Inservice: 
Using INFOhio Resources 
for Library Services to High 
School Students   
 

Lanecia Smith 
Kent State University 
 

   

 
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Rationale 
The purpose of my workshop is to provide information to youth librarians and staff to assist high 
school students with discovering resources using INFOhio database. High school is often the 
time when a lot of students are introduced to the process of obtaining information for research 
purposes. INFOhio contains a variety of different resources for high school students. Various 
subject areas are included which allows students the flexibility to choose resources according to 
their needs and interests. Youth librarians and staff are able to work directly with high school 
students to further their interest and knowledge in INFOhio resources. This presentation will be 
useful to the work of youth service librarians since part of effective reference service involves 
searching, evaluating, and recommending resources. Not only can these resources become 
valuable for reference service, students are also able to benefit from the librarians understanding 
of useful resources. This presentation is intended to inform youth librarians of the resources 
available to them through INFOhio, demonstrate the value of using INFOhio resources, and offers 
ways to assist students in getting familiar with these free resources.  

Goals:  

● Inspire librarians to utilize the accessible resources of INFOhio to better the collection and 
reference development of high school students. 
● Provide participants with insight on the significant history and background of INFOhio  
● State the abilities of INFOhio resources to foster in the literacy development of high 
school student users. 
● Provide participants with the opportunity to build a professional network, share 
experiences, and connect with other fellow youth services librarians.  

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Conference Proposal 
Ohio Library Council Proposal (for public libraries) 

Primary Speaker Information 

Name: Lanecia Smith 

Institution: Kent State University 

Business Address: 325 Superior Ave Cleveland, Ohio 44114 

Work Phone: 216-623-2872 

Fax #: N/A 

Email Address: ​lsmit189@kent.edu 

Home Address: 738 E. 118th Street Cleveland, Ohio 44114 

Home Phone: 440-789-4235 

Topic Area 
Library service to high school students, 9-12, including collection development, programming, 
technology, and library service.   

Intended Audience  
Librarians serving high school students, ages 14-18, in public libraries or school media centers. 

   

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Audio Visual/Room Setup 

The presentation will be delivered using Google Powerpoint with imbedded images and video. 
The room will need to hold a capacity of 50 people. Seating should be arranged to face the 
direction of the projector screen so that attendees can easily view its content and the speaker.   

Equipment needed: 

Laptop/Desktop computer with internet access 

Overhead projector  

Large screen to accomodate 50 capacity room 

Internet Connection 

Program Details 
● Program Title: (less than 10 words): Assisting High school Students in the discovery of 
INFOhio Resources. 
● Program Description: High school students are often unaware of the various resources 
available to assist them with their information seeking needs. Librarians have become a 
direct reference source to connect students with the information they need. Learn about 
this dynamic database and gain insight into the benefits of the resources available for 
high school students.  
● Program location: Cleveland Public Library Main auditorium. 
● Program Advertisement: The program will be publicized through the CPL Staff newsletter 
for professional development workshops. Librarians in youth services at all 25 CPL library 
branches will be notified. Librarians in local library systems and schools will be notified via 
email about the workshop through Northeast Ohio Regional Library System email list. 
● Program Sponsor: Northeast Ohio Regional Library System.  

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Introduction ​(12:07 min) 

1. Overview of Infohio 
a. Youtube video ​(2:07) 
b. History/General information about INFOhio ​(10:00 minutes) 
i. Audience Poll ​(2:00-5:00 min) 
1. “Who has worked with or heard about INFOhio?, would you like to 
tell us more?” 1-2 volunteers  
ii. Topics from Brief Timeline ​(5:00 min) 
iii. Mission/Vision ​(1:00 min) 

​ 2. Attendees are given a handout of grades 9-12 resources with descriptions, a copy of the 
bibliography to follow along with the discussion, and a notepad.   

