Assignment #1: Evaluation of a Reference Work

 

Assignment #1: Evaluation of a Reference Work 

Introduction 

Good morning, thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. Collaboration is essential for effective collection development (Reidling & Houston, 2019). The reason for this meeting is to address reference material in the library learning commons (LLC) specifically thesauri. As you know I have a thesaurus link on the LLC website but the need for updated physical copies has been a concern of mine, staff members and students due to limited laptop and iPad availability and internet connection. With the district focus on expanding vocabulary skills in both reading and writing I decided to create an evaluative rubric to assess the relevancy, purpose, currency, and curricular connection of the Thesauri currently housed in the LLC.  As you know, one of my jobs is the provision of information and I want teachers, students, and parents to know we have acceptable or even exemplary resources in the LLC.

Part 1: Evaluate a reference resource in the library learning commons.

To create the following rubric, I used information provided in Achieving Information Literacy: Standards for School Library Programs in Canada (Asselin, Branch, & Oberg, 2003) and Reference Skills for the School Librarian: Tools and Tips (Reidling & Houston, 2019).  The following criteria was assessed:

Relevancy

ü  Authority – is the publisher reputable?

ü  Cost – is it budget friendly?

ü  Demand – is it available and in need?

Purpose

ü  Format – is it readable, are illustrative examples included?

ü  Scope – how broad is its focus?

ü  Accessibility – is it physically accessible to all students?

ü  Indexing – is an alphabetical index included?

Currency

ü  Updated and revised – is it current?

Curriculum connection

ü  Does it align with curriculum? 

Rubric for Assessing the print Reference Resource:

Spooner, A. (1991). The Oxford children's thesaurus. Oxford University Press.

Reference	Below standard	Acceptable	Exemplary
Authority	Not one of the reputable publishers.   No Canadian content.	Reputable publishers such as Merriam-Webster, Random House, Scott Foresman/Pearson, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, and Oxford University Press.   Little or no Canadian content.	One of Canada’s leading publishers of children’s books and educational material.   Canadian content.   United Library Services Choice   Starred review and selected titles.
Accuracy	Includes a few words likely to be used in reading and writing by an elementary student.   Print size – small and overwhelming number of words on a page.   Boldface type used.   Clear and not user friendly.	Includes some words likely to be used in reading and writing by an elementary student.   Print size – relatively small and lots of words on a page.   Boldface type used in one colour effectively.   Clear and somewhat user friendly	Includes words likely to be used in reading and writing by an elementary student.   Print size – large enough.   Boldface type in two colours used effectively.   Clear and user friendly.
Cost	Expensive.   No discount.   Pay for shipping.	Less expensive.   20% discount through local bookstore and ULS.   Free shipping	Little or no cost to the LLC.   Budget friendly   Free shipping
Demand	Out of print	Copies available	Part of starter collection
Scope	Not appropriate for age group it claims to serve.	Somewhat appropriate for age group it claims to serve.	Appropriate for age group it claims to serve.
Format	No definitions   Example sentence   No Illustrative examples   No guide words.   Not colourful and attractively designed.   Pocketbook size	Definition for headword   More than one example sentence   Some Illustrative examples   Guide word used	Definition provided for headwork and synonyms.   More than two example sentences   Illustrative examples in colour with children depicted from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.   Guide words used.   Colourful and attractively designed.   Nice size
Indexing	No index	Includes index	Includes alphabetical index with guide words.
Currency	Not revised or updated.   Copyright over 30 years	Revised and updated but not most recent edition.	Revised and updated.  Most recent edition.
Curricular Connection	Materials support some of the curriculum	Materials support much of the curriculum	Material supports all the curriculum
Accessibility	Physically accessible to most users	Physically accessible to all users most of the time	Physically accessible to all users

 

After completing the evaluation, the Oxford Children’s Thesaurus was below standard in many areas.  The worst area was currency.  The thesaurus was published in 1991 and is out of print.  There is a new version of the Oxford Children’s Thesaurus that looks drastically different in physical size, age level it serves and format. Since I have been in the library, I have never seen a student or teacher use it.  In addition to looking dated it is advanced for the age group it claims to serve compared to the newer edition. In my opinion it should be weeded and replaced with a more updated resource.

 Part 2: Find, select, evaluate, and review a potential resource that can replace/upgrade this reference resource.

