by Sylvia Vardell, March 2016

When it comes to the changing role of reference and research in our work as librarians, there are really two layers to consider:

1. How do we help young people use reference tools and develop research skills?
2. How do we ourselves use research and reference tools and keep current?

Both of these areas have changed so much since the emergence of digital tools and online resources. In days gone by, we used to be concerned with which series books were considered the best and when to update our encyclopedia sets and dictionaries. In many ways the task is both easier and more complicated nowadays. We're still struggling with which print reference resources are worth retaining and updating and which online reference sources are vetted, child-appropriate, and worth the investment of time and money. We're redefining what "information literacy" looks like, what print resources are essential, and how to approach instruction using online tools (with both students and colleagues). As you'll learn in this month's featured articles:

Don't Fight 'em, Join 'em! (Just Teach Them How to Do It Better): "According to mostpopularwebsites.net, Google is the most widely used website on the Internet, and Wikipedia is the sixth most-used website."

When Research Is Part of the Test: "Research skills in grades three and up will be incorporated into standardized testing in a performance task designed to replicate authentic research skills and situations, and research standards show up in the standards themselves beginning in kindergarten."

Using Noodletools to Organize Research Writing: "It is advantageous for English language arts (ELA) teachers and librarians to co-teach Web 2.0 research writing tools because the classroom teacher contributes content-area knowledge while the librarian teaches research and information literacy skills."

Interfiling Reference and Circulating Nonfiction: "Interfiling reference with circulating nonfiction can be a better use of space as well as a better way to reach students who will find the ease of having materials in one location more in tune with their experiences as online researchers."

Tough Love for Your Reference Collection: "Today, with everything that we need available on our cell phones, a book that can't be checked out of the library seems ludicrous. The best way to use reference may be to get rid of the reference section…. removing some books and putting the essentials into the circulating collection."

Always Open, Never Visible: Challenges and Opportunities in Marketing and Promoting Your Information: "…why do librarians refer to them as e-books, ibooks, or digital books when they are the just plain and simple books?"

Using Web 2.0 Tools with Young Researchers: "…there are online tools that can help us work with students on the research process, and show them how to avoid the cut-and-paste temptation that can lead to plagiarism."

Virtual Pathfinders: LiveBinders and LibGuides: "It is, therefore, important to know about tools that provide a format to curate, organize, and share resources in an easy-to-use format like LiveBinders and LibGuides."

Sharing Research: Beyond PowerPoint with Four Free Tools: "Fortunately, the web is packed with online tools that offer alternatives for students of all ages to showcase their work. They are as diverse and interactive as the learners who use them including HaikuDeck, Thinglink, PowToon, and Meograph."

The articles curated for you here provide lots of helpful information and resources for guiding students in selecting and using reference tools and for making the most out of library resources and limited space. They focus on creating an environment conducive to researching and using reference tools, maintaining a viable research collection, and on teaching students the search processes, as well as how to use databases available through school and public libraries. Teaching teachers some of the same skills that we teach the students can also be essential, and digital platforms like NoodleTools or Diigo can guide students (and teachers) in organizing information as they delve into the research and writing process.

Using RUSA

Of course we also need to keep up our own skills in research and reference, going beyond Google, Wikipedia, or Amazon to get our questions answered and to keep current. We can lean on our professional associations for help here, like RUSA, the Reference and User Services Association (of ALA). This organization offers annual lists of Outstanding Reference Sources, as well as a comprehensive guide to "Best Free Reference Websites," a tremendous tool for helping students, parents, teachers, and administrators.

Favorite reference tools

Booklist writer Rebecca Vnuk asked her fellow reference reviewers about their all-time favorite reference books and noted that The World Almanac "won by a landslide." Other favorite reference titles included:

• The Encyclopedia of Associations
• The Value of a Dollar: Prices and Incomes in the United States, 1860-2009
• The Dictionary of Imaginary Places
• Columbia Gazetteer of the World
• The Standard Handbook for Secretaries
• Oxford English Dictionary
• The Dictionary of the History of Ideas

That's an eclectic list, right? It shows how varied patron interests can be and how dictionaries, almanacs, and handbooks have been indispensible to librarians for generations. Similarly, if you research librarians' favorite databases, you'll see another interesting and distinctive list. In fact, there's a whole website devoted to this question: http://www.researchinglibrarian.com/databases.html

Best Databases

Plus, Library Journal publishes an annual list of "Best Databases" based on reader nominations. You can see the 2014 list online at http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2014/11/reference/best-databases-2014/. Here are a few of the databases they highlighted:

Best overall database:

SIRS Issues Researcher; ProQuest

Database with the broadest reach:

EBSCO Academic Search Premier; EBSCO

Database that was the biggest hit with patrons:

Global Issues in Context; Gale, part of Cengage Learning

Best for statistics:

Statista; Statista, Inc.

Best for high school outreach:

LearningExpress Library; LearningExpress, LLC

Best for high school students:

Facts On File's Databases; Infobase Learning

The Information Landscape

It's easier than ever to locate resources to help with research questions, but more challenging than ever to keep up with the multitude of tools available. In her article "Manifesto for 21st Century Teacher Librarians," Joyce Valenza described several attributes of the proactive librarian and how she/he handles the "Information Landscape." She notes that the school librarian is considered the "search expert" in the building, familiar with "an every growing and shifting array of search tools that reach into blogs and wikis and Twitter and images and media and scholarly content." She challenges us to pre-organize the Web for students, creating a portal of some type to pull together resources to meet specific information needs, then working with students to do the same—creating their own personal information portals. It's an inspiring checklist of activities that can push us to try new things and keep learning. She even includes a list of things to "unlearn!"

Works Cited:

Valenza, Joyce K. 2010. "Manifesto for 21st Century Teacher Librarians." Teacher/Librarian (2010). http://www.teacherlibrarian.com/2011/05/01/manifesto-for-21st-century-teacher-librarians/

Vnuk, Rebecca. "My Favorite Reference Book." Booklist (2014). http://www.booklistonline.com/My-Favorite-Reference-Book-Rebecca-Vnuk/pid=6793008