A Reflection on My Learning

Riedling suggested that successful reference services consist of three components: knowledge of the collection, effective conversation skills, and competence in selecting, acquiring and evaluating information (page 4). I am beginning to appreciate the some of the complexities and challenges in providing effective reference service.

Knowledge of the collection is something that a teacher-librarian acquires over time, working with the collection and users. Now the collection has expanded to include an unlimited array of material on the Internet. A part of teacher-librarianship that appeals to me is the environment that requires continuous learning.

Effective conversation skills include in-person and online communications in e-mail, blogs and other transactions. Each interaction must be approached in a thoughtful sensitive way in order to meet the needs of the information seeker, whether teacher or student. We need to connect with young people effectively and, for many, that is online. A teacher-librarian needs to be welcoming and helpful on a consistent basis. The quality of the program hinges on the professionalism of the "service" in reference service.

Maintaining competence is also an exciting and ongoing learning project that requires anticipating the needs of users in relation to available resources and guiding users to independent learning. What it means is that we have to reflect on our practice and our effectiveness in preparing our young people for success in a world where information is expanding so rapidly. Demonstrating competence includes being able to provide evidence of program effectiveness.

On the subject of information literacy, I am building my knowledge-base. Prior to this course I had never heard of Kuhlthau. Now I am beginning to get a sense of the various models that are available in the teaching of these skills. I will most definitely introduce my students to the Research Quest (Focus, Find and Filter, Work with Information, Communicate, Reflect) that Roberta brought to our attention. I will also look at ways to combine this model with Kuhlthau's model.