Blog Post 3: Reference Materials
This section of the course emphasized the idea that teacher-librarians must have an extensive knowledge of reference resources in both print and online formats. They must also be proficient at navigating the World Wide Web. Furthermore, they must be able to "effectively and efficiently use the Web, create a culture of information inquiry, and create information fluent students (those who can access, evaluate, organize, and use electronic information) for tomorrow's world." (Riedling, 2014, p.105) This is no easy task!
Layers of the World Wide Web
In this section of this course, we discussed the components of the World Wide Web. There are three primary components. The first is the Surface Web. This is the section of the internet that is readily available to the general public with standard search engines. It accounts for only ten percent of the information that is on the internet! (Wikipedia, 2022) The other 90 percent contains any website that cannot be indexed by a search engine. This number was a big eye opener for me. I did not expect this number to be as high as 90 percent! The next section of the internet is the Deep Web. According to Britannica, the "Deep Web contains mostly benign sites, such as your password-protected email account, certain parts of paid subscription services like Netflix, and sites that can be accessed only through an online form." (Grannan, 2022) While learning about the Deep Web, I also discovered the term, Dark Web. This part of the Internet is where people can search anonymously. The Dark Web takes up only a fraction of the Deep Web (0.1%). (Grannan, 2022) Their web traffic is encrypted, and they can search the Internet without revealing their personal information or location. The Dark Web is often used by criminals seeking to hide their illegal activities.
Teacher-librarians have an important job in support students with their research needs. As such, they must teach students how to appropriately navigate these areas of the Internet and how to be safe online.
Print and Digital Reference Materials
I grew up with a set of encyclopedias in my home. My parents have moved several times in the past few years, and that set of encyclopedias has gone with them each time. My in-laws also have a set of Britannica encyclopedias in their home. Although they are wildly out of date, it is interesting the attachment that remains towards these reference books. I remember as a child spending hours looking at the glossy pages and learning about various people and facts. Although encyclopedias were an integral part of the school library when I was a child, there are very few schools that still have sets of encyclopedias on their shelves. In fact, Encyclopedia Britannica stopped making print copies in 2012. When asked about the decision to end printing encyclopedias, president Jorge Crauz of Encyclopedia Britannica said, "It's a rite of passage in this new era. Some people will feel sad and nostalgic about it. " (Bosman, 2012) He goes on to explain that their online encyclopedia is "continuously updated, it's much more expansive and it has multimedia." (Bosman, 2012)
During Module 11, we were asked to discuss established encyclopedias versus citizen built ones such as Wikipedia. I think that my peers and I all agree that Wikipedia is an excellent place to start any research. It is a great place to see a general overview of a topic. However, it is important to go to the original source of information which is listed at the bottom of each Wikipedia article under References.
We are definitely in a digital world. Information can be found readily and is vast amounts. Reference materials, such as encyclopedias, biographies and atlases used to be found on the shelves of our libraries. Now, the majority have been replaced with digital versions. There are advantages and disadvantages to both print and digital. Print resources offer a more tangible and physical experience. However, print reference materials can often be bulky and heavy. They also quickly become out of date. Digital resources are current and interactive. But, they can be costly. Subscription to reference resources are expensive as are the laptops needed to run these websites! Maintenance of computers can also be costly.
What I am truly becoming aware of is the incredible amount of reference materials that are available online. As I am hoping to become a teacher-librarian in the near future, this is an area that I want to learn more about. I will work with the staff at the school to decide what reference materials we want in the print form and what reference materials we want in the digital form.References:
Bosman, Julia (March 13, 2012) After 244 Years, Encyclopedia Britannica Stops the Presses. New York Times. Retrieved from: https://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/after-244-years-encyclopaedia-britannica-stops-the-presses/
Grannan, Cydney. What's the Difference Between the Deep Web and the Dark Web. Britannica. Retrieved from: https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-the-deep-web-and-the-dark-web
Riedling, A., & Houston, C. (2019). Reference Skills for the School Librarian: Tools and Tips, (4th ed.). ABC-CLIO.
Stanford Education Group. (January 23, 2020) How to use Wikipedia Wisely. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzcjS1aDojA
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