LI813: Basic Print and Electronic Information Sources



LI813: Basic Print and Electronic Information Sources

Evaluation of Reference Sources

Type of Source Bibliographic Source

Title of Source: Children’s Literature Review

Citation: Senick, G. (Ed). (1986). Children’s Literature Review. Detroit, MI: Gale

Research Company.

Authority? Published by Gale Research Company, Editor-Gerard J. Senick, Associate Editor- Melissa Reiff Hug. Editor Senick has good credentials as he has edited many works, including this series, and Something about the author autobiographies. The work is not current, but the information is still very valid, true and useful. The work is unbiased.

Scope? This literature series was published for elementary intermediate students and young adults who want information about authors and the books they have written. It’s coverage is very thorough including, Author’s full name, birth date, death date, portrait, author’s themes and styles, facts relating to career, and information about awards or prizes author received. These are written in English and would appeal to better readers.

Relation to similar works? This is a series of books. There are many different volumes representing different authors and works they have written. It is a unique series of books. There is another similar series edited by the same person, called Something about the author. The first volume was published in 1976, and they continue to publish them today.

Format? Each volume is about 300 pages. There are currently 143 volumes. It is a hard cover book with author headings, author portraits, author introductions, criticisms, author’s commentary, general commentary, title entry headings, and title entries. The organization of the book makes it easy to use. It is appropriate for elementary intermediate students and young adults, which is their intended audience.

Treatment? The entries are researched and accurate, objective, and written so an intermediate elementary student or young adult could easily read and facilitate each volume. The readers would be entertained as well as informed by reading the entries of each volume.

Arrangement? The authors are in alphabetical order, so are easily found. They are also indexed in the back with the author index, nationality index, and title index.

Special Features? Explanatory notes, bibliographic citations, numerous illustrations, a list of authors that will appear in the next volume, a guest essay, an appendix, and cumulative indexes.

Cost? $232

Potential Use? Each volume in this series provides information about authors and the books they have written. It provides information including Author’s full name, birth date, death date, portrait, author’s themes and styles, facts relating to career, and information about awards or prizes author received. It also provides explanatory notes, bibliographic citations, numerous illustrations, a list of authors that will appear in the next volume, a guest essay, an appendix, and cumulative indexes. These volumes could be used in a school or home setting for entertainment purposes or for a research project to find out information about a favorite author, find out what theme or style an author has, or find out information about the books an author has written.

Overall Evaluation? I believe these books are very well researched and written and are an excellent resource to find information on authors and their books. Many people go online to find information about authors and books, but this series is an excellent and reliable print alternative.

Type of Source Abstract

Title of Source: More Books Kids Will Sit Still For

Citation: Freeman, J. (1995). More Books Kids Will Sit Still For. New Jersey: R.R.

Bowker.

Authority? Published by R.R. Bowker, Written by Judy Freeman. Judy Freeman has good credentials, as she is a children’s’ literature consultant, well known speaker and writer on reading aloud, storytelling, book talking and all aspects of children’s literature. She is also a storyteller, and has led children's literature workshops, seminars, and programs for teachers and librarians. This book is not real current, but it is still valid, accurate and useful. The book does come with a bias from the author as the abstracts are her opinion, but she is an expert in the field, so her opinion holds more weight.

Scope? This book was written for teachers, librarians, students and any other people looking for good books to read aloud to children. It was written to provide them with abstracts about what the different books are about, so a person could see why they might be interested in reading it. Its’ coverage is thorough, including coverage on how to read with expression, how to look for a good read aloud, a list of memorable authors and illustrators, orientation games for grades 3-5, fiction for grades 3-5, and indexes. It is written in English, and would appeal to grade 3 and up.

Relation to similar works? This type of book is not unique, as there have been many other books written with abstracts of other books. That said though, this book is set up nicely and contains unique information, such as new trends, books that bomb, how to read with expression, and the importance of a school/library media center program. This book is the first book in a 3 volume series.

Format? This book is hardbound, contains 869 pages, and includes illustrations. It features a section of how to make the most of children’s literature, an annotated read-aloud list, and bibliography and indexes. It is organized well and easy to use. It is appropriately written, formatted and organized for its’ intended audience of teachers or parents, or possibly students.

Treatment? Intended for use with students age 3-12. It has accurate bibliographic citations with objective abstracts about each book.

