LIBE 467 Assignment #1: Evaluation of a Reference Work - Atlas

                                            Evaluation of a Reference Work

                                                                        Atlas

    Effective evaluation and selection of reference materials in a library is essential in supporting students and teachers to meet their curricular goals (Riedling, 2000).  Just as a kitchen pantry can get messy, overloaded and filled with expired goods, so can the shelves of a library commons.  It is the responsibility of the teacher librarian to weed, organize, assess and review the reference materials the library carries.   Without a system of maintenance, a reference collection could become ’ineffective and unresponsive to students’ information needs’ (p. 19).  When assessing a collection, the criteria can include:

• Age

• Currency of material 

• Frequency of use

• Relevance

• Physical condition

• Format

• Space availability
  

Riedling suggests that it “…is more important to have a small but relevant and up-to-date collection of materials than a large collection that is neither useful nor of good quality.” (p. 19).  Assessments involve subjective judgements, but there are criterias and tools to make the process more objective (p. 21).

Geographical Sources - Atlas   

Geographical reference materials like an atlas are engaging to learners because of their visual appeal.   However, because there is an interest in global information it is important for geographical sources to be current.  In fact, Riedling (2000) suggests that due to this rate of change, online resources are sometimes preferable.  While it is important to use online resources for their currency, it is equally important for us, as teacher librarians, to provide multiple sources, including print.  Maps and atlases are visually appealing and many students enjoy perusing these and actually prefer them to electronic sources.  Some atlases, especially ones geared for the young learners, have interesting facts and pictures dispersed between the maps and certainly ‘provide aesthetic satisfaction and the opportunity to let one's imagination wander’ (p.69).  

Evaluation of geographical reference sources has the same criteria as other reference sources, however because ‘graphic arts and mathematics is involved, evaluation requires other issues’ (Reidling, 2000).  Criteria for evaluation of atlases consists of authority, scale, currency, indexing and format.

Source: Riedling, Ann et al.  Reference Skills for the School Librarian: Tools and Tips 3rd edition.  Linworth, 2013. 

The library collection at my school does not have a reference section.  There are a few dictionaries in the TL’s office but they are not in circulation.  As the long term TL just retired in December, I was not able to ask her why she removed the reference materials.  There are some possible reasons why; the information was outdated, the books were not in good condition, books were not being used by staff and students, needed to make room for other material or the information can be found digitally.  

I borrowed an atlas from my son’s elementary school library, Scholastic Children’s Atlas of Canada - Revised Edition.

It is a hardcover bound atlas suitable for elementary and middle school learners.  It contains detailed maps that introduce the geography, history and culture of Canada.  The pages present both a topographical map and a political map of each Canadian province and territory.  There are detailed pictures and illustrations that highlight mountains, lakes and rivers, and cities, towns and regions of Canada.  Introductory information of map concepts and skills, a map of the world and a map of Canada, and a gazetteer at the end are also included.  How Canada has changed from the time of native peoples through immigration are illustrated using historical maps. This revised edition has updates on population data, place names and names for Indigenous groups. 

This reference material is useful based on these reasons:

Relevancy: 

    This atlas in particular is specifically about the provinces of Canada which is the country our students live in.  It is full of factual and useful information about where they live and it also outlines Indigenous groups and a timeline of events regarding settlements.  This atlas can be used for the K-7 Social Studies curriculum.

Source: Scholastic Canada Ltd. (2017). Scholastic Children's Atlas of Canada. 

Purpose: 

    Atlases are a good reference resource because they teach basic information about how to use a map.   Terms like legend, scale and compass rose can be discussed.  This atlas was created as a resource to help students understand the geography, history, culture, rivers, mountains, lakes, cities, towns and regions of Canada.

  

Source: Scholastic Canada Ltd. (2017). Scholastic Children's Atlas of Canada.

Currency:

    The atlas is a six year old atlas which was published in 2017.  According to the criteria in Riedling (2000), a five year old atlas is considered historical.  Older atlases can be a source of answers regarding historical geographical questions so age is not necessarily a reason to weed this item (pg.69).  This atlas, although considered historical and outdated, still has wonderful illustrations and useful facts that can be enjoyed and used for general information.

Curricular Connections:  

    The atlas can be used for the Social Studies K-7 curriculum: Source: BC’s Curriculum

Grade	Learning Standards
2	*diverse characteristics of communities and cultures in Canada and around the world, including at least one Canadian First Peoples community and culture. *diverse features of the environment in other parts of Canada and the world
3	*relationship between humans and their environment
4	*the impact of colonization on First Peoples societies in British Columbia and Canada *the fur trade in pre-Confederation Canada and British Columbia *demographic changes in pre-Confederation British Columbia in both First Peoples and non-First Peoples communities *economic and political factors that influenced the colonization of British Columbia and its entry into Confederation *the impact of colonization on First Peoples societies in British Columbia and Canada *physiographic features and natural resources of Canada
5	*the changing nature of Canadian immigration over time *resources and economic development in different regions of Canada

Source: Scholastic Canada Ltd. (2017). Scholastic Children's Atlas of Canada.

