachers can access the school library’s electronic databases in the library. Digital reference resources are not accessible at home or in the classroom.	Students and teachers can access the school library’s electronic databases from the classroom and library. Digital reference resources are not accessible at home.	“students and teachers can access all of the school library’s electronic databases and digital resources (e.g. video) from their classrooms and from their homes” (Asselin et al., 48).  “Innovative learning resources are available and access to digital resources is possible from home and school” (Asselin et al., 26).
Computer  Software  Programs:  Curriculum related,  instructional,  reference, library  management,  production,  administration,  utility, etc.  Subscribed and free  online databases  Internet access CASL 30	Elementary:  1 reference database  5 curricular  programs  Word processing  Software    Middle School:  Less than 5  reference databases  5 curricular  programs  Word processing  software  Spreadsheet  software  Web page  development  software (Asselin et al., 30)	Elementary:  1 reference database  5 curricular  programs  Electronic  encyclopedia  Internet access  Presentation,  database utility &  word processing  Software    Middle School:  5 reference  databases  5 curricular  programs  Electronic  encyclopedias  Internet access  Presentation,  database utility,  spreadsheet, & word  processing software  and web page  development  programs (Asselin et al., 30)	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 (Asselin et al., 30)
Types of Digital Reference Resources Available	Students can access 1 or 2 types of digital reference materials including: bibliographies, ready-reference tools, biographical sources, dictionaries, encyclopedias, geographical sources, indexes and abstractions, periodicals, and databases.	Students can access only some digital reference materials including: bibliographies, ready-reference tools, biographical sources, dictionaries, encyclopedias, geographical sources, indexes, periodicals, and databases.	Students can access all digital reference materials including: bibliographies, ready-reference tools, biographical sources, dictionaries, encyclopedias, geographical sources, indexes and abstractions, periodicals, and databases.

 

Part 2: Rationale for Improvement 

 

Greater Variety of Reference Resources Required: The British Columbia Ministry of Education (2002), states that learning resources should “support teachers in providing learning opportunities to develop information technology and media literacy skills” (p. 1). Additionally, Asselin et al., include “uses traditional and digital tools effectively and efficiently to access all information and media formats” as an indicator for being an information literate citizen (p. 17). For students to achieve information literacy they must have the opportunities to experience and explore a greater variety of digital resources. As indicated by the rubric, our students currently only have access to a few digital reference resources through the school library. The school library must expand on the types of digital reference resources that students can access in order to fulfill their information needs and to help them develop further as information literate citizens. With the currently limited number of digital reference resources available, students and teachers are not able to locate the information they require for inquiry projects using the library reference resources. For example, a grade 5/6 teacher on staff regularly uses Google as the main online research tool for her students because she has become frustrated with students not being able to successfully find information to their research questions on the limited digital reference resources offered by the library. Furthermore, the upcoming change to include grade 7 and 8 students in the school population will require more advanced online reference resources. 

 

Asselin et al., lists the following supports and functions of resources available in and/or accessible through the school library:  

• “Resource-based teaching and learning  

• Individual and group research 

• Individual and group reading/viewing/listening  

• Development of lifelong learning skills 

• Development of information literacy skills  

• Development of technological skills 

• Development of media literacy skills 

• Development of the love of reading and appreciation of literature  

• Implementation and enrichment of the curriculum  

• Diverse needs and interests of students” (p. 24). 

With such a limited number of digital reference resources, our digital reference collection is currently unable to meet all of these functions.  

 

At-Home Access to Digital Reference Resources Required:  In order to achieve exemplary criteria for I.C.T. in schools, Asselin et al. state students and teachers must be able to “access all of the school library’s electronic databases and digital resources from their classrooms and from their homes” (p. 48). As indicated by the above rubric, students and teachers are currently only able to access the electronic databases and resources at school. Students and teachers attempting to access EBSCO or World Book Online at home will be successful in accessing the information they need. Students who have projects to research at home must instead rely on less reliable sources for their learning. Teachers have complained about the lack of access to the library’s digital reference resources at home when they are planning for research projects. Most recently, a grade ¾ teacher planning a research project on Arctic Animals wanted to check that the digital reference resources available through the library would meet her students' needs prior to planning for her class to use these references. Since she was unable to verify at home while she was planning that all the information her students needed would be available on EBSCO and/or World Book Online, she used free websites and posted links to those websites for her students to access via Microsoft Teams. As a result, her students did not use the library’s references for their research.  

 

Image 2: A screenshot indicating that student and teacher EBSCO accounts cannot be accessed from home.  

A More User-Friendly Virtual Reference Service Required: Riedling (2019) explains that “the school librarian acts as a mediator between the perplexed student and too much, or too little, information. As a mediator, the school librarian weighs the good, the bad, and the indifferent data and locates accurate sources to meet the information needs of students” (p. 5). Currently, students do not have adequate ability to access the “good” resources curated by the teacher librarian. The webpage where students access the few resources available is a very busy webpage with few visuals to support young students (see image 1). This webpage is also only available once a student signs onto their Office 365 account which is very difficult for young students in kindergarten to grade 3 to do without adult support. Students in K-2 most often use iPads rather than laptops as they are able to navigate iPads more independently. Ideally, K-2 students should be able to click on one icon on an iPad home screen to be directed to a visually appealing, engaging website that will provide them to links for digital reference resources curated by the librarian, without the use of a login. If students are able to access the “good” digital reference resources independently, the support of the teacher librarian and classroom teacher can be focused on helping students find answers to their questions within the “good” resources, rather than just trying to get to the resource. Riedling (2019) notes that finding information “is difficult for young students because they lack key levels of development in their cognitive, literacy, and technical abilities” (p. 12) therefore, we must do all we can to support children by improving the way they access reference resources.   

