Putting Evidence to Work in Your Library

Course

Collecting Evidence [1:58]

In this lesson, Jeffrey DiScala discusses how and why you should collect foundational and process evidence to strengthen your library practice.

In collecting foundational evidence, we're talking about doing your homework and catching up on your knowledge of what's happening in the field. If you're looking to make improvements in your library program and have no idea where to start, looking at foundational evidence is a good beginning. In academic terms, you're basically going to go back to school and start by conducting a literature review.

This process is going to look awfully familiar to many of you as you're probably teaching it to your students, whether it's Guided Inquiry Design, the Big6, or a model of research and inquiry that you developed specifically for your students, collecting foundational evidence is roughly the same process. Start with your question of inquiry, conduct a search from materials, read up on what you find, follow the leads provided by others, and compile everything into something useful for your work.

The next step is looking for process evidence. Collecting process evidence is about going beyond the literature that's currently available on the field. In reviewing and using process evidence, you could be gathering information from attending conference presentations, viewing online workshops from your favorite publications, scouring social media for current trends and ideas, and any number of other places.

Rather than using theories that have withstood the test of time, the evidence you collect about what's happening in practice could be a little trendier, a little experimental, and perhaps even a little controversial. This isn't to say that process evidence is lesser; it's merely different. You're using the know-how of current practice mixed in with some validation from past practice and using it to shape future practice.

Resources for Foundational and Process Evidence

Looking at foundational and process evidence is a great way to learn from established and current research by others in the field in order to gain ideas for possible improvements to your library program. Use the Planning Template in the Resources below to explore some of the resources that cater to the school librarian community.

RESOURCES:

Template

REFLECT & PRACTICE:

Take a look at the suggested school library-focused publications and professional development resources listed on page 4 of the Planning Template. As you look through the resources, take note of what pieces stand out to you and why. Do they support your current perspective on issues important to you? Do they inspire any shifts in your thinking about your library programs? What do you notice?

MLA Citation

"Putting Evidence to Work in Your Library: Resources for Foundational and Process Evidence." School Library Connection, January 2019, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2186025?learningModuleId=2186016&topicCenterId=2247903.

Entry ID: 2186130

Additional Resources

Bibliography.

About the Author

Jeffrey DiScala, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Darden College of Education at Old Dominion University. He earned his master's and doctorate from the University of Maryland. He is co-principal investigator for The Lilead Project, a research and professional development program for school library leaders. His research interests include education, technology, and information policies in education and professional development for school librarians and classroom teachers. He has co-authored numerous articles in publications such as Library Quarterly, School Library Research, School Libraries Worldwide, and Knowledge Quest.

MLA Citation

DiScala, Jeffrey. "Putting Evidence to Work in Your Library. Collecting Evidence [1:58]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, January 2019, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2186025?learningModuleId=2186016&topicCenterId=2247903.

View all citation styles

https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2186025?learningModuleId=2186016&topicCenterId=2247903

Entry ID: 2186025