Finding & Using Reference Sources | Searching for Reference Sources
Finding & Using Reference Sources
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There are a variety of types of reference resources. Which ones will
be useful will depend on the type of information needs that you have.
| Kind of Information Needed |
Type of Work that May Help
You |
|
Facts |
Almanacs, handbooks, manuals,
and statistical works |
|
Information about people |
Biographical works |
|
Word meanings |
Dictionaries |
|
Lists of brief information (e.g., addresses, phone numbers) |
Directories |
|
General information on a subject |
Encyclopedias |
|
Lists of information sources on a subject |
Indices, abstracts, bibliographies |
|
Geographical information |
Atlases, maps, and gazetteers |
|
Searching for Reference Sources
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Unfortunately, the terms for reference sources are not always used in
a consistent manner. Sometimes a reference source may be called one thing but
is really another
- The Dictionary of Art is not a dictionary–it is a multi-volume
set that contains signed articles, with bibliographies
- The Encyclopedia of International Commerce is not an encyclopedia–it
is one volume that contains brief entries that define terms and concepts
Also, when you are in a library's reference collection looking at a particular
reference work, browse the shelves nearby for other reference sources that might
be useful.
To locate a reference work on a topic, try one or more of the following:
- Go to the reference desk and ask the librarian for suggestions
- Look for library handouts which list reference sources for
your topic. Many libraries provide these handouts on their Web pages–a
variety of subject guides are available on the Subject/Topic
Help section.
- Search the library's online catalog for reference sources available
in that library.
- If you know the title of a reference source, do a TITLE search in NovaCat.
- To find a reference book on a topic, do a Keyword search in NovaCat.
For example:
To find a specialized dictionary, try searching for:
chemistry and dictionar*
To find a subject-specific encyclopedia, try searching for:
educat* and encyclopedia*
NOTE: In NovaCat, the * is
the truncation symbol which allows you to find multiple words ending
with the string of letters you entered. For example, comput* will find
computer, computers, computing, computerization, etc.
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