book.and.bloom

It is with a mixture of gratitude and frustration that I write this reflection. Gratitude because the timing of the course could not be more beneficial to me personally. This September I started working as Teacher Librarian in an elementary school (having only been an enthusiastic patron of libraries prior to this position). This course also inspired frustration because, prior to starting this course, I assumed that the reference collection we offered to students was acceptable. As I learn more each week about reference services, I am chagrined to admit the quality of the reference materials is embarrassingly weak. Further exasperating this situation is the fact that the library at my school has no budget. This is abysmally lower than the suggested $26-$35 per student range suggested by the document Achieving Information Literacy to reach the designation of acceptable (Asselin, Branch & Oberg, p. 35). Unfortunately, this lack of funding speaks to the low level of priority that the