Arrangement? The abstracts are arranged by grade level and subject, and alphabetized by author’s last name. There is a author index, title index, illustrator index, and subject index.

Special Features? List of illustrations, looking for read alouds section, reading with expression section, the importance of a school library/media center program section, a foreword by Daniel Pinkwater, annotated read-aloud lists, and bibliography and indexes.

Cost? $55

Potential Use? This source provides abstracts of good read aloud books. It also includes how to find good read alouds. It could be used in a school setting by teachers and librarians looking for good books to read aloud to their elementary students, or for intermediate elementary students to find a good book to read and find out what it is about.

Overall Evaluation? I believe this is an excellent book for librarians and teachers to use to find out more about books to read aloud to their students in elementary school. It contains valuable and interesting information and is organized to make it easy to use. The abstracts are written very clearly and objectively to make it quick and easy to find out what a book is about.

Type of Source Geographical Information Source

Title of Source: Picture Reference Atlas

Citation: Pickering, M. (1996). Picture Reference Atlas. Chicago: World Book/Two-

Can Publishing Ltd.

Authority? Published by World Book, Inc. in association with Two-Can Publishing Ltd. By Mel Pickering. He has good credentials as he has written two other atlases, including another children’s atlas. This work is not very current, but it is unbiased with factual information on different parts of the world.

Scope? This atlas is for children to find information about what an atlas is, different types of land, and information about different countries, including its’ animals, plants, people, and places. It is not real thorough in its’ coverage, as it covers a lot of different areas with some general information, not in depth coverage. It is not very current, but still contains factual, valid, interesting information. It is written in English and would appeal to children in 3rd through 5th grade.

Relation to similar works? There are other picture reference atlases but this book is unique with all the illustrations, and the large amount of facts it gives for each country.

Format? This is a big in size, soft back atlas book, with many bright and colorful illustrations to show facts about each country, including its’ animals, plants, people, land and places. It is easy to use and understand, and is appropriate for its intended children’s audience.

Treatment? It is accurate with it’s facts, it is objectively written, it is written in a playful, colorful, attention grabbing style, and is intended to be viewed by children in the intermediate elementary grade levels.

Arrangement? It is organized by different areas of the world, for example, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Southern Asia, Eastern Asia, and Southeast Asia. There is a map of the area that colorfully, and with pictures, shows facts about the different countries, including animals, people, places, and plants. There is an index at the back of the atlas that lists all the places on the maps, what page number to go to, and the grid reference that tells you where the place is on the map.

Special Features? Colorful illustrations, fascinating facts pages that tell very interesting world information.

Cost? $7.95, very inexpensive

Potential Use? This atlas provides information about different countries, including where it is in the world, their people, places, animals and plants. It could be used at home or in a school setting for children to find out information about atlases and the world they live in. It would be a good atlas to show a struggling student or someone who desires more illustrations.

Overall Evaluation? I believe this is a very colorful and interesting atlas that children would really enjoy looking at and learning from. A lot can be learned about different parts of the world by looking at this atlas. I enjoy it myself. It is not hard to understand, and is exciting to look at. I would buy it for my school library, but would also make sure to have a more current atlas with the most up to date information.

Type of Source Biographical source

Title of Source: 399 Kansas Characters

Citation: Webb, D. (1994). 399 Kansas Characters. Dodge City, KS: Kansas Heritage

Center.

Authority? Published by the Kansas Heritage Center, Written by Dave Webb. It is a credited source as the Kansas Heritage Center is a social studies resource center operated through the public school district in Dodge City, KS. They publish materials on Kansas and the Old West, and maintain a library. The work is not real current, but it is a very interesting worthwhile piece of literature giving many facts about people from Kansas. It may be somewhat biased in favor of these characters, because it is written by a fourth-generation Kansan, about Kansas people for the Kansas Heritage Center. There is a source notes page, which tells where the information was gathered from about the Kansans, and the sources are very reputable, including government agencies and organizations, and biographical dictionaries.

Scope? It is written for elementary students, and any other people interested, to find information about interesting characters from Kansas. It puts Kansas on the map of having noteworthy people from here. It has extensive coverage about 399 famous or interesting people from Kansas. It is not very current, but contains a lot of interesting and factual information about people from Kansas in one book. It is written in English, and would appeal to younger students as well as older people.

Relation to similar works? This is a revised edition, so it is not original, but the set up of this book is unique. It gives biographical information about only people from Kansas.

Format? It is a 300-page soft cover book, with sketches for illustrations, containing information on Kansas explorers, scientists, adventurers, aviators, soldiers, politicians, crusaders, doctors, educators, entrepreneurs, inventors, authors, artists, composers, entertainers, athletes, law officers, lawbreakers, colorful characters, mammals, birds, and other animals. It is well formatted and organized for easy use, and is appropriate for its’ intended elementary audience and up.

Treatment? The information within the book is accurate, factual, and objective. It is written in a fun style, almost like an old newspaper would be set up. The intended audience is for students and others interested in people from Kansas history.

Arrangement? It is arranged by 8 different chapters to categorize the different people into different types, such as Serving State & Nation, With Pen & Brush, Wild & Wooly. The people are alphabetically listed within the chapter they are placed. There is a character index, and a city, town and county index.

Special Features? A Source notes page, which tells where the information was gathered from about the different Kansans. The people in the book are organized by what they are most famous for. There is a city, town and county index listing where characters lived, attended college or served in the military.

Cost? $62.77

Potential Use? This source provides biographical information about 399 different people from Kansas. It includes when and where they were born, what they did, where they went to school, and much more. It could be used for a school research project on a famous Kansan. It could also be read for enjoyment to learn about different people from Kansas and their lives.

Overall Evaluation? I believe this is an excellent reference source for a librarian in a Kansas school to have. It gives a lot of information about many different Kansans all in one book. It is well written, easy to use, and enjoyable to read.

Type of Source Ready Reference- Almanac

Title of Source: The World Almanac for Kids 2008

Citation: Joyce, C. (Ed). (2008). The World Almanac for Kids 2008. New York: World

Almanac Education Group, Inc.

Authority? Published by World Almanac Books, Edited by C. Alan Joyce. World Almanac Education is a very reputable source and has top selling reference books. This almanac is current and up to date, and unbiased with factual information.

Scope? This book was specifically designed for intermediate elementary students. It is for students wanting to learn cool facts like what famous person has their birthday, how many people live in the United States, how many children each president had, and about volcanoes, hurricanes, amusement parks, National Parks, space, computers, and much more. They can learn a lot of information quickly. The book is very colorful and always interesting, so they won’t get bored. It is current and up to date to our current year. It would appeal to intermediate elementary aged students, and is written in English.

Relation to similar works? There is a new edition put out every year with the new year on the cover. Each year covers some of the same information, but with the new unique information to that current year. There are other almanacs, but this one is uniquely for children and is done in a fun, colorful style.

Format? It is a soft cover 350-page book. It is done with bright colors and many pictures and illustrations on every page. It features a table of contents at the beginning of the book, and an easy to use index at the back of the book. It is very easy to use and to locate information, and is very appropriate for its’ intended intermediate elementary aged students.

Treatment? This almanac is accurate, and objective. It is written in a fun, colorful, interesting, attention grabbing style, which is appropriate for its’ intended intermediate elementary aged students.

Arrangement? It is arranged by different chapters which are outlined alphabetically in the table of contents, which are faces and places, animals, art, birthdays, books, buildings, camping, crime, disasters, environment, fashion, games and toys, geography, health, holidays, homework help, inventions, language, magic, military, money, movies and TV, museums, music and dance, mythology, nations, native americans, numbers, population, prizes and contests, records, religion, science, space, sports, technology and computers, transportation, travel, united states, volunteering, weather, weights and measures, and world history. There is an index at the back of the almanac.

Special Features? There are quizzes throughout the book. The answers are at the back of the almanac.

Cost? $12.99

Potential Use? This almanac provides a ready reference source to look up quick factual information about the different subjects in the table of contents. It provides a wide span of information, not too in depth. All sorts of information is included, such as the five largest cities in the world, maps of the world, how to write a research paper, information about the different united states, NFL all-time record holders, and much more. This almanac could be used by a student at school or at home for enjoyment to learn fun facts, or for a research paper to find a quick fact about a topic.

Overall Evaluation? I believe students love these almanacs for reference books and for pure entertainment. I would purchase a new one every year. They are inexpensive for the amount of information that is given. The students would like the bright colors and how the book is arranged in a fun way.

