Evaluating Children's Resources

by Jackie Kulik

How Librarians Evaluate

While the basic evaluation criteria used by librarians in selecting reference materials hold true for reference materials for children 13 and under, there are also some special criteria specifically tailored to this important group of library users.

 At the public library it is important to remember that books are going to be handled by many children, sometimes babies and toddlers.  Books need to be durable and also safe for youngsters to be handling.  Important evaluative criteria for public library reference books for children are:

• Writing Style: Is the writing style age appropriate, clear and easy to understand?
• Organizational Method: Is the way the material is organized appropriate to the content?
• Reference Aids: Is there a table of contents, index, numbered pages, glossary etc., are the aids relevant and helpful?
• Format: Does the layout help with the flow of information, is it appealing and age appropriate, is the physical size of the work age appropriate and safe, is the work durable and well-made?
• Illustrations and Graphics: Are they placed properly, relevant and appropriate, and helpful to understanding the material?

Thinking about resources for kids in a school media center, there are other special considerations to make.

• Is the content free of stereotypes and biases?
• Does the collection of resource materials match with the school curriculum?
• Are materials age appropriate and current?
• Are there materials for children with special needs?
• Does the collection present different points of view on topics?
• Is the collection made up of culturally diverse authors/creators

These criteria for public and school libraries can aid reference librarians in selecting materials that will meet the needs of children of all ages. Evaluating websites is another important responsibility of librarians. The Association of Library Services to Children (ALSC) a division of ALA has a website Great Websites for Kids.  It is a compilation of carefully selected resources for children.  The websites that are included go through a selection process by an ALSC committee.  The main criteria ALSC uses to evaluate children's websites are: authorship/sponsorship, purpose, design and stability, and content. To see a detailed explanation of the evaluative criteria used by ALSC see their website .

Here are some additional links to sites discussing the evaluation of resources for kids.

Baltimore County Public Schools Selection Criteria forSchool Library Media Center Collections:

Evaluating Nonfiction and Reference Resources for Children

Teaching Children to Evaluate 

Librarians use evaluative criteria to select material to include in the library's reference collection for children. Equally important are the resources available to children when they access the Internet.

        
One of the best things librarians can do in both public and school libraries is to teach children how to evaluate resources on their own.  There are many ways to educate children on this matter.  One of the most common themes crafted by librarians and teachers seems to be the rubric or checklist.  These evaluative guides can be tailored to any age group, allowing even kindergartners to begin to understand the difference between a good resource and a not-so-good resource. Below is a picture of a rubric created by teacher Rebecca Trieger, this specific rubric is the kindergarten and 1^st grade evaluation form.  It incorporates evaluation criteria used by librarians such as authorship, content, design, and purpose, but in kid-friendly terminology.

To see more of Trieger’s rubrics visit: http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/rtrieger/problemsolvingchap3.htm

Kathy Schrock (school district Director of Technology, public library librarian) has a "Guide to Everything" website that is loaded with valuable information concerning evaluation of materials for children.  The site includes evaluation surveys for elementary and middle school students, links to "The 5 W's of Evaluation" and "The ABC's of Evaluation" and much much more. This website is a great resource for both public and school librarians, and teachers who work closely alongside librarians on the matter of educating children about Internet usage. 

Check out Kathy Schrock's "Guide to Everything," you will be glad you did.

              

Whether online or in print children's resources should be age-appropriate, organized and easy to follow.  They should be durable/sustainable and engaging.  Children learn in their own way.  For librarians to provide them with the best resources for each age level it is important that librarians understand the different physical/emotional/cognitive capabilities of children at various age levels.

References

Felker, J. (2000). Nonfiction and reference resources for children. Building a School Library: Collection Plan. Retrieved from http://www.lmcsource.com/tech.felker.nfeval.html

Schrock, K.  (2013). Critical evaluation information. Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything. Retrieved from http://www.schrockguide.net.critical-evaluation.html      
                                        
Selection criteria for school library media center collections. (n.d.). Baltimore County Public Schools. Retrieved from http://www.bcps.org/offices/admin/selection.html       
                                                                     
Trieger, R. (2000). Best practices & evaluation: Rubrics for site evaluation. Taming the Network Nightmare an Online Handbook. Retrieved from http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/rtrieger/problemsolvingchap3.htm