Resource materials for library

project work
Sarah North
In projects, the central importance of the theme or topic often means that
success depends upon the provision of appropriate resource materials.
This is particularly important when project work is used to develop infor-
mation skills for study purposes. Ideally, students need access to a suitable
library, but in many situations th'is is not possible, and the teacher must
supply the resource materials. This article outlines a system for providing a
'mini-library' specifically designed to support project work.
Types of project Projects are notoriously difficult to define, but one essential characteristic
is that they involve 'an integrated programme of work built around a cent-
ral situation or idea' (UTMU, 1986). Content is therefore given priority,
and the teaching of specific skills derives from the requirements of the
project itself. For example, a project in which students report on a local
tourist attraction might involve writing a letter of enquiry to the local
tourist board, designing a questionnaire, interviewing tourists, compiling
statistical results, and writing the report itself. If the project is to be suc-
cessful, students must have something to say about the topic, and will
therefore require a resource base from which they can derive their own
content. The resource base is therefore a crucial element in the success of
a project, the importance of which can easily be underestimated. Projects
can take various forms, but differences in the nature of the main resource
base allow us to identify four main types. This classification is based on
the primary source of data, regardless of any other resources which may
also be employed in the project.
1 Community projects, in which students derive their information largely
from the local community, using methods such as observation, question-
naires, interviews and letter-writing. A good example is the project
described by Fried-Booth (1982), in which students compiled a booklet
for disabled tourists in Bath. Lewis (1983) provides a workbook of
materials for projects of this type.
2 Case studies, in which students are provided with specific documents
(real or imaginary) relating to a particular problem which has to be
solved. At the University of Surrey, for example, a communication skills
course for civil engineers included a project on skidding, based on genu-
ine data about an accident black spot (Gee, Huxley, and Johnson, 1984).
Since students often have to take on imaginary roles in this category of
project, there is considerable overlap with extended simulations of the
type described by Jones (1982).
222 ELT Journal Volume 4413 July 1990 Oxford University Press 1990
Resources for
developing
information
retrieval skills
Obstacles
3 Practical projects, in which students are required to carry out practical
work to reach their objective, which may involve, for example, producing
a design, building a model or real object, carrying out an experiment, or
creating a computer programme. The main resource base is therefore in
the form of equipment and material. There are several examples of this
type of project used with students of science and technology, such as
building a box kite (Herbolich, 1979), and designing and constructing a
solar collector (Horey, 1983). However, it need not involve sophisticated
scientific knowledge or equipment, and the 'ideas for egg races' compiled
by the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS)
(1983) can be readily adapted for use as practical projects with all kinds of
students. In English-speaking countries, practical projects may also draw
on the local communityas, for example, in the project described by
Carter and Thomas (1986), in which EFL learners taught in local primary
schools.
4 Library projects, in which the main resource base is a library. Typically,
students are expected to take a particular topic, read about it, and pro-
duce some kind of written work.
The first three types of project may seem generally preferable for lan-
guage learning, since they tend to involve a greater variety of skills, and
have more immediate appeal to students. The advantage of the library
project, however, is its importance as a way of providing training in infor-
mation skills for study purposes.
Many students require English for study purposes at school, college, or
university, either because the institution uses English as a medium of
instruction, or because a significant amount of reading material is avail-
able only in English. They will therefore need (among other study skills)
the ability to use a library effectively to retrieve information. There are a
number of books designed to teach EFL students these skills (for
example, Wallace, 1980; O'Brien and Jordan, 1985; Hamp-Lyons and
Courter, 1984), but however good the practice materials, they remain
classroom exercises, with a number of inevitable limitations. Firstly, since
the exercises are based on artificial situations, students may not perceive
them as relevant and useful in real life. Secondly, since each exercise is
isolated, a mistake has few, if any, adverse consequences, and students
may therefore not realize the importance of these skills. Finally, the
amount of practice is necessarily limited, and unless the newly acquired
skills are put to use, they may soon be lost. The library project, however,
can provide a solution to these problems, allowing the development of
information skills, integrated with other study skills, in a coherent pro-
gramme of work.
