From Lesson #3 - Selection Tools

There's no doubt that selection tools are massively important when creating the reference area (both literally and electronically) and electronically in the school library.

Riedling gives a good overview of some of the most frequently used tools. However, as information professionals in Canadian schools what do you use to evaluate and select the "right" Canadian reference materials? What are the issues (right now) with Canadian selection tools?

The most challenging aspect is to find Canadian selection tools for good reference material. I did some searching on-line and it is difficult! I do know about Quill and Quire and Canadian Library Journal but I could not find anything specific on reference materials. Most of the selection tools I found were geared toward the fiction and non-fictions sections such as Canadian Children’s Literature, Resource Links, Language Arts, The Reading Teacher and the Horn Book. There is a great review of these selection tools on the following web site: http://books.google.ca/books?id=iNlb8vp8VKAC&pg=PA18&lpg=PA18&dq=canadian+library+selection+tools+issues&source=bl&ots=Z-7YpT1Htc&sig=LAIcZRgBon-ypRVg-uRdP0X03Vk&hl=en&ei=apvUTMDcJty4jAft_5zKCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=canadian%20library%20selection%20tools%20issues&f=false (sorry for the long URL!)

One other websites I found useful as a Canadian reference resource were:

Best of the Web (Canada)

http://www.bestoftheweb.ca/canada.htm

This site included links to all types of Canadian reference material from the Atlas of Canada, Canadian Encyclopedia, Canadian Geographic, Images Canada, and Statistics Canada to sites on current events, history, government, famous Canadians. There was a wealth of information here.

When working as a librarian I liked to shop at United Library Services. They were a great resource and liked to be up on Canadian content. Unfortunately I never purchased or had the time to review the reference sections within the libraries I worked in but they served the needs of the students when we needed them. I previously worked in an English/French emersion school library and the French resources are also so limited.
I would definitely consult other librarians and visit to see their collections and talk to the district librarian on their policies surrounding reference materials and what publishers are commonly used and trusted.
Again Riedling has some good references for selection but they are mainly American-based. As mentioned and included in The Best of the Web site Canadian Encyclopedia (part of the Historica-Dominion Institute) and Canadian Geographic (which has links to atlases, mapping and gazetteers) are excellent electronic resources.

To conclude, the main issue surrounding Canadian reference selection tools is selection itself with Canadian content, the balance between electronic sources and print materials and of course cost is always a continuing factor, especially for print materials and subscriptions to on-line databases and indexes. I hope to gain more insight into creating a balance and choosing the best reference materials possible as I continue with my TL career.