 Next, I will use the same rubric to examine, select, evaluate, and review a potential resource that can replace/upgrade the existing material.

 Rubric for Assessing the print Reference Resource:

Bollard, J. K. (2006). Scholastic children's thesaurus. Scholastic Inc.

Reference	Below standard	Acceptable	Exemplary
Authority	Not one of the reputable publishers.   No Canadian content.	Reputable publishers such as Merriam-Webster, Random House, Scott Foresman/Pearson, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, and Oxford University Press.   Little or no Canadian content.	One of Canada’s leading publishers of children’s books and educational material.   Canadian content.   United Library Services Choice   Starred review and selected title.
Accuracy	Includes a few words likely to be used in reading and writing by an elementary student.   Print size – small and an overwhelming number of words on a page.   Boldface type used.   Clear and not user friendly.	Includes some words likely to be used in reading and writing by an elementary student.   Print size – relatively small and a lot of words on one page.   Boldface type used in one colour effectively.   Clear and somewhat user friendly	Includes words likely to be used in reading and writing by an elementary student.   Print size – large enough to easy read.   Boldface type in two colours used effectively.   Clear and user friendly.
Cost	Expensive.   No discount.   Pay for shipping.	Less expensive.   20% discount through local bookstore.   Free shipping	Little or no cost to the LLC.   Budget friendly   Free shipping
Demand	Out of print	Copies available	Part of ULS’ Starter Collection
Scope	Not appropriate for age group it claims to serve.	Somewhat appropriate for age group it claims to serve.	Appropriate for age group it claims to serve.
Format	No definition   No Illustrative examples   No guide words	Definition provided for headword.   Some Illustrative examples   Guide word used	Definition provided for headword and synonyms.   Illustrative examples in colour with children depicted from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.   Guide words used.   Colourful and attractively designed.   Good physical size
Indexing	No index	Includes index	Includes alphabetical index with guide words.
Currency	Not revised or updated.	Revised and updated but not most recent edition.	Revised and updated.  Most recent edition.
Curricular Connection	Materials support some of the curriculum	Materials support much of the curriculum	Material supports all the curriculum
Accessibility	Physically accessible to most users	Physically accessible to all users most of the time	Physically accessible to all users

 

This resource is new and updated.  It provides Canadian content and is user friendly. It is recommended and a part of the ULS’ reviewed and starred resources.  Although physical accessibility remains the same, I think the updated version will be accessed more by students and staff. It is 27cm which is a nice size for reading. It includes an alphabetical index which helps with finding a word. The illustrative examples are in colour and are depicted with children from various ethnic backgrounds. Finally, it is published by a Canadian leader in children’s books and educational resources.  For these reasons I am requesting six new physical Thesauri to use in the library for general reference, for library centers that teach children the different reference resources available as well as for classroom teachers to use for reference in their writing centers. I don’t need a class set but six physical copies of this Thesaurus would be beneficial. Some studies tie the school library and information skills instruction directly to student achievement (Reidling & Houston, 2019).  The price to purchase these six thesauri is not that significant and the thesauri can be used repeatedly over time.  After checking the price at Titlewave, United Library Services and Polar Peek Books (local bookstore) the best price was at Polar Peek Book & Treasury.  Each Thesaurus would cost $21.59 at the local bookstore compared to $26.99.  To purchase six Thesauri plus tax from Polar Peek Books & Treasures it would cost $145.09.

Conclusion

Although online Thesauri are available at no cost, there are many advantages to purchasing physical resources. I hope I have convinced you that it would be beneficial for everyone if we purchase six new physical Thesauri for the reference section in the LLC. According to Bollard (2006) “this reference book will not only help children succeed in school but will forever enrich their writing.”

References

About scholastic. (n.d.). Scholastic Canada. https://www.scholastic.ca/aboutscholastic/

Bollard, J. K. (2006). Scholastic children's thesaurus. Scholastic Inc.

My first Canadian Oxford thesaurus · Canadian book review annual online. (2003). Canadian Book Review Annual Online. https://cbra.library.utoronto.ca/items/show/24181

Riedling, A. M., & Houston, C. (2019). Reference skills for the school librarian: Tools and tips (4th ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing USA.

School starter collections. (2024). ULS. https://www.uls.com/Info?serv_starter

Spooner, A. (1991). The Oxford children's thesaurus. Oxford University Press.

Uls. (2024). ULS. https://www.uls.com/Search.aspx