Journey with Jen

Critical literacy in the library learning commons (LLC) starts with staff and strong collection development (Browne, 2017). Thus, I would introduce critical literacy in the library learning commons by providing a strong, dynamic and responsive collection which includes a variety of formats such as print, digital and nonprint resources to meet users learning and professional needs (Mardis, 2021). I would also start the school year by introducing staff to the internet reference resources we have available through staff meetings, emails and tutorial sessions. Next, I would use my collaboration time with staff modelling and co-planning the use of internet reference resources with their class. I would specifically teach staff and students about the deep web, databases, the library catalogue, encyclopedias, dictionaries and the thesaurus, as well as atlases. The Deep Web Although I wouldn’t use it directly with my students, I could access information from academic databases that are availa...

      Assignment #3: Evaluation Plan to Improve your Reference Services   Jennifer Schacker Department of Language and Literacy Education, University of British Columbia LIBE467: Information Services 1 Richard Beaudry March 30, 2024   Introduction Good morning, I would like to thank you in advance for your time and consideration! The reason for this meeting is to get approval to update and modernize the reference area of the Library Learning Commons. With B.C.’s redesigned inquiry-based curriculum educators and learners need access to quality, relevant and credible information that meets their needs (Reidling, 2019). Research on school libraries and achievement indicates there is a meaningful relationship between the quality of information services provided in the library and student learning demonstrated on state and national achievement tests (Scholastic, 2016). It is essential to have a variety of formats available in the reference are...

  Is a print reference section needed in today’s digital world? This is a good question. On one side of the argument some would say that print resources are outdated. Is this true? One the other side some would argue print resources are essential. Is this true? My answer is we need both. “As Reidling and Houston (2019) state “a reference resource is materials, from books to Web sites to periodicals to photographs, which can be found anywhere in the library or online” (p.203). Therefore, eliminating reference sections (e.g., dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases) is not the answer. What would be the plan for my library learning commons (LLC)? The plan for my LLC is to be a place where the teacher-librarian is available to help students through the reference process. This process according to Reidling and Houston (2019) involves three elements - information, student, and answer. To find answers students must first find information to meet their needs. This is done in my LLC by "activ...