Reference Sources: Types and Usage

• Reference sources include any material used to obtain authoritative information, whether printed or digital.
• Reference sources contain diverse information on various subjects, meant for specific consultations rather than comprehensive reading.
• Reference materials are located separate from regular collections in an information center or library, typically in the Reference Department, for easy access by Reference Librarians to address user queries.
• Reference Department personnel are available to assist clients in finding information sources, with modern centers offering remote support through telephone, email, or the Internet.
• It is essential for staff to maintain a broad collection of reference materials to address diverse inquiries effectively.

Types of Reference Sources

• The 2 primary divisions of reference sources are documentary and non-documentary, or control-access-directional and source types.

Documentary Sources

• Consist of books, periodicals, and newspapers and are further classified into primary, secondary, and tertiary sources.
• These are the original records of research, development or interpretations.
• These offer the newest details available.
• Often unorganized and complex to use independently.
• Useful for researchers and scholars.
• Journal articles, research monographs, reports, patents, and dissertations are the main forms of its publication.

Secondary Sources

• Either compiled from or refer to primary sources, offering modified, selected, or reorganized information for specific users.
• Represent primary source information in a more accessible manner.
• Serve as keys and guides to primary sources, and are more readily and widely available.
• Some examples include periodicals (those which do not report original work, eg, New Scientist), Indexes, Indexing periodicals, abstracting periodicals, Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Handbooks, Manuals, Tables, Translations.

Tertiary Sources

• Contain information distilled and collected from primary and secondary source.
• Intended to support researchers in utilizing primary and secondary materials.
• Examples: bibliographies of bibliographies, directories and guides to the literature.

Non-Documentary Sources

• Play a significant communication role, particularly in science and technology.
• Offer unique information not available elsewhere.
• Types include formal (research organizations, societies) and informal (conversations, meetings).
• Live communication is convenient, facilitating direct dialogue with experts instead of consulting indexes or bibliographies.

Source Categorization

• Documentary and non-documentary categorization considers the features, currency, and accuracy of documents.
• Primary sources are more current and generally more accurate because they present original concepts.
• Secondary or tertiary resources can sometimes fix mistakes identified in primary sources.

Control-Access-Directional Sources

• This class of reference source includes bibliographies.
• Answer questions about books, magazines, newspapers, libraries and publishing
• Essentially descriptive lists of records with author, title, edition, publication details.
• Helps to find copies of books published at the end of the 19th century or copies of 18th century magazines.
• Assists users in identifying information centers or libraries with specialized collections and publishers in specific subjects.

Bibliographies: Control, Access, Direction

• Bibliographies act as control devices or inventory checklists of daily/yearly production.
• They give compilers/users control over the flow of knowledge via organization.
• Bibliographies provide access by being research-based (identification, description, classification), facilitating intelligent work with easy access to individual items.
• Bibliographies are directional, guiding users to answer sources but not giving definitive answers themselves.

Bibliography Subdivisions

• Bibliographies of Reference Sources and Literature of a Field: general (Walford's, Balay's) or subject-specific (Blazek & Aversa, Parker & Turley, Herron).
• Library catalogs (catalogs of libraries): arranged for easy access.
• Classified as Bibliographical Utilities.
• Examples include OCLC and RLIN.
• General bibliographies: include various bibliography types. The National Union Catalog is an example
• Indexes and Abstracts: normally treated as bibliographical aids.

Source Types Overview

• Designed to provide answers and include encyclopedias, fact sources, dictionaries, biographical and geographical sources, and government documents.
• Consist of knowledge articles alphabetically arranged, such as Encyclopedia Britannica or World Book Encyclopedia, which can also be on CD-ROM or online.
• Contain Almanacs, Handbooks, Directories, covering many aspects of human knowledge used for quick reference.
• Offer definitions and word aspects, such as Webster's or American Heritage Dictionary.
• Provide information on self-evident distinguished people such as Who's Who.
• Show countries and illustrate historical, social, and scientific themes. Its sources include Gazetteers and Guidebooks, such as The Times Atlas.
• Official publications from Ministries Departments and Agencies. Government Documents act as directional/source works more for convenience and organization.

Reference Type Categorization

• In some instances, the bibliography is synoptic, providing the necessary answer.
• A source type may act as control-access-directional, redirecting users to additional resources.
• Access and Source categories differentiate principal reference work types; however, electronic information storage has blurred these categorizations.

Reference Source Options

• Evaluate print sources based on ASTAFS, and add Cost.
• Evaluating electronic source, focus on Author, Content, Design, Organisation and Access.
• Smaller libraries often rely on reviews when they are selecting.
• Professionals must be knowledgeable about users and subjects to select resources for a specialized collection.

Authority

• The information professional must look at Authorship, Auspices, and Genealogy
• For Authorship, the information professional looks at the qualifications and reputation of the authors, contributors and editors to determine if the author is credible or not. They also see if the author takes responsibly for the material provided.
• For Auspices, the information professional asks what the reputation of the publisher or the sponsoring agency is.
• For Genealogy, the information professional identifies extent of the new revision based on previous editions
• You can more easily evaluate printed reference sources

Scope

• The information professional must explore the Purpose, Coverage and Currency.

• For Purpose, they find out how well the statement of purpose in the preface is fulfilled in the text, through contents, preface and index

• For Coverage, they must identifies the scope of subject matter and how the work relates to others of similar scope

• For Currency, it's good to know how up to date is the material

• Printed sources can be easily examined.

