Evaluation Plan to Improve Reference Services

Assignment 3:

LIBE 467 63D

Natasha Stutz

March 15, 2018

Note: As I am not yet employed as a Teacher-Librarian, this evaluation plan is based off a fictional library here in the South Okanagan. The library will henceforth be named the South Okanagan Library (SOL for short). 



Context

The SOL is comprised of approximately 1500 students in grades 9-12. It is located near the city center and is one of two secondary schools in Penticton. The school is run on a mixed linear and semester system, the linear classes being reserved for the grade nine and ten students. Each day consists of four periods roughly eighty minutes in length, with two nutrition breaks and a forty five minute lunch break. The first period starts at 8:30 and the last ends at 3 pm. The library is on the second of three floors in the school and is open from 7:30 am - 4:00 pm.



Analysis of the Reference Center

The SOL is staffed by two part-time Teacher Librarians and one full time Library Technician who also services other schools in the district. The layout of the library is a large open room with the reference desk in one corner beside the entrance. The fiction books are arranged along the perimeter wall according to genre, and the non-fiction/reference section is arranged in short stacks in diagonal opposition to the reference desk. At the end of each non-fiction stack there are displays for reference books including several Atlases, Dictionaries, and Thesauri.

There are five student computers setup along one corner nearest to the entrance of the adjacent computer room. The computer room's main access is through the library and the booking sheet is located at the reference desk. Aside from the Reference books just mentioned, the main reference collection is contained online. Resources available online include the Ebsco Research Databases (EBSCOHost), Gale, Media Smarts, and World Book; each of these subscriptions have been chosen at the district level. 

The aspect of the Reference center that I have chosen for improvement is visibility and accessibility of the Reference Services area. While the bulk of the Reference Collection is hosted online there is no signage indicating how students should access the collection. Off campus access has not yet been linked so students are only able to use the databases from the library itself. For a school of 1500 students with one computer lab accessible from the library, limited access to the online databases is not acceptable. Additionally, it is unclear on signing on to a computer how to access the databases, so clearer markers must be made here as well. The Teacher-Librarians are currently doing an excellent job in terms of extra hours of accessibility as the library facility is open well in advance and after school hours. 

Rationale

Accessibility to the reference collection needs to be improved so that those students who are unable to complete coursework during allotted school hours can continue that work at home. Additionally, off-campus access would aid teachers in preparing for lessons. One of the core components of selecting resources is ensuring "that the resources are easily accessible by staff and students"(Evaluating, Selecting and Managing Learning Resources: A Guide, page 87). Currently, students and staff are limited to using the reference collection on campus; as the reference collection is primarily online - this should not be the case. While the Library has extended operating hours to allow students extra opportunities to access the collection, those students who are restricted by bus schedules may still have a difficult time accessing the resources when needed. 

Action Plan

1.  The first step would be a self-evaluation of my reference services area as a whole - although accessibility definitely needs to be addressed and is what I'm choosing to focus on here, I would take this opportunity to determine whether there is anything missing from the reference collection itself, as well as whether other changes should and could be made at the same time. 
2. The next step I would take before I undergo a major change would be a Peer evaluation: as I am a new Teacher-Librarian I would seek out another TL in the district for assistance in the upgrades; what do they think of my reference area, what are they doing with theirs? 
3. Before implementing any major changes I would survey the staff as well. What do they hope to see in the Library? How often do they use the Library facilities? Have they used the reference databases within the school? 
4. I would want to ensure that students can access the resources as easily as possible immediately so I would create signage around the computer area detailing how to correctly login. I would also create research slips that would detail how to access the databases, and tips for effective research. 
5. Contact with IT personnel would help in terms of ensuring that students can login to the databases off-site, as well as being able to access and edit the school website with reference information. 

Timeline

A reasonable timeline for this change to begin to be implemented would be over the course of one to two semesters. I would hope to get correct signage installed within a week or two so the area immediately becomes more effective for student and teacher use; a self-evaluation could be completed within that same time period. The peer evaluation would be slightly dependent on the schedule of the peer, but I would hope to schedule that within a month and send out the staff survey at that same time. I have learned to always allow extra time for IT changes as they are quite busy so I would allow two months for contact with the IT person and plans for making the databases available off-campus. 

Realistically, as each student will need a login and password information to access the databases off-campus, it could take quite awhile to communicate and setup this information. Once it is set in place it could be part of the new student Library Orientation that occurs in September; until that point I would hope to choose a class such as the English classes, for a quick library research orientation. During this orientation we would discuss how to access the Reference Collection in school versus at home, proper research methods, and some tips and tricks to remember down the line. I think it is realistic that the quick research orientations would likely not be completed until the second semester of this change, marking the full implementation of this plan one school year. 

