Strengths and Weaknesses of selection aids.

Promotions:   (visits to bookshops and educational suppliers, booksellers)

STRENGTH:  instant access to resource, immediate purchase, review format instantly

WEAKNESS:  limitations of books due to their suppliers, more interest in promoting stock

Reviews:         (teachers, TL educational consults, student)

STRENGTH:  if from an authority very reliable evaluations and relevant resources, large variety and variety of formats

WEAKNESS: subscription may be required

 

 

Bibliographic services:          (online public access catalogues, subject listings)

STRENGTH:  specific resources identified that are relevant

WEAKNESS: dated from the moment they are created, unavailable, questionable authority

 

Recommendations from colleagues and users:       (visits to bookshops and educational suppliers, booksellers)

STRENGTH:  online discussion with other professional and more experienced people

WEAKNESS: recommendations could be bias, advertisement little knowledge of schools specific needs.

 

Other criteria

Firstly, the criteria must include authority. Secondly, relevance. Thirdly, appropriateness for school needs and lastly a review process by other members of the school.

There will be a need to be flexibly with the type of aid used. An example may include identifying the credentials of a review editor/writer when using review as an aid.

Selection aids od particular relevance

National bibliographic databases, subject list, review by an authority SCAN and recommendations by OZTL_NET are selection aids I believe would not only benefit my school I’m currently employed but others schools as well. This selection is based on well-known authorities providing recommendations from different categories of selection aids which provide variety of information for the TL to have better judgment when considering a resource.