For this activity we were asked to select a topic of interest and choose two relevant papers. I decided to focus on makerspaces in preparation for assignment 3 in ETL567. First, the two articles are compared, then evaluated through set questions.
Paper 1: Fourie, I & Meyer, A. (2015). What to make of makerspaces. Library Hi Tech, 33(4), 519-525. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-09-2015-0092
Paper 2: Mersand, S. (2021). The state of makerspace research: a review of the literature. TechTrends, 65(2), 174-186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-020-00566-5
What to make of makerspaces (Fourie & Meyer, 2015)
The purpose, methodology, findings and research limitations are all clearly stated at the beginning of the article. The article itself is well-organised under clear headings and cites a wide range of supporting research. Research questions are posed and follow-up research ideas are suggested. This paper does not contain any research or data collection from the author, it is a literature review of other research in the area of makerspaces in libraries.
The state of makerspace research: a review of the literature (Mersand, 2021)
Mersand (2021) gives clear definitions of the different types of makerspaces with reference to the literature. The article is also well-organised using clear headings. The method of selection of other research papers is explained clearly. There are also tables included to clearly support the categorisation of the documents to be reviewed, the methodology of each document and the year of publication. There is a clear discussion about the findings of the documents with reference to the literature. The article concludes with final findings and suggestions for further research. The fundings and compliance of ethical standards is also clearly stated.
Which paper was more coherent, consistent and comprehensive in describing the research procedure and finding?
Mersand (2021) was more comprehensive, using tables and describing the findings using supporting literature.
Which paper has a more constructive conclusion?
Again, Mersand (2021) was more constructive as it discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the literature analysed.
Overall, Mersand (2021) gave more insight into makerspaces in libraries by discussing the different types of makerspaces and their application.
In my readings during the week, I have been learning about the abundance of selection aids. I never realised there were so many available and how these sites were used to guide resources selection for TLs. I decided to review three online selection aids; Walker Books Australia and New Zealand, Booktopia, and Scholastic Book Wizard. The school library in which I work uses Booktopia as a selection tool. We have two libraries; one P-6 (co-ed day school), the other 7-12 (girls only boarding school) which means we have a variety of needs to address in resource selection. Here are my findings:
Walker Books Australia and New Zealand
Strengths
- Easy to use
- Variety of ways to search
- Gives age range recommendations for each title as you click into it
- Books are available in Australia
Weaknesses
- Only displays books that are distributed by Walker Books Australia
- Physical resources only – no ebooks or audio books available through this service
- Pricing is embedded in the fine print
- Can’t purchase direct from the publisher
I found this to be a valuable website, however I would probably only use it to get information about latest titles and age recommendations.
Booktopia
Strengths
- Easy to use
- Variety of ways to search
- Shows other similar books when you select a book to look at
- Books are available in Australia
- When a book is selected it shows if it’s also available as an ebook and/or audiobook
- Clear pricing
- Reviews provided when a book is selected
- Wishlist builder
Weaknesses
- No age recommendations when a book is selected. This can be difficult for a school library because the content needs to be considered before purchasing. This is particularly pertinent when selecting manga.
- Can be overwhelming as you go down the rabbit hole of recommendations
I found Booktopia to be a particularly user-friendly website and the search functions are easy to use. Everything is set out clearly and I like to wishlist builder so that I don’t lose track of what titles I am interested in.
Scholastic book wizard
Strengths
- Select books by reading level or grade level
- Simple funneling system to get to the recommendations
- The more options you select the more refined the search
- Click through to the main Scholastic teacher store
- Search results are not overwhelming because of the series of filters on the search
- Further recommendations are available for similar style books
- Wishlist function
Weaknesses
- Can’t just browse as soon as you open the webpage. You have to click through a series of options to get to the books.
- Not a lot of options come up after each search so there are limited options.
I found this website looks good to start with but turned out to be slightly frustrating because the search functions were so restricting. Unless I was looking for a recommendation for a particular genre for a particular year level, I would probably rather go straight to the Scholastic Teacher Store site.
Overall, Booktopia seems to be a one-stop-shop for physical and digital resources and I believe this is why is it utilised as a selection aid at my school library.