Encyclopedia Sets Are so 20th Century...Evaluation of a Reference Work

The reference section in the library at my school is miniscule. Most of the books in this section are specialized and specific to our local geography and culture. This seems like a win...until the eye is caught by a set of World Book Encyclopedias. This already looks out of place in the tiny reference section. The drab brown covers look old and worn next to the newer more colourful books, but the set itself takes up quite a bit of real estate. Upon further investigation I find that the set is from 1997. Why would a library keep a 22 year old set of encyclopedias? Is it that we feel an obligation to them? This is, after all, the only set in the library. Perhaps the librarian feels that it is her duty to house one set. Or maybe there's some nostalgia over her own experience as a student using the World Books to look up information. Riedling argues that “In all formats, encyclopedias remain essential reference sources for school libraries. A majority of ready-reference as well as research questions (to a degree), can be answered using encyclopedias, in all formats.” (71)

I can see a number of issues with this set in particular. The first and most

World Book, 1997

obvious is that the information in the set is not current. Take a look at the entries on computers, the planets (remember when Pluto qualified as the 9th planet in our solar system before being downgraded to dwarf?) or computers and the information in there is no longer relevant. Even the entry on terrorism is too old to include the most prominent attack of our generation.Of course, there will be many entries (such as historical events and figures) that will not change, but some relevant information is not justification enough to keep it on the shelves.

Secondly, the set is not a children's set and this is a K-7 library. The population of users who will be willing to pick up the encyclopedia and be able to understand the language and content is very small.

World Book, 1997

Third, the condition of the set is not good. In leafing through them there are a number of damaged pages and some pages are missing. The covers are dingy

and grimy. They are generally unattractive. The icing on the cake is that there is one volume missing from the set as well.

World Book, 1997

Finally, the school subscribes to a number of online databases, including 7 by World Book. These databases have already superseded the ancient print set on the shelf.

The World Book Encyclopedia, 1997

Evaluation of an Encyclopedia	Poor	Acceptable	Exceptional
Age	- published 15+ years ago	- published within last 10 years	- published <5 years
Authority	- publisher is not reputable - does not have prominent contributors	- may have some prominent contributors/authors	- reputable publisher - scholarly, prominent contributors/authors
Format	- few to no illustrations - black and white illustrations - print is small/difficult to decipher - index is difficult to locate and/or decipher - organizational features (such as alphabetized headings) are small or unclear - covers are unattractive	- some illustrations - some colour illustrations - print is somewhat easy to decipher - index is accessible - organizational features are somewhat user-friendly - covers are adequately attractive	- several engaging and informative illustrations - colour illustrations - clear and easy to decipher print - easily understood and accessible index and organizational features - engaging and attractive covers
Scope	- source is intended for age lower or higher than target group - subject coverage is not uniform - information is dated - current issues are not covered	- source may be somewhat appropriate for intended age group - subject coverage is somewhat uniform - some information is dated - some current issues are covered	- source is intended for age group that is using it - subject coverage is uniform - information is current - current issues are covered
Condition	- set is incomplete - pages damaged and/or missing - broken spines and/or covers separating from book - dirty pages and covers	- books are intact, no missing pages - any damage is minimal and does not affect use - there may be some wear and tear on the covers	- no missing pages - no damage - little to no wear and tear - covers and pages are clean

*Rubric criteria adapted and expanded upon from Riedling's Reference Skills for the School Librarian (p. 72)

Since we already subscribe to the current databases, one might argue that this set should simply be weeded and not replaced. However, Riedling quotes “Do encyclopedias still matter? As school librarians, we believe that diversity in format, as well as in content, is vital to the reference collection. The ideal library [should] have numerous encyclopedias in many formats” (Quinn, 253). (71) Online resources are easy, cheaper and updated much more frequently, but kids also need to learn how to use print resources and they actually enjoy the process of looking through books. I do not, however believe that the library should invest in another set of World Books. The current set is $999 (worldbook.com), an entire year's budget for some libraries. Last year's set is $699 which isn't much better. Spending that money only to have another outdated set of encyclopedias on the shelf in 5 years is not worth it.

DK Books, dk.com

The books I'm recommending for replacing the dated encyclopedias are DK's Smithsonian series. Smithsonian's The New Children's Encyclopedia was published in January, 2019 and is 304 pages. As described on DK's website, the encyclopedia “Prepare[s] to build your knowledge on a wide range of topics--including Earth and beyond, plants and animals, history and politics, science, technology, and the human body--arranged thematically with more than 9,000 indexed entries and 2,500 colorful images. Cross-reference icons encourage children to explore and discover linked information, feeding their curiosity and building their general knowledge.” I particularly like the cross-referencing feature in this book as it leads kids on the path of discovery much like we want them to do during the inquiry process. The pages in the book are filled with colourful, bright and detailed illustrations and photographs paired with simple, easy to understand text. These are great for the ready-reference type of user. Priced at $38.99 on the DK website and at kidsbooks.ca, and slightly less ($34.74) on amazon.ca for the hardcover, this book will not break the library's budget and can easily be replaced as and when it becomes outdated.

The Smithsonian series also has a number of other books that specialize in certain topics, ranging from the human body to dinosaurs to music that can be added to the collection to compliment the main encyclopedia. One of the major benefits of using these books is that they do not have to be purchased as a complete set. The expenditure can be spread out over time and the book topics can be tailored to meet the needs of the library users.

