Lesson 4 - Print and/or Electronic Reference Materials

During this lesson our class was asked "Are those of us who support both print and electronic reference sources fighting a losing battle? How do student preferences for electronic resources affect your purchasing?"

I realize students are drawn to Google and electronic resources on the internet before a book in the library. I am not sure if this is due to easy of accessing a computer or if it due to a shift in paradigms. Overall, I do not think think we are losing a battle. Students still need access to print based resources. As stated in our Lesson 4 notes, "General Encyclopedias, Atlases, Fact Books, Glossaries, Dictionaries etc. are all available on the web, but they should also be a major part [of] the traditional print collection in a school library as they are important references to have available for the initial stages of research" (Lesson 4, 2012). Many students still come to the library and ask teacher librarians, 'Do you have any books on [insert topic here]? We should, however, be prepared for a time when publishing companies stop producing print copies. Until then it is our responsibility to provide a successful blend of print and electronic resources.

One teacher librarian I have talked to tries to set aside time in her library classes to teach students about new electronic resources so they can access them at home for homework uses. She has even gone to Parent Advisory Committee meetings and held mini workshops on the electronic resources the school has subscriptions with. Her workshops are designed to show parents what resources they can use at home to help their children with homework, or with research projects. She shows them how to access the school's library catalog and has each parent practice applying the skills on computers.

Student preferences should play a role in the selection process. If students prefer using electronic resources then those resources should be available. I, however, do not think it is simply enough to have the resources available. Teacher librarians can say 'Oh, don't forget about the e-resources.' It is great to mention, but the students need to be taught how to access, and apply the information they collect from the electronic resource. These are skills that should be pre-taught. Additionally, I believe, our electronic resources should be supported by our print reference materials and reinforce the information collected from the electronic resources. As the quote mentions, these 'have to be available for the initial stages of research.'

References

Letain, A. (2012). Lecture notes: Lesson 4 - Print and/or Electronic Reference Materials. Univerisity of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia.