Reference Service Improvement Plan

 

Analysis of Reference Services

In “Reference Skills for the School Librarian”, Riedling states that “The purpose of reference and information service is to align information to flow efficiently from information sources to those who need it” (Riedling, 3). Yet factual information isn’t flowing in the Westview library. Only 27% of the library resources circulated this year have been non-fiction. Some categories, such as Language or Religion, have had virtually no resources circulated.

Dewey Decimal Range

% of Resources Circulated

0-100

1.99%

100-199

0.39%

200-299

0.01%

300-399

2.69%

400-499

0.02%

500-599

15.55%

600-699

3.49%

700-799

28.87% Not included in the total of non-fiction resources circulated as most of these were fictional graphic novels.

800-899

0.66%

900-999

2.61%

 

Improving Reference Services

Riedling states that “The reference collection occupies at least two places in the library — on bookshelves in a separate section and on the school library Web page” (Riedling, 17).  Let’s look at how these areas can be improved at Westview.

Physical Reference Resources in the Library

Physical reference resources are not located in their own section in the library. Grammar resources, for example, are housed in the 370’s while atlases are housed in the 912’s. This makes it difficult for students to quickly locate reference materials to answer a question. Worse still, the library collection does not have any sets of encyclopedia or almanacs that would help students efficiently find information.  

Plan for Improvement

1.       Move reference materials into their own section and rearrange the shelves so that this section takes up prominent real estate in the library

 

-          I have already spoken with a teacher who will help reorganize the library

-          This will take place on our next professional development day in May

-          Each class will take part in a reference scavenger hunt to highlight the library’s reference materials.

 

2.       Purchase new reference resources (many suggested by Riedling) such as “The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2023”, “Roget’s International Thesaurus 2019”, “The New Children’s Encyclopedia 2022”, and the “Student’s Oxford Canadian Dictionary”.

 

-          This will be done immediately

-          I will showcase the new reference items at the grade team meetings and encourage staff to partner with me to use these resources

 

Online Reference Resources

The North Vancouver School District pays for our school to access B.C. Digital Classroom resources. These reference materials go far beyond what the school library could pay for on its own. Yet they are enormously underused by staff and students robbing both groups of valuable learning opportunities.

Plan for Improvement

-          Seek help from a fellow Teacher Librarian to add links on the school library webpage to

B.C. Digital Classroom resources. This will happen in June.

-          Highlight the new web page at our staff meeting as well as during library class times.

-          Upload images of students at work in the library (so long as their parents have given digital consent) to encourage student traffic to the library webpage

-          In June, I will also ask the District Principal for Libraries who decides what B.C. Digital Classroom resources we subscribe to. Teacher Librarians should have a say in this.

Teacher Librarian Professional Development

Riedling states that “In order to efficiently and effectively conduct reference services, the school librarian should possess three things: knowledge of the collection, effective communication skills, and competence in selecting, organizing, and evaluating resources” (Riedling, 15).  

I do not yet know the collection as well as I should. This means that I am not always as able to help students find the right resource. Nor do I have the time in my day to effectively conduct reference interviews. This limits how much I am able to help students and staff, as well as limiting relationship building time. Finally, I have not organized my time well between selection and deselection of resources, and between purchasing of fiction and non-fiction resources. The reference section has not improved as much as it should have this year because of this.

 

Plan for Improvement

-          Schedule in one hour solely for weeding weekly. By weeding, I will get to know the collection much better. I will start immediately.

-          I spend more of the budget on fiction than non-fiction resources. This is a personal bias. At the next grade team meetings, I will ask staff for a triaged list of the Social Studies and Science units most poorly resourced in the library. I will work towards the International Federation of Library Association and Institutions goal that in a library “At least 60% of the stock should consist of curriculum-related non-fiction resources” (https://repository.ifla.org/bitstream/123456789/510/1/77.pdf).

-          I will set aside one period a week solely for reference interviews starting immediately. With teacher permission, students can come to the library to search for information. This time will help me build relationship with students as well as giving me more time to help answer their questions.

-          At Grade Team Meetings, institute a 5 minute check in where staff discuss a unit they are working on. This will help me better align library instruction to classroom learning, and better direct library spending. The goal is for the library to “work with teachers to build habits of mind and skills for working in a collaborative world” (https://llsop.canadianschoollibraries.ca/collaborative-engagement/).

 

Works Cited

“Facilitating Collaborative Engagement to Cultivate and Empower a Community of Learners.” Leading Learning, Leading Learning, https://llsop.canadianschoollibraries.ca/collaborative-engagement/.

Pemmer Saetre, Tove, and Glennys Willars. The IFLA/UNESCO School Library Guidelines. International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, https://repository.ifla.org/bitstream/123456789/510/1/77.pdf.

Riedling, Ann Marlow, and Cynthia Houston. Reference Skills for the School Librarian: Tools and Tips. Libraries Unlimited, an Imprint of ABC CLIO, LLC, 2019.

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