Nonfiction & Reference Resources for Children

Evaluating Software

Evaluating electronic nonfiction and reference formats is in many ways not so different from evaluating print resources. These modern "miracles" of technology offer many benefits over print. In many ways, information storage, searching, and retrieval is efficient, rapid, and easy for the trained user. On the other hand, poorly designed electronic formats can be more frustrating than any book could ever be. Below are discussed some of the issues to be considered when judging the quality of nonfiction and reference resources in electronic format.

  • What are the specifications and hardware requirements for the software? Is it multi-platform or limited to one operating system? How difficult is the installation?

  • How well does the software perform? Is the response rate sufficiently fast? Is the software prone to crashes?

  • Is the interface designed well? Is there an intuitive quality to the operating mechanics and procedures? Are the standard features such as print, find, search, go back, save, etc. supported? Are the standard features easily found on the menu?

  • Are standard search methods such as Boolean supported?

  • What types of use are covered by the license? Can the software be networked or is it for stand alone use only?

  • Do print outs include bibliographic information?

  • Is the software everything it appears to be? Is the item a nonfiction or reference resource in every sense of the word, or is it actually an exploratory activity or interactive multimedia piece more closely resembling a game?

    • For a list of resources used in the research of information for this web site see:
    Sources of Information & Credits

    Your comments or suggestions are welcome. Send e-mail to:
    Janice Felker at jfelker@visi.net

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