Ready Reference Materials This presentation is courtesy ET 533 Grand Jct. Students! Summer, 2000

1. Just the facts Ready Reference MaterialsThis presentation is courtesyET 533 Grand Jct. Students!Summer, 2000

2. Ready Reference • Ready reference is about facts • Answers to ready reference questions can be found in a dozen or so books commonly at the reference librarian’s disposal

3. Types of Ready References • General fact books • Almanacs and yearbooks • Handbooks and manuals • Quotations • Advice and information • Directories

4. General fact books Basic reference facts published throughout the world each year. Sources for the odd query or peculiar fact. Examples: • Guinness Book of World Records • Encyclopedia of World Facts and Dates • New York Public Library Desk Reference • Famous First Facts

5. Almanacs and Yearbooks Almanacs Useful data and statistics related to countries, personalities, events, subject, etc. Examples: • World Almanac and Book of Facts • Whitaker’s

6. Almanacs and Yearbooks Yearbooks/Annuals Data and statistics of a given year Examples: • Europa World Yearbook • Statesman's Yearbook

7. Purposes ofAlmanacs and Yearbooks • Recent information • Brief facts • Indicate trends • Index to more information • Directory and biographical info • Browsing for fact lovers

8. Handbooks and Manuals Reference sources for given fields of knowledge, with emphasis on established knowledge rather than recent advances Examples: • Emily Post’s Etiquette • Occupational Outlook Handbook

9. Quotations Indexing “who said what” is the role of the book of quotations. Examples: • Familiar Quotations (Bartlett’s ) • The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations • Gale’s Quotations: Who Said What

10. Advice and information Information from professional fields such as medicine and law written for the general consumer Examples • Mayo Clinic Family Health Book • Legal Research • Consumer Reports

11. Directories To locate people, experts,and organizations through addresses, phone numbers, zip codes, titles, names etc. Examples: • Local directories, such as telephone and city directories • National Five Digit Zip Code and Post Office Directory • Encyclopedia of Associations

12. Points of Evaluation • Arrangement • Current Information • Illustrations

13. Arrangement • Is the work easy to consult for quick facts? • Does it have an index? An index is an absolute necessity.

14. Current Information • How current is the information? • How often is it updated?

15. Illustrations • Does it have illustrations ? “There does come a time when one illustration is well worth the proverbial thousand words.” • Source: Your $54.00 textbook!!! Now wasn’t that worth it?!!

16. New York Public Library Desk Reference Evaluation • Arrangement: This book had an extensive table of contents, color coded tabs for different chapters, and a complete subject index. • Current information: This book is a third edition. It is updated regularly. First edition was published in 1989, then 1993 and finally 1998.

17. New York Public Library Desk Reference Evaluation Cont. • Illustrations: This book had charts, illustrations, diagrams, and formulas.

18. Conclusion • Ready reference is about facts • Answers to ready reference questions can be found in a dozen or so books commonly at the reference librarian’s disposal