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Reference Collection Development ​(10:00 min) 

1. Define youth user needs (5:00) 
a. Pick up a copy of Meghan Harper’s book ​“Reference Sources and Services For 
Youth” ​(attendees are given a sample copy to pass around during the discussion) 
i. Discussion of book contents 

b. For a successful reference experience 

2. Collect resources by reference type (5:00) 

a. Encyclopedias - Oxford Research Encyclopedia 
b. Peer reviewed journals - Academic Search Premier 
c. General Info Guides - World Book Advanced 
d. Biographical Resources - Biography Reference Bank 
e. Maps - Sanborn Insurance Maps 

Programming and Outreach ​(15:00 min)  

1. Divide into 4 groups to participate in an activity to briefly discuss and exchange ideas 
about how these resources can applied for programming and outreach services to high 
school users (8:00).  
a. Group 1 resource - Hobbies, Crafts, and Reference Center 
b. Group 2 resource - Research for Success  
c. Group 3 resource - Digital Video Collection  
d. Group 4 resource - Book Nook  
2. 1-3 Participants share their ideas with the whole session (7:00). 

Technology Training ​(10:00 min) 

1. Stem (5:00) 
a. Science Online 
b. STEM Collection 
2. Research (5:00) 
a. GO! Ask, Act, Achieve 

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Collection Management ​(5:00 min) 

1. Educator Resources (5:00) 
2. INFOhio Digital Video Collection 

Questions/Comments/Other Discussions/Evaluations 
(7:00 min) 
Conclusion: ​At the conclusion of the workshop participants are provided with a copy of the 
presentation, a list of INFOhio resources with descriptions for grades 9-12, and a copy of the 
bibliography.   

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Bibliography 
American Library Association. (n.d.). Reference Sources and Services for Youth. Retrieved 

from https://www.alastore.ala.org/content/reference-sources-and-services-youth 

Harper, M. (2018). R
​ eference Sources and Services for Youth​. American Library Association. 

Hughes-Hassell, S., & Mancall, J. C. (2005). C

​ ollection management for youth: Responding to 

the needs of learners​. Chicago: American Library Association. 

Hughes-Hassell, S., & Mancall, J. C. (2005). C

​ ollection management for youth: Responding to 

the needs of learners​. Chicago: American Library Association. 

INFOhio. (n.d.). Retrieved from ​https://online.infobase.com/HRC/Browse/Product/8 

Jonsson, L. K. (n.d.). ​Successfully Serving English Language Learning Youth in the Library​(Rep.). 

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Reference Sources: Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Handbooks, and More!: Types of Reference 

Materials. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://guides.auraria.edu/c.php?g=323540&p=2670358 

Sitemap - INFOhio Inservice. (n.d.). Retrieved from 

https://sites.google.com/a/kent.edu/infohio-inservice/system/app/pages/sitemap/hierarch

y 

Staff, I. (n.d.). INFOhio | Educators. Retrieved from https://www.infohio.org/ 

Evaluation 
1. What is your profession? 
a. School media specialist 
b. Public librarian 
c. Other (please specify).  

2. After this workshop, would you recommend it to other librarians? 

a. Yes 
b. No 

3. Would you attend another workshop provide by this speaker? 

a. Yes 
b. No 

4. Will you utilize INFOhio in library services to high school students? 

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a. Yes 
b. No 

5. Are you more confident in utilizing INFOhio for reference collection development, outreach 
and programming, collection management, and other library services? 

a. Yes 
b. No 

6. The most helpful information learned from this workshop was: 

7. Did you make any network connections during this workshop?  

a. Yes 
b. No 

8. Can you use what you have learned about the resources of INFOhio to offer effective services 
to high school students? 

a. Yes 
b. No 

9. On a scale of 1-5 with 1 being the worst, what is your overall rating of this workshop? 

1 2 3 4 5 

   

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Link to Presentation 
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vTar8HBucvG6Ki6-0IG07vxWVpALUQCst5AJ
2NzR6U4MufR-1KRG_xugryqjbIhbMhBeTQ6H1ZH5Ti3/pub?start=true&loop=false&delayms=3000 

   

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