Library Critique

Being asked this week to critique a library website brings me back to September 2010 when I enrolled in my first course in the CACE program. This was the first time I accessed the resources available at the University of Manitoba Libraries. Initially I found this website challenging to navigate but did find some useful resources which did help me complete what I set out to do.

Now, after over a year of not using any of its search functions I am asked to critique it and give my view on whether libraries are repositories or referactories, or both. This is done as a part of my involvement in the CIS:ETL program.

From the readings this week I understand repositories to be “an organized collection of instructional resources” an example of which is MERLOT. Recently, as I have begun exploring website and I have improved my understanding of the context of a repository.

Next, the same author defines a referactory as “Gateways and guidelines to instructional repositories”. An example is the Virtual Training Suite that provides free online tutorials to help you develop your Internet research skills.  

So are libraries repositories or referactories? Initially, the University of Manitoba Libraries seems to be a repository as I find review its search function. However after further exploration I would conclude that a library could be both repository and referactory.

The University of Manitoba Libraries offers tutorials and resources to help the users learn how to use the following:

1.     Specific databases

2.     Tools to keep track of citations

3.     Access Archives

Additionally, it provides links to help learners cite and write properly. Already I am beginning to see greater value to this website and of course how elements of its features match the previous definitions of what a repository and referactory is. However, "even the terms repository and referatory are used somewhat differently by different authors" so I am certain there will be varying views on this definition. Apparently, learners are: "facing a daunting problem". They need to learn the skills to navigate and locate information on the web and to this end some of the largest repositories are including "user guidelines" (referactory). 

(http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERB0405.pdf). 

Tony Hirst in his post on the http://blog.ouseful.info/ suggests that libraries incorporate links to teaching materials or OERs. He rationalizes that: “if you’re a lecturer looking to pull a new course together, or a student who’s struggling to make head or tail of the way one of your particular lecturers is approaching a particular topic, or a researcher who needs a crash course in a particular method or technique, maybe some lecture notes or course materials are exactly the sort of resource you need?”


So to second Tony's recommendation the University of Manitoba Libraries could incorporate the ability to search various OER. There is no doubt a wealth of information to be explored online. The find section in the OER Handbook for educators successfully opened my eyes (widely) to this. 


I will definitely continue to explore this and may soon become a believer of the benefits of Open Educational Resources. Perhaps you are or will also be one soon?