• For non-print, rely on descriptions and sample searches.

• Online resources can be more current than print.

Treatment

• The professional must understand Accuracy, Objectivity, Audience and Style.
• For Accuracy, understand that the facts must be reliable and complete
• For Objectivity, the fair issues must be treated in the reference sources, like checking for any bias
• For Audience, it's good to know that these works are addressed to particular audiences.
• For Style, the professional must know how readable the work is, including the level of writing for a specific audience

Arrangement

• The professional needs to consider Sequence and Indexing.

• For Sequence, does the content follow specific orders or is it alphabetical

• For Indexing, identify if the primary text has indexes and cross-references

• In general electronic sources give more indexes in a database, which gives more detailed answers verses a print source

Format

• Look at the Physical makeup and Illustrations

• For Physical makeup, the professional must investigate bindings, paper, typeface and layout

• For Illustrations, understand if the illustrations are of good quality and related to the text

• Printed sources are easy to use.

• Microform formats are better for short entries, like directories.

• CD-ROMs can search fast and hold lots of info; Online Databases and Web Resources are adaptable, letting you use the latest tech to explore and organize big amounts of data.

Special Features

• It's good to look for distinct items that can set apart what it is your reviewing
• In databases, they are sold with particular features to help explore efficiently
• It's important to see of electronic databases and Web resources provide adequate documentation, training, and support, and for Web resources, the presence of effective hyperlinks.

Cost

• The costs should be similar whether its print or not, as they should obtain a personal copy or subscribe to unlimited access

Evaluating Web Resources

• There is a lot of information but you must evaluate if it is credible, factual, and easy to access, by observing
  • Authority; Content; Design; Organization and Navigation; Access and Use.

Selection Aids - Reviewing resources

• Inform professionals must have sources for new references that they can examine for purchases.

• The number and types of titles covered and the frequency vary from resource to resource.

• Its important to get all the opinions available as its impossible to physically look at resources.

• Most will be favorable, but there should be descriptive and evaluative and make suggestions based on the assessment.

• The appearance may take a long as information reviewed may need critical evaluation.

Reviewing resource usefulness

• These can give a background for analyzing new reference resources.
• It can compliment materials obtained from publishers.
• Printed reference guides right now outnumber all other sources.

Important reviewing sources

• i. American Reference Books Annual (ARBA) http://www.arbaonline.com/
• ii. Reference Books Bulletin appears in the semi-monthly issues of Booklist. Website: www.ala.org/booklist/index.html
• iii. Library journal – includes a section of brief signed reference book reviews in each issue. Books which are reviewed are suitable for public and college libraries www.libraryjournal.com
  • iv. Choice- This is another reviewing source for books suitable for undergraduate collections; often the reviews have more specialized titles than does Library Journal. www.choicereviews.org

Guides

• Meant to help when responding to questions, planning for libraries, finding what to buy, education.
• Act as list and selection reference and collection development tools.
• Can help for research using the best resources for results.

Guide to Reference Books

• Formerly known as Guide to Reference Books: (formerly Constance Winchell, Eugene Sheehy and most recently Robert Balay. 11th ed. Chicago: American Library Association, 1996.
• It covers about 16,000 English and foreign language references in all subjects, which has 5 parts
• Part A: General Reference Works; Part B: Humanities; Part C: Social and Behavioral Sciences: Part D History and Area Studies; Part E Science, Technology and Medicine
• Arranged by content, then subjects, and then form.
• Table of Content – content arranged a specific way, alphabetical lists, with bullet points that identifies if its online.
• It is an American bias
• The British Guide is Guide to Reference Books edited by A.J. Walford, which has 3v olumes, covering: v ol. 1 – deals with science and technology; Vol. 2 – deals with social and historial sciences, philosophy and religion; Vol. 3 – deals with generalia, language and literature and the arts. Each has its own index and they are becoming digitally available soon.

Directory Types

• The ALA (American Library Association) defines a Directory as a list that's organized to a specific system, with people/organizations.
• They show learned bodies to find info, for members and other members.

Directory Usage

• Help find addresses, phone numbers, describe products, and identify presidents.

Less common directory purposes

• Help obtain biographical data and commercial data.
• They also complete samplings in surveys

Directory Types

• Can be general or specific. Specific types include scienfitic/learned societies or local

Common General Materials

• The notable directories can list of various ones for guidance when certain type of one exists, for a subject to specific person.
• Library types locate staff that connect experts in their categories.
• Publishing and Book trade are questions on their addresses
• Education data helps you to obtain addresses and individuals.
• Foundations outline various charities support interests
• Business types provide a view into corporate businesses.
• Association can give solutions for community

Directory types include

• Government, telephone or fax
• Electronics have current information, provide searching, and can combine with logic

When selecting options, keep in mind of:

• Speed, currency, how many public ones access them, and that Internet can play a direct role

Evaluation

• Scope and currency must apply.
• Format to get an understanding
• Selection of data and costs

Almanacs, Yearbooks, Manuals

• Very comfortable to use with 1 volume and fast references. But if a detail needs analytical discussion, they are not useful and should be by the desk, for easy access

Almanac

• A mix of helpful info with details and statistics on topics like countries but that has a skeleton view.
• It started a in the 16 -1700" s and it tells phases of space with topics like entertainment and addresses
• Issued every year to find answers like ," how many calories in butter?"