Lesson 3: Riedling's Approach to Evaluating Reference Materials

I thought that Riedling’s Evaluation Process was very informative and well laid out. I liked how the evaluation criteria were well defined for me.  The criteria seemed comprehensive: content scope; accuracy, authority, and bias; arrangement and presentation; relation to similar works; timeliness and permanence; and cost. As someone who has never worked in a library I really appreciated how each type of reference material was given criteria for evaluation.  It sounds like a lot of common sense is needed as well as a certain amount of time spent seeking input from other sources to confirm a reference resource’s worth are most important. The only thing that was missing for me in Riedling’s Evaluation Process was an inclusion of a list of “must have” reference resources for a library. As someone who will be brand new to the library, it would be so lovely to have a tidy little list that you could use to check off the type of resources that you have or don’t have in the collection. From the readings I realize why this is though, because the needs of every school population are different. I suppose if a school library has computers in the library (the library at my school only has one) then a printed dictionary is not needed. Our school district has subscribed to the World Book Encyclopedia online and so I imagine the printed version can go. But if it is not too old should it be kept anyway? I would be inclined to get rid of it, but I guess this is where the TL has to be the judge to see if anyone uses them. If not, I guess they go. It sounds like within five years most reference materials are out of date, other than print psychology, history, business, and education which are out of date within 10 years. I can only imagine the toll this must take on the budget. However, as mentioned, our school district has purchased a variety of online reference resources and so this must mean that these reference resources no longer need to come out of the library budget, perhaps making room in the budget for updating other reference materials. Perhaps this is one silver lining in the dreary budget cloud!