Lesson 4: Am I biased about using one form of reference material over another?

I don’t feel that I have a bias about using one reference format or another. I enjoy using my ereader as well as reading print materials. When I access materials from the public library, I have to admit that if the resource is available in an electronic form I will choose it before I will choose a print version. However, one thing that has been happening recently in my classroom has given me pause for thought when it comes to reference materials. I have a set of atlases that have been designed for young primary students in my classroom that are not too old, although they are dated beyond five years. I will set aside the issue of the date of this source for now. I have found that a group of boys in my room have taken an interest in these atlases. During reading time, they gather the atlases and sit together in a circle on the floor to compare places where they have ancestry, their flags, etc. The students enjoy having their own copy to look at while sitting beside one another so they can share their observations from different pages. This is difficult to do when you have only one computer for students to share. The both can’t be looking at different information at the same time.  In my school’s library, we have only one computer for students to access and if I relied on just having only an electronic atlas it would be difficult for them to meet their needs. It seems to me that before I would order online resources, I would need to ensure that we have enough computers available in the library, classrooms, and computer lab to access these resources. One thing I do enjoy about looking at maps online is being able to switch views to terrain, satellite images, etc.  It really gives you a sense of the region you are looking at. This is done way better online than in a printed book. So in some cases, the printed version of the reference source is better and in some ways the electronic version of the source is better. I think, as the reading states, we need to consider the needs of the user and best match the source to their needs. If your library has only one type of resource, then you are limiting your options for matching the source to their needs.