Resources Consulted

Beaudry, R. "Lesson 7: Evaluating Reference Services". Canvas.ubc.ca, 2018. Retrieved Feb 5, 2018, from https://canvas.ubc.ca/courses/1667/pages/lesson-7-evaluating-reference-services?module_item_id=161521

ERAC. (2008). Evaluating, Selecting and Acquiring Learning Resources: A Guide [PDF]. ERAC.  Retrieved March 15, 2018, from https://www.bcerac.ca/resources/whitepapers/docs/ERAC_WB.pdf

Riedling, A. M., Shake, L., & Houston, C. (2013). Reference skills for the school librarian: Tools and tips(3rd ed.). Santa Barbara: California.

Images

Accessibility Speech Bubble: "Skills Training Partnership." Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (2012). Retrieved 15 March 2018, from http://stp-pac.ca/stp-reg--blog/the-accessibility-for-ontarians-with-disabilities-act

Printable Timeline Clipart Timeline Clipart #7926 « ClipartPen. (2018). ClipartPen. Retrieved 15 March 2018, from http://clipartpen.com/clipart-pen/printable-timeline-clipart-7926/

Rice, M. (2018). Action Plan for Implementing Modifications in the Classroom - Your Therapy Source. Your Therapy Source. Retrieved 15 March 2018, from https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2016/10/03/action-plan-implementing-modifications-classroom/

Theme 3: Reference Material ~ The Final Blog Post

I walked (clicked?) into this course with a rather outdated view of references resources thinking of the dusty old, forgotten books that you weren't allowed to remove from the library. With that view in mind, I wasn't entirely sure how this course could possibly be useful for our techno-centered research methods that we are finding in our schools today. 

First of all, I wasn't exactly sure what reference materials even were; sure, Encyclopedias and Dictionaries - but what else? I was pleased to find that our very first lesson answered this query: "[reference materials] can be defined as materials, from book to periodical to photograph, designed to be consulted for definite items of information rather than to be examined consecutively." (Riedling, 18). While seeming quite straightforward, I still found my head to be a bit muddled with that definition until we worked with it a bit more doing discussion topics on specific reference materials - ie. this theme helped clear things up for me!

Secondly, it was becoming increasingly rare in my personal school experience to actually consult a physical book / journal for reference - why have a whole course around this topic if it wasn't being used anymore? I was delighted to find, as I have been throughout my LIBE Diploma thus far, that our instructors are staying very current in terms of teaching practices, methodologies, and what actually works today. What that meant for this course is that instead of just discussing which print Encyclopedia is worth purchasing, we discussed whether it made more sense to make a one-time purchase of an Encyclopedia set, or commit to an annual subscription of an online version, as well as explore the merits of crowd-sourced references such as Wikipedia. So for the purpose of brevity (something I am working on - I promise!), I'm going to just touch on a few of the highlights from this theme. 

Digital Resources, the Deep Web
This lesson if anything has taught me the vital role that reference resources play over simply "Googling it". I admit that I had not fully bought in until I realized how much information is available but often locked through database barriers and secured networks. This secure information - published journals and the like - is the kind of quality information that we want our students using to conduct their research. This video is gives an excellent explanation of what the deep web is in just over two minutes. 

Databases
I was once again pleasantly surprised by the discussion thread for this week. We were encouraged to check out our local library's research offerings - something I had never even considered prior to this week's lesson! I was very impressed that with just the use of my library card login I had access to many research journals, full documentaries and more! This was an important reminder of the tools that are available to us if we just seek them out - I had not considered using the public library to access databases - an eye opener!

Encyclopedias 
The video below really sums up my thoughts and the take-aways from this course in terms of Wikipedia's credibility and usefulness. It's short - and excellent: watch it!

Final Thoughts
I had no idea that in the world of reference services there would be so much new knowledge and practice! I love that as a Teacher-Librarian you are being forced to change and adapt to the new situations in the teaching world but also the tech world. All in all I've learned a ton (mostly in this course specifically!) and found that each discussion topic and assignment added some knowledge, tools and value in my journey to being a Teacher-Librarian. I am so glad that this course has far-surpassed my expectations - and I have learned that once again, it is best not to judge a course by its title. 

Bibliography

Mashable. "What is the Deep Web?" March 2014. Web. March 4, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UOK7aRmUtw&

Databases | Penticton Public Library. (2018). Penticton Public Library. Retrieved March 7, 2018. http://www.pentictonlibrary.ca/databases

Riedling, A. M., Shake, L., & Houston, C. (2013). Reference skills for the school librarian: Tools and tips(3rd ed.). Santa Barbara: California.

Seeker. "Is Wikipedia a Credible Source?". October 2013. Web. March 4, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHrGsxSpM5E