Students' catalogue use
My experiences as a secondary teacher and TL is that many students today use the Internet as their first place to find the information they need - many students it's their only option. It's there right in front of them and they actually believe that the information is more current and reliable. The students consider the Internet as an easier option, a one-stop shop whether they can instantly find the information they need.
Locating a text on the catalogue, then having to find it on the shelves, then finding the information contained within it is often seen as too much work or a waste of time when you can just click a few keys and not get up from your chair.
Ultimately it really comes down to understanding our users. While still respecting the integrity of the cataloguing system our library collection & its systems must serve our users. There is no point having a convoluted, scientific pure system if no-one is ever going to understand it or use it. Maybe that is why library users tend to avoid the catalogue until they have been taught how to use it effectively.
What I am getting at here is that the teacher librarian needs to have a working knowledge of cataloguing in order to make sure that the organisation of their particular collection meets the needs of their users.
My experiences as a secondary teacher and TL is that many students today use the Internet as their first place to find the information they need - many students it's their only option. It's there right in front of them and they actually believe that the information is more current and reliable. The students consider the Internet as an easier option, a one-stop shop whether they can instantly find the information they need.
Locating a text on the catalogue, then having to find it on the shelves, then finding the information contained within it is often seen as too much work or a waste of time when you can just click a few keys and not get up from your chair.
Ultimately it really comes down to understanding our users. While still respecting the integrity of the cataloguing system our library collection & its systems must serve our users. There is no point having a convoluted, scientific pure system if no-one is ever going to understand it or use it. Maybe that is why library users tend to avoid the catalogue until they have been taught how to use it effectively.
What I am getting at here is that the teacher librarian needs to have a working knowledge of cataloguing in order to make sure that the organisation of their particular collection meets the needs of their users.
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