 

Part 3: Improvement Plan  

Plan: 

To improve the library’s digital reference resource collection, a virtual learning commons with links to a greater variety of digital reference materials will be developed to meet the research needs of all of our K-8 learners. A virtual library learning commons “is not a replacement for the physical LLC but an extension of it to make the LLC available to students and learners 24/7” (Canadian School Libraries, n.d.). While a full virtual learning commons with connections to all aspects of the LLC will be beneficial to our school, this improvement will begin by focusing on the development of a digital reference collection accessible through the Virtual LLC. The new digital reference collection within the virtual LLC will include: 

1. A greater number of digital reference resources (including both free and paid). 
2. A greater variety of types of digital references (bibliographies, ready-reference tools, biographical sources, dictionaries, encyclopedias, geographical sources, indexes, periodicals, and databases). 
3. Visuals to support younger students to navigate the collection more independently. 
4. Reference resources that have been evaluated using the Digital Resources Evaluation Form (British Columbia Ministry of Education, p. 53-54).
5. The ability for students to access the digital collection at school on iPads and laptops, without the use of a login. 

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Team Members: 

The plan to develop a virtual learning commons with access to digital reference materials will require the collaboration of the teacher librarian, classroom teachers, and administrators. Student input and feedback will also be beneficial as we seek to meet their reference needs. While the Teacher Librarian has “additional training and expertise in school librarianship and information literacy,” (Asselin et al., p. 7) “a collaborative team of educators is required to achieve information literacy and successful school library programs and services” (p. 52). Most classroom teachers at Ecole Elm School regularly integrate technology into their instruction and will have ideas of reference resources to contribute to the digital reference collection on the virtual library learning commons. It will be the responsibility of the teacher librarian to assess the value and authority of the resources using the Digital Resources Evaluation Form. Administrators will be involved as budgets for some online digital reference resources may need to be increased.  

Timeline: 

The goal is to have the improved and expanded digital reference resource collection available on a virtual library learning commons by the beginning of the 2024/25 school year when Ecole Elm School becomes a K-8 English School. By September 2023, the Teacher Librarian will have compiled a list of reference resources to begin assessing reference resources. By December 2023, the TL will integrate approved resources into collaborative projects with classroom teachers to further assess whether the resources suit the needs of our learners. By March 2024, the TL will finalize the list of resources and budget accordingly for the upcoming school year for any paid subscription databases or other resources. During the fall of 2024, the teacher librarian will communicate the final improvements to teachers and provide professional development on using the library’s digital reference resource collection.  

 

Communication of Change: 

The British Columbia Ministry of Education provides ideas of activities that librarians can use to “promote the availability, location, and curricular relevance of the resources” (p. 97). The list of activities includes: 

“• presentations at school board meetings, district executive-level meetings, staff meetings, department meetings, grade level meetings, parents’ meetings, etc.  

 • in-service and support in the district evaluation and selection of online databases 

 • production and distribution of pamphlets, newsletters, posters, etc. 

 • advertisement of central facilities, school facilities, and new resources 

• displays for district staff, school staff, and students” (p. 97). 

The TL will begin by presenting at staff meetings to ensure staff know about the availability of the online reference resource collection. While presenting, the TL will offer to collaborate with classroom teachers and to instruct their students on how to access the collection and its resources. Additionally, as new resources are added to the collection or further improvements are made, the TL will email staff to ensure the existence of these resources is not forgotten in the busyness of a school year. As the Teacher Librarian plans to communicate to the staff about the changes to the online reference resource collection, they must remember that not all staff members will be at the same level or use or stage of concern on the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) and therefore their approach will need to be varied depending on the stage of individual teachers. For example, for teachers in the orientation phase, Huang (n.d.) suggests the use of workshops, or questions and answer sessions. A teacher in the refinement level of use may benefit more from “observation of a colleague using strategies” (Huang, n.d.). The best way for the TL to reach all staff members and to ensure the new digital reference resource collection is being used it to collaborate with teachers, meet them where they are at in their level of use, and help teachers see that the changes will improve the learning outcomes of their students.  

 

 

References

 

Asselin, M., Branch, J., & Oberg, D., (Eds). 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  

British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2002). Evaluating, Selecting, and Managing Learning Resources: A Guide. Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data. http://web.fg.tp.edu.tw/~earth/vision/upfile/1_472fde3458a44.pdf 

Canadian School Libraries (CSL). (n.d.). Appendix 6: Building a Virtual Learning Commons – Leading Learning. Canadian School Libraries. Retrieved March 26, 2023, from https://llsop.canadianschoollibraries.ca/appendix-6-building-a-virtual-learning-commons/ 

Huang, P.S. (n.d.). Levels of Use. Concerns-Based Adoption Model. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://sites.google.com/site/ch7cbam/home/levels-of-use 

Riedling, A. M., & Houston, C. (2019). Reference skills for the school librarian: Tools and tips (4th ed.). Libraries Unlimited, an imprint of ABC CLIO, LLC.