Reference Tools [1]

 

Reference 

Reference book is a citation work to which someone can refer for authoritative facts. It is also a compendium of information, usually of a specific type for easy reference. As a result of good formation, the necessary information can be manually searched in prompt action. Thus, a source of information is simply defined as a book or paragraph on which one can consult for useful facts.

What are reference tools? 

Those are sources of information i.e. books, periodicals, abstracts, databases, etc. that are used for the answer asked by anyone. Such publications may not normally borrowed, but consulted only on the premise of library. There are limited number of specific type in the different reference tools. They are as follows:

Almanac: A usually annual compendium of statistical, factual and general information, both current and retrospective. It is also a type of yearbook. Useful data and statistics relating to countries, personalities, events, subjects, weather, etc. are included and arranged by a given year. e.g. “Information Please Almanacs”.

Atlas / Map: Map is a plane representation of the earth’s surface, or a part of some, indicating physical feature, political boundaries, etc. [Harrod]. Atlas is a collection of maps or plates or other exhibits bound in a volume. [Shores]. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. e.g. “The Times Universal Atlas of the World”.

Dictionary: A reference book containing an alphabetical list of words of a language, or the terms of a subject, with explanations of their definitions, usage, etymologies, phonetics pronunciations and other information. e.g. “The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary”.

Directory: List of persons or organisations in alphabetical or classified arrangement. These include addresses and affiliations for individuals and officers and other data for organisations and business firms. [Gates] e.g. “International White and Yellow Pages” (www.wayp.com) 

Encyclopedia (Encyclopaedia): A reference work containing information on all subjects, or limited to a specific subject, usually in articles arranged in alphabetical order. There are two different types of encyclopaedia. Some are general, e.g. “Encyclopaedia Britanica”. Some are specific in subject, e.g. “Medical Encyclopedia”. Nowadays encyclopedia comes distinctly into two versions_traditional printed and modern digital format.

Government Documents: Publications published by a government agency, are classified as: (1) Records of government administration, (2) research documents for specialists, (3) confidential sources of information. Citing Government Documents are not always straightforward due to the the specific nature of government documents.

Posted by Junk Guy