Type of Source Geographical Information Source

Title of Source: CultureGrams 2007 World Edition

Citation: CultureGrams. (2007). CultureGrams 2007 World Edition. Utah: ProQuest

Information and Learning Company.

Authority? Published by ProQuest Information and Learning Company and Brigham Young University. The publisher and University are credible sources of information. The work is current, and updated annually to reflect changes in culture. The book tries to be unbiased and as objective as possible, but when talking about generalizing a whole people and culture of a country there is bias from the writers’ perceptions.

Scope? This series of books was written for students to read, learn, and understand more about other cultures of the world in order to be more accepting and tolerant of other cultures. It is an excellent series of books that gives you an insiders look at different cultures of the world, including information about religions, world view, arts, traditions, people, and language. There are different volumes containing information on different countries. For example, the volume on Europe contains information about 44 different countries. The information about each country is broken down into 25 different categories; such as Land and Climate, History, Religion, General attitudes, Personal Appearance, Eating, Family, Dating and Marriage, etc. This book is current, and is updated and reviewed annually to reflect changes in culture. The book is limited to the region of the world the volume pertains to, and is written in English. It would appeal to elementary intermediate aged students and up.

Relation to similar works? There are other geographical information sources, but this one is unique in that it tells all about the culture of the area as well as about the land. It is unique in that it gives an insider’s perspective, and gives general as well as detailed in depth information. Every year a new edition is published. This Europe volume is from the series which also publishes a volume about The Americas, Africa, and Asia and Oceania.

Format? It is a softbound 300-page book. It has very few illustrations, only a map of the area being discussed. It features a table of contents, and appendix. It is an easy format to use, being able to quickly find the information you are interested in. It is appropriate for the intended student audience, but a better reader who doesn’t need a lot of pictures would fair better with it than a lower reader.

Treatment? It contains accurate, and objective information about the different countries. It is written in a narrative style, with only a map for a picture. It is intended for students who want to learn how countries are different and similar from one another.

Arrangement? Each volume is designated a certain area of the world. This volume 2 is designated Europe. The book is arranged alphabetically by 44 different countries in Europe. Each country reports on 25 different categories, including land and climate, history, information about the people, customs, lifestyle, and society. There are no indexes, but there is an appendix that includes capitals table, population are area table, development data table, concepts and terminology, and a glossary of cultural terms.

Special Features? The insider’s perspective on each country, and the appendix at the back of the book.

Cost? $139.99 for the 4 volume set

Potential Use? This source provides information on a region’s countries, including land and climate, history, and information about the people. Students and others could use it, at school or at home, to enjoy learning how countries are different and similar from one another, in order to gain a respect for all different cultures.

Overall Evaluation? I would purchase this set of books for my school library, because it is organized well in that it is easy to find information about a country. Also, it contains a unique insider’s perspective on the culture. I probably would not update the books yearly because the information would stay valid for several years at least, unless I had a huge budget.

Type of Source Dictionary

Title of Source: Just Look ‘n Learn Spanish Picture Dictionary

Citation: School Specialty Publishing. (1997). Just Look ‘n Learn Spanish Picture

Dictionary. Columbus, OH: School Specialty Publishing.

Authority? Published by School Specialty Publishing. Illustrated by Daniel J. Hochstatter. School Specialty Publishing is a credited source, as they are a children's education publisher of supplemental educational materials and other educational products. The dictionary is not very current, but the work is still valid, factual, useful, and unbiased.

Scope? This dictionary was published for elementary aged students wanting to learn Spanish, or students that already speak Spanish wanting to learn English. Children can easily learn how to say different words in Spanish, because each word has a picture and a sentence to help them learn the new word. They can learn in Spanish how to tell time, say the days of the week, counting, and 1,500 words from a to z. The language is still currently used today, even though it was published more than 10 years ago. It would appeal to elementary students, because it is a colorful dictionary that will help children have fun learning Spanish. It could also appeal to older students who want a simple book about learning Spanish with lots of pictures. It is written in English and Spanish, and is limited to learning basic Spanish, not real in depth.

Relation to similar works? It is similar to other picture dictionaries, but this one is unique in that it has illustrations and example sentences for each entry. There are other Just Look ‘n Learn Picture Dictionaries, including an English, Italian, and French version.

Format? It is a hardback book with 96 pages. It contains many illustrations, and is very colorful and descriptive with its’ illustrations. It features a table of contents, and an index at the back of the book, making it easy to use and find what you are looking for. It is very appropriate for the intended elementary aged audience trying to learn Spanish.

