The Tip of the Iceberg

Looking back on this last theme in LIBE 467 it really seems as though we’ve only scratched the surface of the true scope and possibility of what is available in the various types reference materials, hence the title of this last post. Each of the modules has in some way shown me the importance of what Riedling states in her introduction, that in a time when, “there appears to be more answers than questions... our greatest difficulties with information lie in finding the most authoritative answer using the best sources possible.” (p. 3) That requires being able to navigate the underwater world of the deep web, indexes, journal databases, encyclopaedias, etc. All this is in order to properly provide for our colleagues and prepare our students to be lifelong learners.

            The deep web is a great example of this analogy. I had no idea what that description meant before we studied it in module 8, but it exemplifies that idea of the immensity of knowledge that’s indiscernible just below the surface of a regular Google search. For myself and for my students, I believe one of the most important skills to develop in being able to access this type of information is patience in the seeking process. During the exploration step when confusion and frustration is at its highest digging down into in depth sources takes practice.

            Another skill was explored in the course of this theme. The ability to judge reference resources. I really enjoyed the module on encyclopaedias because it touched on the discussion between sources like Wikipedia: crowd-compiled, self-cleaning, ever-changing, and Encyclopedia Britannica: written by experts, peer-reviewed,  authoritative. We all have biases one way or another, but I agree when Berinstein says that, “Wikipedia is a great starting point”. I consider that one of my goals for learning in the library, to encourage and point my students towards deeper meaningful resources that will foster critical thinking and the ability to discern when to use what type of source.

            In conclusion, helping my students to sift through the myriad answers to their deeper research questions requires careful and patient instruction in looking below the surface. Reference resources provide many sources to access the information they are looking for and part of my job is to make them aware of what types of resources are available, steering them towards the ones that will best serve their purpose. It’s certainly deep waters for me, but necessary.

References:

Berinstein, P. (2006). Wikipedia and Britannica: The Kid's All Right (And So's the Old

Man). Searcher 14(3), 16-26.

Lederman, Abe. “Posts from July 2016 on Referisg.” Referisg, 2 July 2016,

referisg.wordpress.com/2016/07/.

Riedling, A. M., Shake, L., & Houston, C. (2013). Reference skills for the school librarian: Tools

and tips (3rd ed.). Santa Barbara: California.

“2001, Wikipedia/Encyclopedia.” YouTube, YouTube, 5 Nov. 2017,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACai3xs5558.