Reference and The School Library

"The purpose of reference and information Library services is to align information to flow efficiently from information sources to those who need it" declares Kenneth Whittaker in Riedling opening about reference services. When faced with this statement the burden of responsibility seems absolutely daunting.

Working at two schools and with a very small amount of time in each library makes this task very difficult, as I am not readily available to students when they are seeking reference material, other than over two afternoons a week.

As well, teachers at both schools do not follow a specific model at either later primary or intermediate grades. Teachers use parts of models they feel work well for their grade and the students they have that year.

The Whittaker statement forces me to re-examine my duties and speak to teachers about their library time with me and how we can incorporate a more flexible schedule when classes are working on a research project. My time is very useful if I can be used to help students access reference material as I have a more thorough knowledge of the collection than teachers and students. I can also approach teachers at intermediate and primary team meetings to talk to them about looking at a couple of research models they think might help streamline the research process for their students and build upon their skills and become more critical information seekers as they go through the grades.