August/September 2016 59 ONLINE TOOLS TEACH THIRD-GRADE STUDENTS HOW TO CITE SOURCES AND TAKE NOTES. available, it’s often hard to determine which images can legally be reproduced, or what information requires citation— but the librarians have worked hard to ensure that every Harker student knows precisely what content can be used under which circumstances.” SEEK AND YE SHALL FIND…IF Y OU KNOW HOW There are related issues as well, and separating fool’s gold from real gold is one of them. Navigating to sound information can be tricky, but even more daunting is learning how to wend your way through vast archives of data once you arrive. “We try to get students to understand that online databases have been vetted by the companies that put them out, so they’re reasonably reliable,” compared to the Internet, says St. Francis’ head librarian, Ann Lane. For students who have grown up using Google and Wikipedia, she adds, the search process is sometimes a challenge. Similar to the encyclopedias of the past, databases give students access to millions of articles and papers on nearly every topic, and as Lane points out, they are vetted by the organizations that curate them, and updated continuously. Libraries pay a subscription fee to use the databases, and access is granted to students through the libraries’ websites. “The librarians’ instructions have really helped me figure out how to use databases to make sure I’m using them efficiently, and not just poking around at random until I stumble on to something,” says Allison Wang, 17, of Sunnyvale. Wang graduated from Harker this year and is on her way to the California Institute of Technology, where she is considering a major in mathematics. Private school libraries at the high school level are subscribing to the same databases used by undergraduate and graduate schools. That, says Lane, means students are getting a head start. Sometimes the best way to understand how to use something is to create it yourself, which is why at Harker they use exercises in elementary school such as asking students to group small toys into different attributes, demonstrating in a tactile way how to sort data. As they develop, students learn how to use database search fields to efficiently get the most useful resources. By high school, students are routinely navigating through the 90 databases to which Harker subscribes. IT’S NOT AB OUT THE T OOLS Learning how to use devices and other technology tools in the library and classroom is important, but it’s not the main point, librarians and technology directors say. “The point is not the tools, the point is the product,” Hudkins says. People ask him all the time, which should they use, Macs or PCs? “I do not delve into religious arguments,” he deadpans. “The reason we do all the tools is we’re trying to give the kids the adaptability to use what’s next.” He believes in giving students a variety of options, so they learn how to use different tools to do the same tasks. Ann Weber, Bellarmine’s head librarian until retiring this summer, knows very well how tools can change in just a blink. When she came on board as the assistant librarian 22 years ago, Bellarmine’s library had just two computers with Internet access. Today Bellarmine’s library has full Internet access and subscribes to a wide array of online databases. Since those prehistoric days of heavy, bound resource books and rows of card catalogs, the pace of change has sped up dramatically. “It has always been about preparing students for an unknown future,” Hudkins says. “I’m in my eighth career, and the last two or three did not exist when I graduated from college. What’s new is the pace at which change occurs.” He might have added that being able to adjust and prosper sometimes requires the right guidance from someone who can also keep pace with new available resources—most likely your digital-savvy librarian. n
South Bay Accent - AugSep 2016
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