Reference Harmony

The readings talked about books vs online references in school libraries. This made me wonder if TLs can promote a harmonious relationship between their two resources in school libraries?

Would promoting the positive and negative sides of print and electronic references help them coexist with equal importance in the students' learning journey? This idea might be a bit challenging moving up to the higher grades because many older student's lives revolve around a digital world. Therefore, it is more important than ever to reinforce the benefits of books simultaneously with online resources for elementary school children so they become critical users of information.

Tips for creating a peaceful coexistence between the online and offline references:

Teaching students the similarities between print and online references.

Helping younger students understand how to navigate both sources could equal the playing field as students realize they can access the information at a similar rate. For example, both reference materials have elements such as titles, captions, diagrams, pictures, and a glossary. The similarities can promote easy transition between the two sources of information.

Using the same resource evaluation tool such as OPVL.

Our TLs use OPVL starting with students in grade 4 and are looking into simplifying it for younger grades. Typically library reference books don't need to be evaluated however referring to them in a resource evaluation lesson could teach students the value of both resources. Using such a tool could also promote the value of the printed material in the library since students don't need to spend time trying to determine if the resource is valuable. The evaluation process also fosters critical thinking skills which are essential when navigating a digital world.

Create a warm and inviting physical environment.

Providing space where students can sit with or curl up with a non-fiction book will foster the love of a good book. It is mentioned in the ​​Achieving information literacy: Standards for school library programs in Canada. , that when evaluating library facilities there needs to be consideration for the physical environment to ensure reference areas have "student seating with specialized furniture and equipment for the use of print, non-print, electronic/digital information sources". Creating a space that students want to be in which has equal access to both sources can be another element that encourages students to move easily between online and offline resources. A library space should also find inspiration from the students. Michael Bierut talks about the importance of finding inspiration from students and libraries in the Ted Talk How to build a library that makes kids want to read. to create a physical space fosters a sense of belonging.

Tools to help the use of online reference resources

Just as there are ways to even the playing field to promote books, we also need to remember that online resources can be the best options at times and therefore need to encourage students to understand when and how to use them. A negative side to online resources can be distracting advertisements. However, tools such as the Chrome extension Just Read removes distraction from the text. This tool is used by many of our students and is a favourite for those with learning challenges. Read & Write is another useful tool with text to voices, screen masking, highlighting, and a translator. Britannica is a great online reference site with beneficial features such as many different languages, read aloud, different reading levels, pictures, videos and text.

There are positives and negatives of both resources. Books can become out of date but the layout is typically easier to navigate. Online can be easily accessible outside of school and up to date but may have biases or distractions. There are also many articles such as Reading Online Vs Offline: What’s Best For Learning? and Reading on Screen vs Reading in Print that talk about the challenges when reading online. Speaking with students about the reasons for using a variety of reference resources empowers students to think critically about their own selection and determine what is the best for their learning.



Cited Resources

Asselin, M., Branch, J., & Oberg, D., (Eds).Achieving information literacy: Standards for school library programs in Canada. Links to an external site.Ottawa, ON: Canadian School Library Association & The Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada.

Allcott, L. (2021, October 11). Reading on-screen vs reading in print: What's the difference for learning? National Library. https://natlib.govt.nz/blog/posts/reading-on-screen-vs-reading-in-print-whats-the-difference-for-learning

Bierut, M. (2017, June 20). How to design a library that makes kids want to read [Video]. Ted Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_bierut_how_to_design_a_library_that_makes_kids_want_to_read

Mora, M. M. (n.d.). OPVL [Illustration]. American School of Warsaw. https://aswarsaw.libguides.com/p2/evaluation

Reading Online Vs Offline: What's Best For Learning? (n.d.). Oxford Learning. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.oxfordlearning.com/reading-online-vs-offline-whats-best-for-learning/