Evaluation of an Atlas

In order to determine whether this atlas will be useful for staff and students, evaluation will be based on the Evaluation of Geographical Sources criteria outlined in Riedling (2000) as well as weeding criteria based on the MUSTY acronym.

Obtained from: Dickinson, G. (2005). Crying Over Spilled Milk . Library Media Connection, 23(7), 24-26

Rubric for Assessing Atlases

CRITERIA	Not Meeting	Meeting
Authority	Not from a reputable publisher of geographic material. No reviews available or reviews are negative.	From a reputable publisher of geographic material. Reviews are positive.
Scale	Scale is not defined and not appropriate for an elementary audience.	Scale is defined and appropriate for an elementary audience.
Currency	Older than five years.	Less than five years old.
Indexing	No index available for place name referral.	Comprehensive index available for place name referral.
Format	Information is not quickly and easily retrievable, and not clear and legible.	Information is quickly and easily retrievable, and not clear and legible.
Condition	Damaged	In good condition
Relevancy	Information does not link to curricular topics/themes and is not suitable for elementary-aged students.	Information links to curricular topics/themes and is suitable for elementary-aged students.

.Based on the rubric, The Scholastic Children’s Atlas of Canada - Revised Edition meets the criteria outlined for it to be considered an effective geographical resource to use.  Scholastic Ltd, the publisher of the book gives it authority since it has been a provider of reliable curriculum content for the last 60 years. The scale is defined early in the book and is easily explained for young learners.  The copyright of this resource is 2017, which is older than the currency effectiveness of five years.  Although this does not meet the criteria and therefore makes this atlas historical, the illustrations and images are useful and engaging. The gazetteer at the end of the atlas will not have current facts about Canada, but it can be a good teaching point about what a gazetteer is and what types of information it can contain. 

 

Source: Scholastic Canada Ltd. (2017). Scholastic Children's Atlas of Canada.

There is no index in this atlas, therefore it does not meet this criteria.  There is a glossary of terms and a table of contents which is easy to follow.  I imagine the index is absent because this atlas is quite simplified for young learners.  Despite there not being an index, information is easily retrievable from the table of contents.  The book is in good condition, it does not look old or damaged.  Pages are not ripped or vandalized.  It has relevancy because it can be used for many of the K-7 learning standards previously outlined.  Overall, if I was a TL in a school library, I would not weed this item quite yet.  There are still some useful aspects to this atlas that can be used for teaching or leisure purposes.

Potential Replacement

Despite the decision to keep this atlas, it is important to have access to current information.  Since the ‘world is changing so rapidly, it is of utmost importance that the school library media center provide up-to-date geographical information’ (Riedling, 2000).   It was a little challenging finding an atlas strictly with information about Canada.  The Canadian Geographic Atlas of Canada published by Harper Collins, was published in 2000.  It would be considered a historical atlas and it is much older than the Scholastic Children’s Atlas of Canada that the library currently carries.

 

Source: Book Outlet

 I sourced a hardcover book from the Book Outlet for $19.69.  I was not able to find out what the contents of this atlas are so I have no impression of whether the content is comparable to the Scholastic atlas.  I found the Scholastic atlas was very relevant to the BC K-7 Curriculum and contained pertinent information about Indigenous people of Canada.

For more current maps and details, the Lonely Planet Kids website is user friendly but focuses more on travel and destinations rather than features and facts.  Britannica Kids also has an interface which is kid-friendly with useful facts, articles, and games, however some features require a membership fee of $8.99/month or $74/annually.  I especially find the ‘Compare Countries’ feature interesting where the site generates facts and figures of the two chosen countries for comparison.

Source:Britannica Kids

Conclusion

Based on the assessment criteria for atlases as outlined in Riedling (2000) and using the self-created rubric, the Scholastic Children’s Atlas of Canada is a good reference source to keep in the library.  Its authority, scale, format and relevancy, meet the requirements of a good geographical source.  Although the currency criteria is not meeting because it is older than 5 years, the atlas is still useful for pictures and information about maps and Canada in general.  Sometimes, atlases are used by students for general interest and because of their visual appeal.  It is the responsibility of the TL to maintain the reference collection and ensure that the resources answer the questions staff and students come with and also to ensure that it meets curriculum needs.  

I found it challenging to find a replacement atlas that was similar in content to the one I assessed. There are online atlases but a TL must consider the needs of the school community such as student preferences, accessibility of computers or Ipads to view web versions, and whether they meet curricular needs. 

References

Atlas of Canada (canadian geographic) - bookoutlet.ca. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2023, from https://bookoutlet.ca/products/9780007534678B/atlas-of-canada-canadian-geographic 

British Columbia Travel. Lonely Planet. (2022, April 20). Retrieved February 9, 2023, from                 https://www.lonelyplanet.com/canada/british-columbia 

Building student success - B.C. curriculum. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2023, from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/social-studies/2/core 

Dickinson, G. (2005). Crying Over Spilled Milk . Library Media Connection, 23(7), 24-26.

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved February 9, 2023, from         https://kids.britannica.com/kids/browse/atlas

Riedling, Ann, Reference skills for the school library media specialist: Tools and tips, 

(Third Edition). Linworth.

Scholastic Canada Ltd. (2017). Scholastic Children's Atlas of Canada.