Doug Gives Reviewing a “Thumbs Up”

After 14 years as an English teacher and nine years as a library media specialist, Doug Achterman has built up some definite opinions on what he finds useful (and not so useful) in a reference book. Now he’s sharing that insight with galeschools.com as Gale’s new K-12 resource reviewer.

Doug, who began posting his book and database reviews in April, credits his mentor, Blanche Woolls — a veteran Gale reviewer — with showing him the ropes. “I didn’t have an extensive background in reviewing, but I did have solid experience in school libraries, in collection development, and in working with kids. Those are my strong suits.”

In a library environment where “we have to watch our money carefully,” as Doug puts it, book reviews are often used as a tipping point on whether a product is added to a collection or not.

So Doug approaches each edition — whether from Gale or another publisher — with the work’s ultimate value in mind. “I consider the best place for a book — whether it’s in a K-12 or a junior college collection,” he says. “I assess whether the book will work within a school library’s curriculum. And beyond that, I think about the readers and their age group. I try to see the book from a student’s perspective as well as an adult’s.”

His job at California’s San Benito High School library keeps Doug busy; so does finishing his doctoral dissertation from the University of North Texas (subject: the relationship between school libraries and student achievement in California).

With all that on his plate, where does reviewing fit in? Doug makes time to thoroughly assess books and databases — but writes only about those that cut the mustard. Doing so saves time for Doug as well as his audience: “People are looking for help on what or what not to buy. My reviews can double as a list of recommendations.”

Busy as he is, Doug is eager to get his hands on as many books as he can. “I’m contacting publishers with a link to my work on Gale’s Web site. The Gale name is widely recognized, so I’m getting a fairly steady stream of material now.”

You can find Doug’s reviews at the galeschools.com product review page.