The New Children's Encyclopedia

Evaluation of an Encyclopedia	Poor	Acceptable	Exceptional
Age	- published 15+ years ago	- published within last 10 years	- published <5 years
Authority	- publisher is not reputable - does not have prominent contributors	- may have some prominent contributors/authors	- reputable publisher - scholarly, prominent contributors/authors
Format	- few to no illustrations - black and white illustrations - print is small/difficult to decipher - index is difficult to locate and/or decipher - organizational features (such as alphabetized headings) are small or unclear - covers are unattractive	- some illustrations - some colour illustrations - print is somewhat easy to decipher - index is accessible - organizational features are somewhat user-friendly - covers are adequately attractive	- several engaging and informative illustrations - colour illustrations - clear and easy to decipher print - easily understood and accessible index and organizational features - engaging and attractive covers
Scope	- source is intended for age lower or higher than target group - subject coverage is not uniform - information is dated - current issues are not covered	- source may be somewhat appropriate for intended age group - subject coverage is somewhat uniform - some information is dated - some current issues are covered	- source is intended for age group that is using it - subject coverage is uniform - information is current - current issues are covered
Condition	- set is incomplete - pages damaged and/or missing - broken spines and/or covers separating from book - dirty pages and covers	- books are intact, no missing pages - any damage is minimal and does not affect use - there may be some wear and tear on the covers	- no missing pages - no damage - little to no wear and tear - covers and pages are clean

*Rubric criteria adapted and expanded upon from Riedling's Reference Skills for the School Librarian (p. 72)

Works Cited & References

DK Children. The New Children's Encyclopedia. 2019. 

Riedling, Ann. Reference Skills for the School Librarian: Tools and Tips, 3rd Edition. ABC-CLIO. Kindle Edition. 

World Book Inc. The World Book Encyclopedia. 1997

The Foundations of Reference Services...Some Thoughts

It has become abundantly clear to me that the work of a reference librarian is complicated. There is a huge struggle to keep up with the vast amount of information that is being curated at an alarming rate. One has to scrutinize any new print resource that they are considering purchasing because the chances of it becoming outdates and/or obsolete are very high...and so is the price tag. We also have to proceed with great caution when it comes to online resources to ensure they are reliable and accurate.

There is no one-size-fits-all...

When it comes to selection criteria for resources there isn't a clear guideline that fits all resources. Not that it hasn't been attempted, but in the today's world 

with technology and access to information changing so rapidly it's impossible to keep an appropriate set of criteria for selecting resources and what types of resources we should have. It can be very overwhelming for a school librarian, especially when trying to meet the needs of so many different classroom teachers and students on a limited budget. It seems that the problem with creating a list of criteria that a librarian can use to select resources is that it quickly becomes outdated. Achieving Information Literacy by the Canadian Association for School Libraries has attempted to create such a list, but having been published in 2003 and updated in 2006, our technological needs and abilities have made sections of the list (DVDs and Videos, for example) obsolete.

It's an ongoing battle...

Teachers and parents are in such a strange position. We are raising and teaching children born into the age of technology but who really haven't got a clue how to use it. This is a brand new thing. We did not grow up this way and so we have no model to follow. We are pioneering the teaching of the digital native generation. What does this mean? Well, for one thing we have to be much more savvy than ever before. We ourselves need to to be the technology experts and impart those skills to our students. Parents think that because the one-year-old picks up their smart phone and knows how to unlock the home screen and select an app, that they have some kind of intuitive technological skill. In reality kids are just excellent mimics. Toddlers are copying the gestures they've witnessed hundreds of times and our older kids will do the same, be it good or bad. As teachers we need to show them how to find information in a variety of different resources and find good information on the internet.

Teaching students research skills is especially important now, when we know that curiosity-motivated learning (or inquiry-based learning) fosters a much more authentic learning environment than a teacher-directed one. If we're wanting students to wonder and follow their curiosities then we have the huge responsibility of teaching them how and where to find reliable information. 

Firstly, their instinct isn't to go to a book first, so it's important for the teacher-librarian to show them how to use books as reliable sources of information. Secondly, we need to teach students how to discern the great from the good from the fake on the web. When it comes to online research Wikipedia is probably the first stop most students will make. While this isn't a terrible choice there's a vas array of terrible options out there, so how do we teach student to get their information from reliable sources? In Reference Skills for the School Librarian Riedling writes that we should be checking for authority when using any website, meaning look at the author's credentials and check that they are referencing their work with reliable resources (p.110). When it comes to what to teach to students, and when, in regards to inquiry and research the BCTLA has an excellent document that outlines the skills that students should have, divided into age groups. Using this Points of Inquiry rubric is an excellent starting point for classroom teachers and teacher-librarians when diving into the depths of inquiry and research.



Works Cited

BCTLA. The Points of Inquiry: A Framework for Information Literacy and the 21st Century Learner. 2011.  Retrieved from https://bctladotca.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/the-points-of-inquiry.pdf

Canadian Association For School Libraries (2003). Achieving Information Literacy Standards for School Library Programs in Canada.Ottawa ON, The Canadian School Library Association and the Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada. Retrieved from http://accessola2.com/SLIC-Site/slic/ail110217.pdf

Riedling, Ann. Reference Skills for the School Librarian: Tools and Tips, 3rd Edition. ABC-CLIO. Kindle Edition.

* All pictures acquired through Creative Commons and are labelled for noncommercial reuse.