Evaluation of The World Book Encyclopedia of Science: Astronomy

 Assignment 1

Evaluation of The World Book Encyclopedia of Science: Astronomy

Part 1

            Since we’ve begun our learning on reference materials and the role they play and value they add to our library spaces, I have tried to start looking at my collection with new eyes. Knowing my outdated encyclopedia collection would no longer fit the bill of an acceptable resource I began my focus for this assignment there. Coincidentally, I was also recently allotted some funding outside my usual budget to begin replacing much of our space collection, so I chose the Astronomy volume of one of our World Book sets in the hopes of this assignment serving a practical purpose in my work place as well.  The criteria I used while evaluating were currency, relevancy, purpose and use of space, and curricular connections.

Currency

            The first flag for me that this item deserved evaluation was the copyright date. Being published in 2000, I knew it did not meet the currency criteria for either an encyclopedia or a science subject such as space. According to Riedling, print sources for both materials should be replaced after 5 years (pg. 24) and her recommendations are parallel with most library associations. Even being generous with a 10 year replacement date as some popular weeding methods such as CREW (pg. 34) would suggest for subject-based encyclopedias, this book still falls short.

            While skimming through this resource it was very clear that much has changed in astronomy since publication. In it, Pluto is still considered a planet, information about life on other planets is sorely lacking and outdated and the technology that has become so vital for space exploration is non-existent. Even most students would be able to identify a great deal of information in this book that is missing, incorrect or no longer relevant.

Relevancy, Purpose and Use of Space

            While the topic of space is still very valid in terms of subject matter, many factors of this particular book such as vocabulary, reading level and knowledge base deem it irrelevant for our use. It’s pages are highly dense with small font text and it’s reading level would likely be much more appropriate for high school or beyond. The vocabulary is highly scientific and would not be useful for our mostly ESL elementary population. 

 

            In terms of space and purpose, because it is located in our reference section and not the astronomy section of our non-fiction collection, our digitally adept students never come across it in their catalog or subject searches. Meaning it sits and collects dust with the rest of encyclopedias and takes up space, which could be used for newer and more accessible resources.

Curricular Connections

            Although astronomy as a subject still has strong ties to our new curriculum, the out datedness of this book means it curricular connections are no longer as strong as they may have been in the past. Today’s space curriculum is heavily focused on Indigenous perspectives and mythology as well as space exploration technologies, which have changed exponentially in the 18 years since this book was written. No longer do students just need to know the basics of the planets and phases of the moon, but they must be cognizant of current events and the newest discoveries so they can be preparing for jobs and creating technology for the future of space.

Rubric

            Using the rubric I created below (shaded sections evaluative of this title), it’s fairly clear that this book must be discarded. I don’t think that each box can be weighted equally with significance however, as I believe the fact that that it is 18 years old is reason enough to deselect from the collection, but the rubric is a helpful guide nonetheless for looking at some of my other reference material as well.

Reference Material Rubric
	Below Standard	Acceptable	Above Standard
Currency	Source and it’s information is older than 5 years	Source and it’s information is 2-5 years old	Source and it’s information is 0-2 years old
Relevancy	Source is a subject with no student or teacher interest or is inappropriate for library grade level	Source is a subject with some student or teacher interest, may or may not include digital features, not widely circulated	Source generates high student or teacher interest, includes digital features, circulated often
Purpose	Source is unclear, beyond scope of learner, or difficult to use for research purposes	Source provides students with a fair amount of clear, comprehensible and usable information for research purposes	Source provides a wealth of in depth, accessible information, accompanied with imagery for research purposes
Curricular Connection	Source contains little to no components of curriculum	Source contains many connections to curriculum	Source directly connects to curriculum, across numerous grade levels

Part 2

            As a replacement resource I would definitely consider World Book Online as an exemplary substitution, however we already possess an online subscription so I focused my search on a print resource. I also condiered just using the newer edition of World Book’s space series entitled, “Out of This World,” but I was unable to find a publication date for it, the titles were solely focused on space technology and the cost for an entire series of encyclopedias, $219 plus tax and shipping, is not currently in my budget.

            Instead I started with United Library Service, which is where I do much of our purchasing. I searched for Space Encyclopedias with publication dates from the last year and came across several, but settled on the Kingfisher Space Encyclopedia by Dr. Mike Goldsmith. I chose this one for several reasons, first it was visually appealing, Kingfisher is a reputable publisher of children’s non-fiction, and more importantly this book was marked a ULS Choice item, meaning it was recommended by the company and was also categorized under “BC Science 2,3,4,5.” The categorization was most important to me because ULS creates lists that are “Professionally selected K-12 titles based on “Big Ideas” and “Curricular Competencies” described in the new BC curriculum.” So even without being able to skim through every page, I feel confident that the information will be a useful supplement for curricular connections. I also prefer this to the newer World Book set because as mentioned above, it can be integrated into our space section rather than our endangered reference section, allowing students easier access and making it more purposeful.  

 

 Photo Courtesy of Amazon.com

            In terms of authenticity, the author has a PhD in astrophysics, which presumably makes the information credible and reliable. The recommended age for this book on several sites including Amazon is 7 and up or Gr. 2-6, which works well for both our primary’s and intermediate’s as well as our many intermediate ELL students. In the publisher’s synopsis, it states that it is “arranged thematically into key areas, the concise text is clear, accurate…” (Amazon) suggesting it would be highly usable for young children. It also depicts beautiful imagery and photography as well as a list of accompanying appropriate websites, which is a highly beneficial feature as then students have access to both print and digital resources as a result. There are several disadvantages to this book however, one being that although it’s 160 pages it does not cover as much material as the original Encyclopedia I’m replacing. Although perhaps that can also be seen as a positive if it’s only supplying age appropriate topics. And lastly the other drawback of this resource is that I was unable to find it library bound or even hard cover anywhere, all of my purchasing outlets (Kidsbooks, ULS, Permabound et al.) only carried it in trade paperback, which is not ideal for libraries and high circulations resources. That being said it is available with school discount through Permabound.com for only $15.46, which makes it a very appealing replacement.

            Overall, I believe this book would be considered above standard on the rubric above and I think the visual appeal, price, usability, relevancy and curricular support that it would provide makes it a valuable addition to our library reference collection. 

 

Works Cited

            Amazon.com https://www.amazon.ca/Kingfisher-Space-Encyclopedia-Mike-Goldsmith/dp/0753473534/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1517550600&sr=1-10&keywords=space+encyclopedia Accessed Jan. 30.

            CREW: A Weeding Manual for Modern Libraries. https://www.tsl.texas.gov/sites/default/files/public/tslac/ld/pubs/crew/crewmethod08.pdf Accessed Jan. 30.

            Goldsmith, Mike. The Kingfisher Space Encyclopedia. Kingfisher Books, 2017.

            Out of This World. World Book. https://www.worldbook.com/out-of-this-world.aspx. Accessed Jan. 30.

            Permabound. https://www.perma-bound.com/ViewDetail/5903178-the-kingfisher-space-encyclopedia Accessed Jan. 30.

            Riedling, Ann Marlow, et al. Reference Skills for the School Librarian: Tools and Tips. 3rd ed., California, 2013.

            United Library Service. https://www.uls.com Accessed Jan. 30.

            Vancouver Kidsbooks. https://www.kidsbooks.ca/?searchtype=keyword&qs=kingfisher+space+encyclopedia&qs_file=&q=h.tviewer&using_sb=status&qsb=keyword Accessed Jan. 30^.