LIBE 467: Evaluation of a Reference Work

In this review, a reference work currently in the library's collection is evaluated for use in the high school setting, and a replacement is suggested and evaluated. Works are evaluated using the following rubric:

Criterion	Unacceptable	Acceptable	Exemplary
Currency	Published >10 years ago	Published 5-10 years ago	Published <5 years ago
Relevancy	Material is incorrect, or deals with irrelevant topics, places, or peoples.	Material is factually correct, can be related to universally or locally on a broader scale.	Material is accurate, deals with matters of local interest and is up to date with current information on topics of interest.
Purpose	Material is clearly biased – information is left out, contains deliberate misinformation and/or is attempting to sell a product.	Material comes from a trusted authority and attempts are made avoid biases.	Material is made by a trusted authority for educational purposes. Where controversy is present, attempts are made to present facts and arguments form all sides without bias.
Curricular Connections	Is not directly relevant to any of the Big Ideas in the BC Curriculum.	Directly relevant to 1-2 Big Ideas in the BC Curriculum.	Directly relevant to 3 or more Big Ideas in the BC Curriculum.
Efficient use of Library Space	Multiple volumes requiring significant library space.	No more than one concise volume per relevant Big Idea.	A single concise volume relevant to several Big Ideas in the curriculum OR digital materials available online and from all computers in school library.
Accessibility	Material is poorly organized and/or language is overly complex for the majority of high school students and/or material is not accessible to all students.	Material is well-organized. Language is age-appropriate and can be accessed by all students from the school library and/or taken out on loan.	Material is in a format that is easily accessed by students from the library or from home. Language is age-appropriate and material is inviting and intuitive to use.

Work currently in Collection: 

Green, J., MacDonald, F., Steele, P., and Stotter, M. (2000). The Encyclopedia of the Ancient Americas: The Everyday Life of America’s Native Peoples.  Southwater.

Book cover image care of Amazon.com

Description:

A 256 page large volume containing information on the indigenous peoples of the Americas, including cultures, traditions, and ways of life. There are sections on the Aztec and Maya, The Incas, The North American Indians, and The Arctic Peoples. It is well illustrated, with photos of ancient artwork and illustrations. There are numerous step-by-step guides for crafts that are well illustrated.

Review:

• Currency: Unacceptable
• Relevancy: Unacceptable
• Purpose: Acceptable
• Curricular Connections: Acceptable
• Efficient Use of Library Space: Acceptable
• Accessibility: Acceptable

Explanation:

The Encyclopedia of the Ancient Americas is an age appropriate book with engaging images and crafts. The crafts, however, are mostly aimed at elementary aged students and are inappropriate for a high school audience. In addition, only half of the content is directly relevant to the curriculum in that it deals with North American indigenous peoples. It is also not directly related with much of the curriculum, though could be used to explore the Social Studies Big Idea of "Understanding the diversity and complexity of cultural expressions in one culture enhances our understanding of other cultures."

Having been published in 2000, this book is out of date not only in the topics it covers, but also in its use of indigenous content. An excellent guide for use of indigenous content is Pulling Together: A Guide for Curriculum Developers (available online here). In Section 4, and Appendix G, both titled "Incorporating Diverse Sources of Indigenous Knowledge", the authors discuss issues such as cultural appropriation and authenticity of indigenous works. This work has several issues, including the fact that many of the crafts described within are culturally appropriative and disrespectful. The voices and perspectives of indigenous peoples are not apparent within this book, and the result is monolithic descriptions of First Peoples with little discussion of the variety of cultures present. These cultures are also largely presented as things of the past with little indication of their presence in modern society.

The authors of this book are historians and children's authors and the book is meant to be educational. The issues within its pages are not the result of conscious bias on the part of the authors, but they do, however, represent a larger bias on the part of society.

Recommended Replacement:

Canadian Geographic (2018). Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada. The Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

Book cover image care of Amazon.ca

Cost: $59.99 for all four volumes from amazon.ca. Online content is available for free.

Description:

Collection on the indigenous peoples of Canada, consisting of four volumes of 60-70 pages each. The volumes are titled Truth and Reconciliation; First Nations; Inuit; and Métis. They contain information on the history of indigenous peoples in Canada, including timelines that span several pages. These volumes also describe the current lifestyles, cultures, and struggles of indigenous peoples in Canada. There are numerous photographs and graphics to accompany the text.

Rating:

• Relevancy: Acceptable to Exemplary
• Currency: Exemplary
• Purpose: Acceptable
• Curricular Connections: Exemplary
• Efficient Use of Library Space: Acceptable
• Accessibility: Exemplary

Explanation:

The Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada was published very recently in 2018. In addition to the four hardcover volumes, the content is available online from https://indigenouspeoplesatlasofcanada.ca/ It is searchable and available in both French and English. The online version is less streamlined than reading the books and lacks the illustrated timelines, so the hardcover copies are recommended. The online version can be used to engage larger numbers of students simultaneously. The language in these books is appropriate for the majority of high school students, and they contain numerous maps, graphics and photographs.

Canadian Geographic is a trusted authority. These books are meant to be educational, but are also meant as tools to move towards reconciliation. They include numerous indigenous voices, and images of modern indigenous peoples and communities. There are discussions of the history of Canada as it relates to indigenous peoples alongside up-to-date research on topics such as health, education, and housing. These books would be excellent tools for examining the state of indigenous peoples in Canada and relating this to past struggles and current prejudices. They are directly relevant to the Socials Studies Big Ideas in almost every grade, particularly studying the effects of colonization in grade 8, historical injustices and Canadian identity in grade 10, cultural diversity of first peoples and indigenous peoples' reclamation of their well-being in grade 11, and much of the BC First Peoples Studies course in grade 12.

References:

Antoine, A., Mason, R., Mason, R., Palahicky, S., and Rodriguez de France, C. (n.d.). Pulling Together: A Guide for Curriculum Developers. Creative Commons.

Canadian Geographic (2018). Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada. The Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

Green, J., MacDonald, F., Steele, P., and Stotter, M. (2000). The Encyclopedia of the Ancient Americas: The Everyday Life of America’s Native Peoples.  Southwater.