research guides: making the personal connection @your library

Research Guides: Making the Personal Connection @your

library

Ruth HallACL Library

Earl Haig Secondary School

TDSB

Tina AntoniouACL Social Science

Earl Haig Secondary School

TDSB

Our story: Where did this begin?

Both creating our own research handouts Began to realize we would benefit from

handouts with a common look and feel Started talking about a template Decided to edit and adapt the work we had

already done – stopped creating from scratch

Results of our collaboration

Deepened our practice (effectiveness) Saved time (efficiency) Gave students instant recognition of a tool

and how to use it (connection) Expanded our program outside of the library

(extension)

Why are we here today?

To share the results of our collaboration in creating customized research tools

To demonstrate the benefits of creating a common set of research tools which can be adapted across grades and subject areas

Where’s the connection?

Personalizing research guides and making them a dynamic part of your library program exemplifies the creative side of librarianship where you are:

“constantly rearranging, rethinking, rebuilding,seeing things inside out”

- Cynthia Archer

Research guides: What’s out there?

G.E.A.R.S. Koechlin & Zwaan’s – Info Power Packs TDSB’s Research Success @your library Thames River Valley

Why use Research Guides?

Create a common framework for teaching research and information literacy skills

Establish a consistent approach Clearly identify stages in the research

process

How have they been used?

As black line masters

In TDSB, the most commonly used were KWL chart Evaluating a web site Note taking sheets Documentation information

Wanted to make the guide an active teaching tool

What did we do?

Began with basic model from a guide Consulted multiple guides and gathered ideas Added on

to meet assignment requirements to meet needs of different ages, subjects and

levels Created unique products where we found a

needSamples for each research stage

Where do we go from here?

Design rubrics brainstorming logging sources notes citations/works cited lists

Be the evaluator Market these products to teachers

Tips (KISS)

Maintain a consistent header/footer Use a symbol or graphic to identify a

document with the library Place copies of handouts at circulation desk Associate a certain paper colour with each

handout or stage of the research process Create handouts you can easily SELL to

departments (include a rubric or sample student work)

Whenever possible COLLABORATE

Questions and comments…

?

Source List

Gauntley, Tim, Jo-Anne LaForty and Esther Rosenfeld. Research Success @ Your Library: A Guide for Secondary Students. Toronto: Toronto District School Board, 2005.