Project 2: My Reference Library

My library is a public facility within the city of Altadena, Ca. My patrons expect to have a wide variety of resources to select from. In my city the majority of people are middle aged, the average age being 33 years old. The majority of races within my city are Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic. However, there is a speckle of other races within the community as well. My patrons have to pay a lot to live in this community. They need a library that will help them find whatever they are looking for. The majority of patrons have at least a high school diploma, 84.7%, but 39% of the community have bachelor degrees and 17% have higher degrees. In my community, the majority of my patrons speak English and Spanish. There aren’t many industrialized buildings within the community everything is mostly people owned.

The Altadena Public Library is also within the city of Altadena as well. They offer a wide range of books just like my public library. One, of the interesting things that they offer is passport services, most libraries do not offer that type of service. They also have over 20 online databases to help their patrons. One of them is an auto handbook. There are two libraries associated with the Altadena Public Library- the Main Library and the other is the branch library, Bob Lucas Memorial Library and Literacy Center.

The Pasadena Public Library neighbors the Altadena Area. This library has an extensive range of library materials. Also, the Pasadena has 10 libraries within the system including the Central Library. One, of the more interesting things that they offer is disability services including Braille. This system also has a monthly newsletter that lists new events and occurring events within the month.

The reference collection within my library would be extensive. My patrons would want it to be more of an exhibit within a museum, but also accessible to the public. Most of the reference collection would be historical works within the Altadena Area. Then there would be encyclopedias of different subjects and general encyclopedias as well as statistical handbooks. Also, town minutes and town reports would be included as well.

The electronic resources would be larger than the Altadena Public Library. There would be also an electronic library for patrons. Some of the online databases would be InfroTrac, Facts on File, ProQuest, WorldBook, Express Learning, and etc. I would want this databases the most because within some of the broader databases are specific subject databases as well. These databases would be a big help with families and students working on research. Not only that but adults working on higher education projects. Some of the features that would be on the website would be a blog that would discuss the ongoing events and status of the library, so that, the library patrons can be include with happenings within the library. Another feature would be an online chat with the reference librarian.

I think that my reference collection would stand out to the public library within my city because it’s different and it will be more extensive. There will be more to choose from then at the regular public library.

Sources: http://www.city-data.com/city/Altadena-California.html, http://www.altadenatowncouncil.org/, http://www.altadenalibrary.org/, http://www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/library/

The Final Reflection #8

I have been to meetings that discuss how to use different databases within the library to help patrons understand how to use them. It is interesting that each database targets a certain age group. For instance, at the Long Beach Public Library there is a database called Tumble Books, which is a database that has books that reads to children as well as educated games. In my opinion, this database is targeted to elementary school children; it is suppose to help them with their reading. There aren’t many databases that are targeted to elementary children. Many are for middle school level and older. I have also taken various library classes already and this class has been one of my harder ones to accomplish.

I think that taking this course has taught me to teach others how to research that Google isn’t the only option. I’m now more focused on seeing if print sources may have the answer to certain questions as well as online databases. Working in a library and teaching others what I know is not just limited to just basic things. There are so many interesting things that patrons still need to know like computers, databases, how to find a book, and etc. It would be nice to do face to face contact, but that can’t always be the case. Handouts, online instruction, and other instructional aides will also benefit patrons as well.

Within an academic college library different instructions are needed for different information. For instance, a PowerPoint presentation could be created to demonstrate how to use the library website. There is so much information on an academic website that a person could get lost looking for what they really want. Not only is a PowerPoint presentation would be needed but a site that demonstrates how to use the library catalog and how to do a basic search. Not many know how to use library catalogs to the best of their abilities. Besides just those instructions, but an introduction to how to use the online databases is necessary as well.

The Finale

Presentation:

I decided to do my presentaton on the Dewey Decimal System. It has a brief introduction on what it is and how to use it in a library. There are specific details to what to look for when searching. This powerpoint is to teach patrons how to look for a book.

Seven Reflections... Gone By

If I was instructing a patron on what resources to use electronically my recommended list in order would be.

1) An online search engine (Why?) - I think that using this approach they can get a feel for what exactly they are looking for. Plus it will be a pre-research to their search.

2) Subscription database (Why?) - This would be the second step to their researching process. Once a definite topic has been chosen and they know exactly what they are looking for the patron can go on a specific topic database. This will be a good resource to use and it gives the patron more options to choose from. Plus, they will get use to using the online databases.

If more sources are needed I then would of suggested using ProQuest and Encyclopedia.com as well as government sources.

3) ProQuest (Why?) - This database is good for looking up articles. The search can be defined for scholarly purposes. Plus, it will be good to know how to use for future research projects.

4) Government sources (Why?) - Government sources are reliable. They have been looked at by accredited individuals in the specific fields of the topic.

5) Encyclopedia.com (Why?) - This website defines the topic, but it is limited to certain topics (only known topics).

To Reflect on #6

Overwhelmed??? Yes, I do feel somewhat overwhelmed by all the resources that we have gone over. I feel like I am just stuck in certain areas but hopefully, I can go forward with the knowledge that I have learned and apply it to other research. I am glad that I know that there are soooooo many different resources available. I just don't have to rely on Google to help me find what I am looking for. The homework is kicking my butt. I just don't seem to be finding the answers that I need for certain questions and when I use print sources I come across so many sub-topics where it could be categorized. It stumps me! I will eventually overcome this hardship.



Google and me are BFFs! It is hard for me not to use it for everything, but I know it's flaws and I do try to use other reliable sources that have been listed. I use encyclopedias like WorldBook and almanacs like World Almanac and Book of Facts. I tend to use more print sources then online sources at the moment.

And then there were 5 Reflections

Google is an interesting site, but I do not think that it would have listed the websites that were used in the past weeks. Google only shows the top most used sites for the information that is searched. There might be some coincidences that a site that we used in the class is within the top 10. There are so many different websites for each subject these days.

I think that people when researching look for sites that end in .edu or .org to determine if they can use the site. Most people understand that .com and .net are people operated sites, not institutions. I think that people should use databases from library websites to do their research because the sites that are listed have been evaluated for the most information on a key subject.

I found that the Cornell University Library has a section on their webpage dedicated to evaluating websites. Also, they list key points to evaluating websites plus they listed other websites that could be of help as well.
Cornell University Library >Research Help > Introduction to References > Evaluating resources or Google > Typed Evaluating Websites > Clicked on Cornell library website (1st hit)

Four Reflections Later

If I had $5,000 to enhance the reference collection, I would split the money half and half on print and electronic resources. I think that electronic resources are making it easier for patrons not to come in to the library to use reference materials. So, they need to come into the library if they want to use certain reference materials.
Print resources are becoming a thing of the past, but it isn’t obsolete. Some materials can only be found in print. I like using electronic resources only because it directs me to almost exactly what I am looking for. Sometimes, people just don’t have the time to manually search for information. Electronic resources lets a person be able to multi-task.
With print resources I have to work a little harder to find what I am looking for like with homework assignment 1. Using the Encyclopedia of Associations is hard. I was lost. The encyclopedia is difficult and it took me a long time to figure it out. I’m still a little puzzled over some stuff though but eventually, I’ll figure it out.