Treatment? The dictionary is accurate and objective. It is written in a kid friendly style, with colorful illustrations and an example sentence for each entry. It is meant to keep an elementary school child entertained and informed.

Arrangement? It is arranged in alphabetical order like most dictionaries. The words are in English and Spanish from A to Z. Then at the back there is a section for numbers, days of the week, months, shapes, compass directions, and telling time. There is an index to the Spanish words at the back of the book.

Special Features? There is an illustration, and example sentence for each entry. It is done in a colorful style that children would enjoy.

Cost? $11.95

Potential Use? This dictionary provides more than 1,500 Spanish words for beginning Spanish learners. It provides an illustration and example sentence for each word entry. It includes days of the week, months, shapes, compass directions, telling time words, numbers, and basic Spanish words. Elementary students could use it, at home or at school, just learning how to speak Spanish or English. ESL students at school and at home could use it.

Overall Evaluation? I believe this is an excellent reference for an elementary library to have, especially in a school where there are bilingual students. It is great for children because there are example sentences, and because it is full of illustrations.

Type of Source Encyclopedia

Title of Source: The World Book Encyclopedia

Citation: World Book, Inc. (2004). The World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: World

Book, Inc.

Authority? Published by World Book, Inc. Each entry has an author. World Book is a very credible authority. They have been in business since 1917, providing accuracy, objectivity, and reliability in research materials for both children and adults. World Book is a leader in the production of award-winning encyclopedias, reference sources, and digital products for the home and schools. This work is current, although not the most current available. It is unbiased.

Scope? This encyclopedia is for students to find information about all different kinds of topics. It is meant to provide a broad coverage of many different topics. It does go into specific details, but not as in depth as a book just about the topic would be. The information is current to the year it was published. A new edition is published every year with the most up to date information. It is limited to the chosen topics in the encyclopedia, and is written in English.

Relation to similar works? Other companies publish encyclopedias but World Book publishes the number-one selling print encyclopedia in the world. World Book also markets digital products including the World Book Online Reference Center. World Book publishes nearly 90 reference titles, including World Book Student Discovery Encyclopedia, Animals of the World, World Book's Science & Nature Guides, Student Discovery Science Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia of Flags, Solar System & Space Exploration Library, Human Body Works, and Biographical Connections.

Format? It is a hard cover book with over 1200 pages. It is mostly text, but pictures are included with some topics. It is easy to find information, and is appropriate for the intended intermediate elementary student audience.

Treatment? The encyclopedia is accurate and objective. It is specifically designed for student needs of finding information about different topics.

Arrangement? Students decide what topic interests them, take the first letter of that topic, and then find the encyclopedia with that letter on the spine. If students want to find out what a cicada is, what they do, and what they look like, then they choose the “C” for cicada World Book encyclopedia to find out all about cicadas. The topics are easy to find because they are arranged in alphabetical order. There is not an index in each encyclopedia, but there is one index book for the whole set of encyclopedias.

Special Features? A great deal of information about many different topics, arranged alphabetically by topic.

Cost? About $900 for the whole set (about 22 volumes)

Potential Use? This reference source provides accurate information quickly about many given topics. It is easy to find desired information, because topics are in alphabetical order. All sorts of general to detailed information is given, depending on the given topic. It could be used by students in school for a place to start a research project, whether to get an idea on what to do it on, or where to go to get started with some general information on the topic.

Overall Evaluation? I believe encyclopedias are excellent sources of information. They include a range of information on a wide range of topics. It is a good place for a student to go to first to see if they can find some basic information on their topic on interest. The print version is nice, because they can browse the book looking for different topics they may be interested in. I would not purchase encyclopedias in print every year, but perhaps every 5 years for my students and library.

Type of Source Ready Reference- Handbook

Title of Source: Young Person’s Occupational Outlook Handbook

Citation: U.S. Department of Labor. (2007). Young Person’s Occupational Outlook

Handbook. Indianapolis, IN: Jist Works.

Authority? It is published by JIST Publishing, Inc. This book is based on the U.S. Department of Labor’s book Occupational Outlook Handbook, and the U.S. Department of Labor is very credible, accurate, and valid. This work is current and unbiased.