A library project, however, requires a library, and this may create an
immediate obstacle, particularly in overseas situations. To practise infor-
mation retrieval skills, there must be a variety of sources from which stu-
dents can select relevant materials, and which cater for differences in
their interests, subject knowledge, and language ability. There is no real-
istic way to develop these skills when there are only two or three books
Resources for library projects
223
available on the topic, and the logistical problems of having a whole class
of students trying to use the same few books are overwhelming. More-
over, projects are usually most successful when they involve group work,
and this also depends on having sufficient sources of information to pro-
vide a genuine reason for sharing the work between group members.
These were problems which we faced in the Bell Educational Trust
Foreign Language Centre at Beijing Forestry University, where we were
preparing Chinese graduates for overseas study. The programme
included a project-based course designed to provide training in the study
skills required in extended research. The projects would, it was hoped,
simulate the kind of work the students would be likely to encounter in
their postgraduate courses. We began with seven project themes: popula-
tion, food, energy, pollution, computers, climate, and geology. These
were deliberately left open-ended, so that individual groups of students
could narrow down the topic according to their own particular specialities
and interests. We found considerable difficulty, however, in resourcing
the projects. Although we had a small library of specialist textbooks, the
number and range of books was too limited to allow realistic practice of
information retrieval skills. In trying to supplement this, we were forced
to rely increasingly on 'popular' science texts taken from New Scientist
and Scientific American. The majority of these articles, however, were
very different from the type of materials that a postgraduate student
would consultin style, organization, length, and use of references. Stu-
dents, too, were aware of this lack of authenticity, which may have
reduced their motivation for the project work. In an attempt to overcome
this problem, we began to develop a 'mini-library' specifically designed to
support one of the projects.
The success of this approach led us to develop the system further on a pro-
fessional course for overseas students organized by the Bell Language
Institute at Queen Mary College in London. Here there was no shortage
of academic materials; on the contrary, the problem was a library which
was too large, and thus initially bewildering for students who were only
beginning to develop information retrieval skills in English. For the stu-
dents, it would have been extremely difficult to identify relevant texts
from the vast array of often highly specialized materials, while for the
teachers, it would have been extremely difficult to keep track of what the
students were reading and thus to monitor progress and provide appro-
priate support where necessary. This situation is particularly problematic
on a pre-sessional course where time is limited and teachers may them-
selves be unfamiliar with the library. Another 'mini-library' was therefore
developed, this time catering not for one project theme, but for six:
development, population, energy, human rights, colonialism and liter-
ature, and pollution. Students were free to select their project theme and,
within this theme, their particular area of interest; the range of materials
had of course to reflect the range of potential sub-topics.
The next part of this article describes the system we developed to provide
a 'mini-library' specifically designed as a resource base for project work, a
224 Sarah North
system which may be used either in Britain, to provide control and guid-
ance until students are able to exploit the resources of a full academic
library, or overseas, to supply suitable resource materials in situations
where these are otherwise unavailable.
A 'mini-library' A mini-library tries to reproduce as far as possible the features of a full
for project work academic library, but on a smaller scale. This reduction of scale operates
in three aspects:
1 Range of subjects: A mini-library does not attempt to cover all possible
subjects, but is restricted to materials relevant to the project theme or
themes. One important consideration, however, is that the range must be
wide enough to allow the possibility of selecting an irrelevant text (other-
wise students would never need to use appropriate information retrieval
skills). If the mini-library is built up to deal with only one project theme, it
may therefore be necessary to include some red herrings, in the form of
irrelevant or only marginally relevant texts.
2 Specialization: Whereas a full academic library will include materials at
a very sophisticated level of specialist knowledge, this is generally
unnecessary for a mini-library (except perhaps in a narrow-focus ESP
situation). The materials should be at an academic level suitable for the
students, and sufficiently varied to cater for differences in their interests
and background knowledge.
3 Length of text: A normal library contains mainly books, but a mini-
library contains mainly shorter texts, again with sufficient variation to
cater for the different abilities of the students. Some of the materials,
however, should be longer than a student could reasonably be expected to
read, thus necessitating the use of skimming and scanning techniques.
Sources of material Having chosen a theme or themes for a project, the next step is to collect a
variety of texts to be included in the mini-library, bearing in mind the cri-
teria noted above. The availability of suitable materials will vary from
one situation to another, but possible sources include (in no particular
order):
extracts from EFL textbooks, reading workbooks, and graded readers;
articles from newspapers, journals, and periodicals;
1
publicity and educational material from commercial and charitable
organizationsthis is often supplied free or at very low cost to edu-
cational institutions;
extracts from school or university textbooks, or other available refer-
ence books.
