Reflections on Resources for Current Events and Controversial Issues Research

PollDaddy is a fabulous tool to do fast assessments as to which resources students find most helpful in a research pathfinder.  We have been engaged in a two week research project with our 10th graders (more to come on that this weekend!), but here is how they voted as to which sources they found to be most helpful and informative for their current and controversial events research:

As you can see, our Gale Opposing Viewpoints database (thank you, Cherokee County School District for providing this for the high schools!), was the clear winner; the print books (we are blessed to have roughly 300 of the “Opposing Viewpoints” style books [which include similar imprints from other publishers, including several with a 2008 and 2009 copyright date!]) were second.

This data is helpful in two ways:

1.  I can provide this kind of data to justify the expense of our GALE Opposing Viewpoints subscription database.
2.  This data shows that our investment in the print books on controversial and current topic is justified.

If you have not tried PollDaddy, consider using it with your students to get their feedback on the resources you incorporate into your pathfinders you create for research projects!

Filed under: Information Literacy/Research Skills, Polls and Surveys, research 2.0 , polls, PollDaddy, evidence based practice, information sources, school libraries, research pathfinders, current events, evaluation

Information Source Survey: Elizabethan Research Pathfinder

For the last two weeks, I have been working with Ms. Hirsch’s 9th grade classes as they have been researching Elizabethan England. Both Ms. Hirsch and I feel the research project has gone extremely well so far,  and the students have seemed really interested in their research!

I used PollDaddy to do a quick survey of which information source the students found to be most helpful.  Here are the results:

As you can see, our Gale Virtual Reference Library collection (I am so lucky to have 300+ books!) was the clear winner.  The Elizabethan World Reference Library e-book collection was a tremendous resource for this project.

The 40+ print books we reserved were also quite popular—our 9th grade English teachers have done an Elizabethan period research project in conjunction with their Romeo and Juliet units since our school opened (this is our third year in our building).  We have worked hard to build up plenty of resources in our virtual and print collection for this unit, and I am always interested in which titles seem to be most valuable to students.

Based on informal conversations with students and observations of my own, our three sets of All Things Shakespeare was one of the most helpful and popular book sources (if you don’t have it, GET it!)—I will be purchasing the ebook version of this text before January is over!

Another print source students seemed to really like this year was Shakespeare’s World and Work:  An Encyclopedia for Students. The articles are long enough to give students an understanding about a topic but not so long they get overwhelmed.  The articles all seem to have clear organization with visual cues (boldfaced print) to guide students’ reading.

What do I take from this poll?  The poll reaffirms the value of our Gale Virtual Reference Library—I will continue to purchase ebooks that can support this research unit.  I also will continue to look for print materials that are appealing to all learners and to purchase additional copies of titles that students like, especially if I can’t get them in ebook format.

I will repeat this poll again in a few weeks as we replicate the research unit;  I am also going to incorporate a poll to let students vote on print resources. Stay tuned for additional information source surveys!

Filed under: Information Literacy/Research Skills, Learning 2.0, Librarian Stuff, Library 2.0, Polls and Surveys, research 2.0 , research, PollDaddy, Elizabethan period, 9th grade, research pathfinder, information sources, GVRL, Gale Virtual Reference Library, collection development

National Book Award Winners To Be Announced Tonight!

 

The National Book Foundation via kwout

Clear your schedule tonight and stay tuned to hear who wins the National Book Award for Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and of course, Young People’s Literature!  The medal ceremony begins at 9:00 PM (EST), and you can follow the updates via http://twitter.com/nationalbook !  Download free posters and bookmarks, read interviews with the nominees, and learn more about each nominated book/work of literature by visiting http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2008.html .

Who do you think will win for Young People’s Literature?  Vote now!

Filed under: Author News, Polls and Surveys , authors, books, fiction, Fun, National Book Awards 2008, nonfiction, poetry, reading, YAlit

Surveys for Teachers: Obstacles to Library Use

I am interested in exploring reasons as to why teachers may not use the media center. If you would, please take a moment and participate in these one question polls! Thank you for your assistance.

If you choose “other”, please take a moment to indicate your reason so that we can have the most helpful data possible.

and

Filed under: Polls and Surveys , libraries, survey, collaboration, poll, library use