Encyclopedias: to keep or not to keep, that is the question

The hot topic question for lesson 6 was "What print encyclopedia would I still purchase (in this online age) in a heartbeat?"

My response: When I first read the question for lesson 6 I immediately thought of those single volume "encyclopedias" that fly off the shelves - The Encyclopedia of Immaturity, The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, The Encyclopedia of.... well anything! Much like the Guinness Book of World Records, this type of encyclopedia still attracts the attention of kids, and many adults. They don't view this type of encyclopedia in the same way as they do a multi-volume set mostly due to the more visually appealing structure of this type of book, and their more user-friendly nature.

I would definitely not purchase a new print copy of the Encyclopedia Brittanica or even World Book, although I myself have such fond memories of browsing these "weighty" volumes. I believe the rapid pace that we receive and use information today makes this type of purchase prohibitive. It will be sad to have to weed these from my library, but I need the shelf space and they are not used AT ALL! Our most current World Book set is 2005 and I would argue that that was probably the last time any of them were seriously looked at as well. I agree, that I can quickly find information in these references but I question their accuracy for many topics my students are currently studying.

One volume encyclopedias can still be an important part of a school library. They offer a chance for kids to browse and "happen upon" interesting information. They are not used in the same way traditional print sets of encyclopedias were used but our students don't use any resources the same way we used them. This type of encyclopedia would not just be a "For Reference Use Only" type of resource. They are found on the "regular" shelves with other non-fiction books and can thus be signed out and read like some of us read fiction. And besides, where else are you going to learn how to "hang a spoon from your nose," "how to really annoy your older sibling," or "how to do a wheelie?" I have the perfect "encyclopedia" for that!

I thought I would post some of my favourite encyclopedias here...


This is such a fun book. I have it in my classroom and often find students grouped around it laughing and then remembering times they did some of the "stuff" in the book. Keep in mind, I teach senior high school students. I think by offering this type of book, we give them permission to still be kids, to laugh and acknowledge that being goofy is sometimes ok. I also tell my students all the time, that for the most part, I don't care what they read, I just want them to read! A book like this gets them reading, sharing, communicating, goals I have for them in all of my English lessons.





There is something about "outer space" and the planets that really attracts the attention of kids and adults. I think it is the sense of mystery, of not really knowing what is out there. As adults we remember creating solar system models and learning about the planets. Someone my age also remembers being in such awe of space shuttle launches and even the tragedies of Challenger and Columbia. Seeing the images in a book like this allows us to imagine and wonder if... if we will ever know more about other planets, will people ever live on other planets, or do they already? The incredible visual elements of a book like this encyclopedia make it so much better in print form as well.






A third favourite encyclopedia I have is The Encyclopedia of Pop Culture. This book is from 1992 so most of the entries don't really qualify as current pop culture, obviously, but they are so fun to browse and to use a teaching tool. I am the Yearbook and Leadership Adviser at my school and we do a lot of advertising. One of our favourite techniques is pop culture advertising. We take current pop culture references and turn them into ads for our book and events. Students turn the ShamWow "guy" into ads for a dance or BBQ, they take Bon Jovi's "Make a Memory" lyrics and turn it into an ad for the Yearbook. The best part is that there are new pop culture references every day. They even take examples from this book, like the Brady Bunch or Pop Rocks, and make some awesome advertisements.