reference collection evaluation amh

8/2/2019 Reference Collection Evaluation AMH

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CANDIDATE AS INFORMATION SPECIALIST

Evaluating the Reference Collection

Allison Hood

Frit 7737


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On February 27th, I began my evaluation of the literature section of the media

center at Burke County High School. I chose this section because it is used most

frequently and I collaborated with an ELA teacher for a previous assignment. With that

collaboration, I experienced instances where students tried to find information on an

author, book, or writing style and were not able to do so. Most of the teachers in the high

school require students to include at least one text reference in their research and in

some cases students have had to change their topic because the reference has not been

available.

I began my evaluation by running a Destiny report on the reference section from

a reading list which indicated we have a total of 146 titles. Although I am only

addressing the reference section as it pertains to literature, I though it important to also

look at the biography section to see which authors were covered there as well. I decidedto pretend that was a student trying to find information on certain authors, writing

styles, genres, or thematic topics. Since the collaborative unit was on The Great Gatsby,

I focused on American Literature.

I began by spending about two hours just typing these topics into the online

catalog to see what resources, if any would show up. I decided that I should to the

teachers and ask them where they thought our collection needed supplementing. I

figured if anyone should know it would be them as they have been bringing their classes

in for years to do research in these areas. The teachers who have taught here a while

began to give me ideas. I found many of the works and authors they mentioned were

relatively contemporary. It seemed we had the classics covered, however many of the

contemporary English writer were not. Authors such as Carroll, Lessing, Cather,

London, Baldwin, Vonnegut, Wolfe, Dostoevski, Esquivel, and Caputo were just a few

mentioned, as well as Native American Literature.

After conducting this phase of the evaluation I decided to begin evaluating the

collection for quality, so I took a physical look at the selections. I noticed that many of

the books were not as worn as I thought considering the average age of the collection. I

credited this to the fact that they were reference books, which are only available for

check out overnight. I ran a Collection Age Report using the Follett Destiny software

and I found that 80% of the reference titles listed a publish date and the average age of

the books were 30years old with the median year published in the 1980s. The range of


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publishing dates span from 1938 to 2009. I found that 35 titles from this collection had

been checked out over the past year.

Having completed the analysis, I now had the difficult task of searching for new

relevant additions that would complement and support the curriculum. The items in the

following list are my recommendations.


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Title Author(s) Publisher ISBN YearPublished

Review How thisbook will

supplementthe reference

section

Cost

Bloom's ClassicCritical Views Set,24-Volumes

HaroldBloom -editor

BloomsLiteraryCriticism

0791099202 2009SchoolLibraryJournal(SLJ)

This collectionoffers aselection of thefinest classiccriticism on the

authors mostcommonly readin high schooland collegeclasses.

$899.00

Bloom's LiteraryThemes Set

HaroldBloom -editor


16041344532010 School

LibraryJournal(SLJ)

This seriesexamines thesethemes as theyfunction inclassic literary

works, from theBible to thenovels of ToniMorrison andPhilip Roth.Each bookcontainsapproximately20 essays, witheachessay discussingthe role of thetitles subjecttheme in a great

work ofliterature.

$324.00

Bloom's ModernCritical Views Set,82-Volumes

HaroldBloom -editor


07910992292009 School

LibraryJournal(SLJ)

This seriesprovides the

best criticismon the most

widely readpoets, novelists,andplaywrightsfrom theancients tocontemporary

writers.

$3,321.00

The Essentials ofLiterature inEnglish, Post-1914(Essential

Reference)

IanMackean

HodderArnold

10:0340816317

2005 SchoolLibraryJournal(SLJ)

This bookcovers theleading worksand authors inmodernliterature inEnglish and indoing so givesthe reader anengaging and

$28.00
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search-handle-url?_encoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books-uk&field-author=Ian%20Mackeanhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search-handle-url?_encoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books-uk&field-author=Ian%20Mackeanhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search-handle-url?_encoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books-uk&field-author=Ian%20Mackeanhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search-handle-url?_encoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books-uk&field-author=Ian%20Mackean


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knowledgeableinsight into the

books, theirwriters and theconnections

between them.Brewers

Dictionary ofPhrase and Fable

Ivor H.Evans and

AdrianRoom,

Harper &Row

10:0061121207

2006 PublishersWeekly(PW)

This is acompilation ofmiscellaneousinformationsuch as literaryallusions, majorpeople andevents inhistory, folkcustoms,superstitionsand beliefs,movements inart andliterature, andmeanings andsources of

colloquialexpressions.

$36.75

Tenth Book ofJuniors Authorsand Illustrators

Connie C.Rockman

Hw WilsonCo (January1984)

10:0824210662

2008 SchoolLibraryJournal

Children'sliteratureauthorityRockmanedited

biographiesprovided by 188key figures inchildren's and

young adultliterature,addingquotations andinterpretiveresources.

$120.00

The OxfordHandbook ofTranscendentalism

JoelMyerson,SandraHarbertPetrulionis,and LauraDassow

Walls

OUP USA 10:0195331036

May 2010 No review $127.78

The Readers'Advisory Guide toGenre Fiction,

Second Edition

Joyce G.Saricks

ALAEditions

2009 ARBA This revisededition provides

a way ofunderstandingthe vastuniverse ofgenre fiction

$65.00

The Readers'Advisory Guide toGenre Fiction,

Second Edition

Joyce G.Saricks

ALAEditions

2009 ARBA This revisededition providesa way ofunderstandingthe vastuniverse ofgenre fiction

$65.00


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Backgrounds toAmericanLiterature Set, 5-Volumes

Various1604139625

2010 No review Arrangedchronologically,each volumefocuses on thedevelopment ofliterature inrelationship tothe politics,economics, andsocial and

religious trends

$200.00

Bloom's How toWrite about Set,16-Volumes

Various ChelseaHousePublications

07910990242008 School

LibraryJournal(SLJ)

The unique"Bloom's Howto Write aboutLiterature"series isdesigned toinspire studentsto writecompellingessays on greatauthors andtheir works.

$648.00

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