LIBE 467 Final Post: The Reference Section

 

The Reference Section: LIBE 467 Final Blog post

Andrea Koehn

                When someone mentions the reference section of the library I still picture a dusty shelf with an old dictionary, some torn atlases and an out of date encyclopedia set. Even though I know that the section encompasses so much more than anthologies and indexes, that is still the first picture in my mind. Even though we have discussed digital resources for weeks my brain still wants to separate digital resources from print resources. Things like Nat Geo Kids or Kids Britannica online feel like a completely different entity and separated from the ratty magazines and old encyclopedias that we had when I was growing up. I think it is due to the interactive elements of the digital reference resources as well as their large capacity.

                When I started the course I thought that a course on reference materials and skills would hold zero real world meaning for me as the atlases that the school had were an out of date class set (not part of the library collection) and the dictionaries also live in the classes. I did not see a place for reference materials as part of an elementary library collection. What I was not taking into account were all of the resources that we already have that would count as reference materials. There are plenty of engaging reference resources that are used in my library. Some examples are:

 

Plus E-Resources like The First Peoples’ Map of B.C. , EBSCO Kids Magazine, The Canadian Encyclopedia ,and these:

At the beginning of the course it was difficult for me to envision Reference skills and materials as an essential part of an elementary library, however over the duration of the course I have come to realize that it was a part of the collection and practice all along. Reference Interviews were happening within conversations and surveys, print encyclopaedias and other materials were being circulated according to interest, and I have been sharing digital resources with students and staff. The course has helped me to identify areas that need growth and work as well as given me the confidence to weed and evaluate the resources that the collection has with authority. Digital resources in our district are largely provided and vetted by the District Learning Commons, however, I am now able to evaluate digital reference materials better as well. I have a lot of work to do to curate and make my print collection as usable as the digital collection is, but that will be a focus for the next couple of years.