In addition, if it is possible to allow self-access to audio-visual resources,
then the mini-library may also include non-book materials such as video
films and audio cassettes. The final source of materials is the students
themselves, who can be encouraged to bring along any additional
material which they have tracked down while researching their project
theme.
Since only one copy of any text is needed, it is often possible to use the
Resources for library projects 225
original materials (if necessary, by cutting up the book or periodical).
Where photocopying is necessary, this must be in accordance with local
copyright law; in Britain, for example, it may be carried out under the
terms of the licensed copying scheme.
2
When making copies, it is useful to
retain as many features of the original as possible (for example, headings,
diagrams, bibliography), and in particular to retain the original page
numbers, which will be needed when the students write their own refer-
ences for the material they have consulted.
Cataloguing and
storage
Figure 1
Each item in the mini-library will need to be catalogued and, if possible,
the system used should be the same as that which students will have to use
in their future studies. A friendly librarian may be willing to help with
cataloguing, but failing this, the job can be adequately done by a teacher
armed with the subject index for the library system adopted (see, for
example, Winslade, 1977). If neither of these two measures is possible,
then it may be necessary to devise an ad hoc cataloguing system for the
mini-Library. Once each text has been catalogued, it should be marked
with its class number.
To allow the students to develop information retrieval skills, an index to
the materials will also be needed, arranged according to subject headings
as in a normal library system. This can be either a card catalogue, or a
word-processed list resembling a microfiche, which can be pinned on a
noticeboard or issued to each student group. Ideally, materials will be
continually added to the system, so the catalogue will have to be updated.
Items in the mini-library which are extracts from larger works must each
be given their own title (for example, a chapter heading), which appears
in the subject catalogue along with the title of the work from which it has
been extracted, but in all other respects each entry should follow normal
library conventions, as in the (fictitious) example in Figure 1.
POPULATION DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DUMBLE, Edgar.
Urban populations in Africa
In: Demography of the Developing World.
Edinburgh: Pluto Press, 1981.
P. 108-12 301.32
To protect the materials, it is advisable to place each text in a plastic
cover. They will not, of course, stand upright on a shelf, so are best stored
in box files, a filing cabinet, or a cardboard box, arranged in order of class
number. Students could be allowed open access to the materials, but this
226 Sarah North
might lead to disordering, damage, or loss of the materials. A simple bor-
rowing system will not only avoid these problems, but also allow the
teacher to monitor the students' work more easily.
Borrowing system A convenient system for lending materials to students uses borrowing
slips similar to those used in a library for reserving books, as in the
example in Figure 2.
Figure 2 LOAN VOUCHER
AUTHOR
TITLE OF BOOK/PERIODICAL
CLASSIFICATION
BORROWER (Block Capitals)
DATE BORROWED
BORROWER'S SIGNATURE
To borrow any text, a student must complete one of the forms, and is thus
given practice in identifying the relevant features of a catalogue entry.
The slip is handed in to the teacher, who issues the material and retains
the slip; this provides a record both of what the students are reading, and
of the current location of the materials. It is advisable to make a rule that
each student can borrow only one text at a time. This helps to ensure that
the materials circulate reasonably freely among the students; more
importantly, however, it prevents students from direct copying in their
Table 1 Phase Project work Skills involved
1 Orientation The teacher explains the aims of the
project and, where relevant, allows
choice of project theme.
2 Introduction Class work using general reading or
listening texts to introduce the
project theme. Group discussion to
decide on specific topic and on the
allocation of research tasks.
3 Research Individually, or in pairs, students
collect data from the mini-library
materials, make notes and exchange
information with others in the
group. This phase may be extended
where appropriate to lead into use
of a full library.
4 Seminar Each group prepares a seminar talk Oral presentation;
and presents it to other students for Discussion,
discussion.
5 Writing Students draft and edit their written Writing.
papers, individually or in groups.
Intensive reading;
Listening;
Discussion;
Reference skills.
Reference skills;
Extensive reading;
Intensive reading;
Note-taking;
Discussion.
