Bibliographies

Bibliographies are a tool that I'm not very familiar with.  When the hot topic question was asked about which bibliography I would recommend, I had no suggestions.  Like others mentioned I do consult frequently the books from Reading Power however the French list is not updated regularly like in English and some of the books are hard to find.  I'm still looking for a good French bibliography website. I also find it quite difficult buying books without seeing them.  I tried doing that a few times and was often disappointed when the book arrived but sometimes I was also pleasantly surprised.  The previous librarian would go visit her family in Quebec every summer and would spend a couple of days in one of the largest bookstores in Montreal, Renaud-Bray.  There she would spend a good chunk of her budget.  Maybe I need to propose to my principal a business trip to Montreal... :)  Until that happens I have been consulting the Renaud-Bray website for ideas.  They have a section called ‘Coup de Coeur’ which where I typically look.  They provide the reading level and also a brief summary.  I think for now this site will be a good starting point.

I can see the value of using a bibliography.  I particularly like the idea of subject bibliographies.  I would love to find one in French.  I think this would be something that the teachers would really appreciate.  My goal is to find a good bibliography based out of Quebec and one from France.  This way I will have all of the publishing companies covered.  Riedling reminds me that not all bibliographies are created the same.  It’s important to look at authority, frequency, organization and scope.  Based on the criteria given I can see that Renaud-Bray is a good starting point.  By using such a site I’m hoping that it will keep me organized and save me money by making good decisions in book purchases.