Scope? This handbook is specifically designed for children and students in grades 4th through 9th. It is a great ready reference source to look up information about different careers. There are descriptions of 270 jobs held by 90 percent of the workforce. There is a one-page overview of each job, including a brief description of the job and job duties, school subjects related to the job, information on earnings, education, and job outlook, fun activities for trying out jobs, and lists of other occupations related to each job. It is written in English, and is current.

Relation to similar works? There are other editions of this handbook. This is the 6th edition. It is uniquely designed for intermediate elementary aged students, adapted from the original U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Format? It is a soft cover book with 317 pages. It is well organized, so children and students can easily search for information about different jobs based on their interests. There are illustrations, which make it more enjoyable for the children. The information is appropriate for the intended intermediate elementary aged students, especially the section that tells them what subjects they should be strong in, in order to do the job.

Treatment? It is accurate, objective, and written in a style that is kid friendly and appropriate for the intended elementary audience.

Arrangement? Related job descriptions are grouped together. Material is grouped into 11 occupational areas: management, business, and finance; professional; service; sales; office and administrative support; farming, fishing, and forestry; construction; installation, maintenance, and repair; production; transportation; and the armed forces. There is an appendix, which lists web sites for finding out more about the jobs. There is an index at the back of the book.

Special Features? Each job includes interesting information about its’ history.

Cost? $19.95

Potential Use? This handbook provides a quick reference source to find out what a job entails, and what subjects a student should be strong in. It would be well used by students wanting to learn about different careers they may be interested in.

Overall Evaluation? I believe this is an excellent book for a school library to have in the reference section. It is well organized, so students would be able to quickly locate information about certain careers.

Type of Source Government Publication

Title of Source: BLS Career Information

Citation: .k12 U.S. Department of Labor. (2008-2009). Exploring Career

Information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Authority? This web site is published by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, and researched by the United States Department of Labor. The senior content editor is Chester Levine. It is a government source of information, so it is credible, and valid. This web site is current, up to date, and unbiased.

Scope? This web site is for children and students to find information on careers that they might like based on what they are interested in. It covers careers based on whether you are interested in math, reading, science, social studies, music and arts, building and fixing things, helping people, computers, law, managing money, sports, or nature. It is up to date, written in English, and would appeal to intermediate elementary aged students.

Relation to similar works? There are other web sites designed for children on career information, but not by a U.S. government agency. This is from the 2008-2009 edition of labor statistics.

Format? It is formatted with a simple home page with a person representing each of the 12 career categories in bubbles. It is done simply, neatly, and easy to use. It is done well with the intended elementary aged student in mind.

Treatment? The information is accurate and objective. It is done in a very organized style so kids can understand easily.

Arrangement? They ask what you are interested in, and you can choose from one of the 12 categories, such as nature, managing money, sports, computers, helping people, etc. When you click on the category it gives you 5 or 6 careers that fit into that interest group. When you click on a career it tells you what the job is like, how to get ready for it, how much the job pays, how many jobs there are, the future of the job, other jobs like it, and where to find more information. There is an A to Z index with the list of careers.

Special Features? The special way it is organized by interests you may have.

Cost? Free

Potential Use? This online source provides information on careers to students and children based on their interests. It includes information on what the job is like, how to get ready for it, how much the job pays, how many jobs there are, the future of the job, other jobs like it, and where to find more information. It could be used by students wondering what kind of career they might like to do when they get older, and to see what subjects they should be good at in school to do the job.

Overall Evaluation? I would recommend this web site to students in grades 3-5 looking for information on different careers. Since the government puts it out it is very reliable. It is a very well organized web site, and easy to use.

Type of Source Index

Title of Source: Kansas Author Database Index

Citation: Kansas Center for the

Book. (2008). Kansas Author Database Index. Topeka, KS: State Library of Kansas.

Authority? This web site is published by the State Library of Kansas, and authored by the Kansas Center for the Book. It is a non-profit, tax exempt program for the state library. The Kansas Center for the Book is a state affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, and therefore is a credible source. The web site is current and unbiased.

Scope? The mission of the Kansas Center for the Book is to stimulate public interest in the educational and cultural role of the book; authorship and writing; literacy; and the promotion of reading and libraries. It is current, limited to Kansas authors, and written in English. It would appeal to older elementary students, and anyone looking for Kansas authors.

Relation to similar works? This is a unique database for Kansas, but other states have the database for their state. New names and personal database pages are added, as they become available.