Resources for library projects 227
final report or essay, and thus encourages them to keep notes of what they
have read.
Using a mini- There are many ways of running a project, but most of them reflect the
library pattern of activities, shown in Table 1, in which certain phases may be
omitted according to the needs and abilities of the students and the time
available. (See also Robinson, 1978.)
This pattern indicates a gradually increasing amount of student auto-
nomy, but the extent to which students are required to work independ-
ently can be varied by adjusting the balance between class, group, pair,
and individual work, and by providing more support such as accom-
panying worksheets for the texts. The teacher can also set deadlines for
students to submit interim work such as the notes for their seminar pres-
entation or a first draft of the written paper. This provides a tighter frame-
work for the students, and has the added advantage of making the final
correction of papers much less onerous. Finally, students must, of course,
be adequately prepared in the specific skills involved in the project work.
Here the study skills textbooks mentioned above can be useful in intro-
ducing skills, such as consulting a catalogue or using note cards, which
will then be practised within the more realistic context of the project.
Conclusion By replicating many of the features of a normal library, a mini-library
allows students to practise information-retrieval skills in a purposeful
way, as part of an integrated programme of work. For most EAP stu-
dents, it has a highly motivating effect, since they realize its relevance to
real-life situations, and appreciate the opportunity to follow their own
particular interests through a range of authentic materials. Although of
particular value in a library project, where the development of academic
study skills is a major priority, the versatility of a mini-library may also
make it a useful resource for other types of project work.
Received October 1988
Notes
I should like to thank Andy Hopkins, Richard
Rossner, and Ray Williams for their helpful com-
ments on a draft of this paper.
1 Photocopies of journal articles can be obtained
from the British Library Document Supply Centre,
Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ.
2 Details are available from the Copyright Licensing
Agency, 7 Ridgmount Street, London
WC1E 7AE.
References
BAAS. 1983. Ideas for Egg Races London: British
Association for the Advancement of Science.
Carter, G. and H. Thomas. 1986. ' "Dear Brown
Eyes" . . .': experiential learning in a project-
orientated approach' ELT Journal 40/3: 196-204.
Fried-Booth, D. 1982. 'Project work with advanced
classes' ELT Journal 3612: 98-101.
Gee, S., M. Huxley, and D. Johnson. 1984. 'Teaching
Communication Skills and English for Academic
Purposes: a case study of a problem shared', in
Williams, R., J. Swales, and J. Kirkman (eds.)
Common Ground: Shared Interests in ESP and
Communication Studies (ELT Documents 117).
Oxford: Pergamon.
Hamp-Lyons, L. and K. Berry Courter. 1984.
Research Matters Rowley, Mass.: Newbury House.
Herbolich, J. B. 1979. 'Box kites' English for Specific
Purposes 29. Reprinted in Swales, J. (1985) Epi-
sodes in ESP Oxford: Pergamon.
Horey, P. 1983. 'Task-based English language learn-
ing: principles and practice' ELC Occasional
Papers 1. Jeddah: King Abdulaziz University.
228 Sarah North
Jones, K. 1982. Simulations in Language Teaching Wray, D. 1985. Teaching Information Skills through
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Project Work Sevenoaks: Hodder and Stoughton.
Lewis, M. 1983. Projects Hove: Language Teaching
Publications.
O'Brien, T. and R. R. Jordan. 1985. Developing
Reference Skills London: Collins.
Robinson, P. 1978. 'Projects' in Pre-sessional Courses The author
for Overseas Students London: The British Sarah North has a Diploma in Teaching English
Council/English Teaching Information Centre. Overseas from Manchester University and an MA in
UTMU. 1976. Improving Teaching in Higher Edu- Linguistics from the University of Reading. She has
cation London: University Teaching Methods taught in Indonesia, Singapore, Tanzania, and
Unit. China, mainly in ESP and EAP, and is now a senior
Wallace, M. 1980. Study Skills in English Cambridge: lecturer in the International Education Centre at the
Cambridge University Press. College of St. Mark and St. John, Plymouth,
Winslade, B. A. J. 1977. Introduction to the Dewey involved in ESP teaching and teacher training. Her
Decimal Classification for British Schools (3rd edi- Current interests include academic writing skills and
tion). School Library Association/Forest Press. pedagogic grammar.
Resources for library projects 229