Reference Services
Course
Building and Maintaining a Reference Collection [4:04]
- Learn the basics of what makes up a reference collection.
- Learn some great tips for building and maintaining a reference collection.
- Learn what a reference collection looks like in today's libraries.
The reference section in a school library is a collection of resources that are always available for students and staff. Reference books are located in a special section of the library, typically near the nonfiction collection. These books are unavailable for checkout and can only be used in the library space. The types of books in a reference collection can include atlases, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and specialty collections of several volumes. Many libraries also have an electronic reference collection that consists of websites and databases. These are usually available on the school's website for students, teachers, and parents to access from anywhere.
Much like purchasing resources for the nonfiction section of the library, it is critical to plan the reference collection you make available to your students and staff. First, ensure that a portion of your library's collection development policy outlines the criteria for the selection of reference materials. The criteria should be similar to the requirements for purchasing nonfiction. This should include the resources needed for your state's curriculum for the grade levels you teach, as well as resources that are helpful for the projects and instructional styles of the staff at your school. Before purchasing any resources, read professional reviews in library journals or websites. Make sure they are appropriate for the age groups at your school and when analyzing possibilities, be sure to look for depth of content, accuracy and possible bias, user interface, and overall cost. Finally, consider whether a print or online resource for the topic is best for your school community and your budget.
Much like the library collection available for checkout, it is important to maintain your reference section to reflect the changing needs of your students, staff, and curriculum. Since the print reference collection cannot be checked out, develop a system to keep track of what titles are actually used. Consider weeding the reference section as frequently as the rest of your collection. For electronic resources, request usage statistics from databases you purchase to determine if your cost is worth it. If it is not popular despite efforts to promote it, reconsider your subscription.
School librarians today strive to keep the library relevant to students and staff. When our school communities have almost instant access to everything they want to know on their computer or smartphone, how do we keep them using our reference collection? Consider monitoring its use for a while and then decide what is best for your community. Do your students and staff use the resources in the reference collection? Do you promote reference materials like other library resources? Reflect on whether these books would be used more if they were available for checkout. In an effort to expand access to materials, many school libraries have eliminated their print reference collections in favor of more online resources, such as databases. They relocated books of interest to the nonfiction section and weeded the rest. Give careful consideration to the best interests of your students and staff when deciding whether or not your library should have a print reference collection.
One of the most important roles of the school librarian is providing a collection of resources that supports personal and academic learning of the school community. In addition to the fiction and nonfiction collections, the reference collection should be part of the library's collection development policy. It should be built, maintained, and weeded for relevance like the rest of the library. In the age of more digital research and open access to learning, many libraries have eliminated their reference section. What is right for your school community? Only you, as their school librarian, can decide.
A strong collection development policy is critical to building and maintaining your library's collection—and that includes your reference collection. It is important to make sure as you build your reference collection that you keep your students' and staff's needs in mind. Updating your collection development policy with some basic rules to follow is a first step to ensure that your reference collection will be used by all. Review the SLC article provided in the Resources below and then complete the Reflect & Practice activity.
You use your collection development policy to make sure that your collection is up-to-date and carefully planned. Building a reference collection requires the same discipline. Using page 8 of the Course Packet (included in the Resources above), brainstorm 2-3 elements that you need to include in your collection development policy to make sure that your reference collection meets the needs of your students and staff.
MLA Citation
"Reference Services: Building a Reference Collection." School Library Connection, October 2020, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2270056?learningModuleId=2270025&topicCenterId=2247902.
Entry ID: 2272508
Students are learning to use online tools at a very early age and oftentimes tend to do a quick internet search versus asking what print resources are available to them. So do you even need a print resource collection anymore? How do you know what to purchase in print and what is more beneficial as an online tool? Review the SLC articles included in the Resources below and use the Reflect & Practice activity to begin thinking about your reference collection.
It can be difficult to determine the best way to manage your reference collection. How is it being used? What are students and staff looking for? Staying on top of your collection and making sure to weed out the unnecessary and realize what you must have in print and what could be online is a fine balance that needs your attention. After reading the SLC articles above, use page 9 of the Course Packet (included in the Resources above), take some time to reflect on your reference collection and how it meets the needs of your students and staff. Are they using the print encyclopedias? Do they go to a certain database for certain subjects? Examining your collection with a critical eye can only improve the reference experience for your library users.
MLA Citation
"Reference Services: The Reference Collection for Today's Libraries." School Library Connection, October 2020, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2270056?learningModuleId=2270025&topicCenterId=2247902.
Entry ID: 2272510
Additional Resources
About the Author
MLA Citation
Grover, Rachel. "Reference Services. Building and Maintaining a Reference Collection [4:04]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, October 2020, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2270056?learningModuleId=2270025&topicCenterId=2247902.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2270056?learningModuleId=2270025&topicCenterId=2247902
Entry ID: 2270056