Format? An author who lives or has lived in Kansas, and has published a book or wrote a book thematically about or set in Kansas, can have their name and information considered for the Kansas Center for the Book's Author Database, by submitting a form. It is a well-organized database. There is a column for name, email, web site, location, and genre. The link to the author’s name includes biographical information, what books they have written, and in what genre. There are not any illustrations, but it is easy to use and navigate. It is appropriate for the intended older elementary student and up.

Treatment? It is accurate, objective, and written in a very informative, database style, intended for older elementary students and up.

Arrangement? The Kansas Author Index and Database is a research and contact information tool. The database is arranged in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. The database is an index itself.

Special Features? It has only Kansas authors or authors who have written about Kansas or have their book set in Kansas. It is an index to Kansas authors. It is on line and accessible to anyone.

Cost? Free

Potential Use? The Kansas Center for the Book provides this index as a resource that older students and other site visitors might discover and learn about the many Kansas authors who have published books or authors of books thematically about or set in Kansas. The list contains both living and deceased authors. It provides biographical information about the author, what they have written, and what genre. The information might be used for school research projects, or for anyone looking for this particular sort of information.

Overall Evaluation? I believe this would be an excellent index to recommend to a student searching for Kansas authors or books written about Kansas. It is easy to navigate, so students in grades 3-5 could understand it. It is not a very pretty database, but it does provide accurate and reliable information.

Type of Source Ready Reference- Yearbook

Title of Source: Central Elementary 2007-2008 Yearbook

Citation: Central Elementary. (2008). Central Elementary 2007-2008 Yearbook. Kansas

City: Lifetouch, Inc.

Authority? This yearbook is published by Lifetouch, Inc. and authored by the staff at Central Elementary. The staff is credible, because they know their students and staff. The yearbook is current, and unbiased.

Scope? This yearbook is published for the students to have a book that helps them remember their memories of that school year, and what everyone looked like. It includes the picture and name of each student and staff member that attended that school year. It also includes group photographs of fun events that occurred during the school year. It is current and written in English.

Relation to similar works? There are many yearbooks published for different schools every year, but this one is unique to Central Elementary. It is also unique in that the staff puts it together as they want it to be printed. Every year a new yearbook is published for the school.

Format? It is a 24-page soft cover book full of pictures of people and events during the school year. It features a staff pictures page, a page for each grade level that has the teacher’s name and picture, and student pictures and names, and a couple pages at the end full of pictures of fun events throughout the year. It is easy to locate each grade level, and is appropriate for the intended elementary audience.

Treatment? It is accurate, objective, and done in an informative, but fun, exciting, interesting, and kid style to suit its’ intended elementary audience.

Arrangement? The yearbook is arranged in order by grade level, and each student’s picture is in alphabetical order by his or her last name. There is not an index.

Special Features? There is a photograph of the whole school, and pictures throughout the yearbook showing students doing different activities. The cover is illustrated by a student from Central Elementary.

Cost? $10 for each yearbook

Potential Use? This reference source provides names and pictures of students and staff that attended for that school year. It might be used by former students to remember old classmates’ names, or for current students to remember what they looked like when they were younger. It could be used in the school setting as a non-checkout reference item.

Overall Evaluation? I would definitely purchase a yearbook for each year the elementary school has been in existence. It is a good, quick reference to have on hand for people searching for old classmates or teachers, and students love to look at them.

This is the evaluation format I used:

Type of Source (e.g.: Ready Reference, Encyclopedia, Dictionary):

Title of Source:

Citation:

Authority? (Publisher; authors, editors; sources of information? Credentials of ed./pub. Are articles signed? Is work current, unbiased?)

Scope? (purpose- Why and for whom was this information source published?, coverage, currency, What are the limits to the work, e.g., in subject area, language, age appeal, etc.?)

Relation to similar works? (uniqueness, spinoffs, new editions)

Format? (physical makeup, illustrations, features, Does it facilitate use; is it appropriate for the intended audience?)

Treatment? (accuracy, objectivity, style, intended audience)

Arrangement? (Sequence, Alphabetical, subject, chronological, etc.? Are there indexes?)

Special Features?

Cost?

Potential Use? (What kind of information does this source provide? What information is included? How might it be used; it what kind of environment; what kinds of questions does it answer?)

Overall Evaluation? (My opinion?)

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