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Reference Work - Wikipedia

A reference work is a resource, such as a book or electronic document, designed for quick information retrieval rather than continuous reading. These works include various types like dictionaries, encyclopedias, and almanacs, often compiled by multiple contributors and available in both print and electronic formats. Libraries typically do not allow borrowing of reference books, opting instead for in-library use or photocopying due to their frequent consultation.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
47 views2 pages

Reference Work - Wikipedia

A reference work is a resource, such as a book or electronic document, designed for quick information retrieval rather than continuous reading. These works include various types like dictionaries, encyclopedias, and almanacs, often compiled by multiple contributors and available in both print and electronic formats. Libraries typically do not allow borrowing of reference books, opting instead for in-library use or photocopying due to their frequent consultation.

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Reference work

(Redirected from Reference book)

A reference work is a work, such as a paper, book or periodical (or their electronic equivalents), to which one can refer for
information.[1] The information is intended to be found quickly when needed. Such works are usually referred to for particular
pieces of information, rather than read beginning to end. The writing style used in these works is informative; the authors
avoid opinions and the use of the first person, and emphasize facts.

Indices are a common navigation feature in many types of reference works. Many reference works are put together by a team of
contributors whose work is coordinated by one or more editors, rather than by an individual author. Updated editions are
usually published as needed, in some cases annually, such as Whitaker's Almanack, and Who's Who.

Reference works include textbooks, almanacs, atlases, bibliographies, biographical sources, catalogs such as library catalogs The Brockhaus Enzyklopädie, the
and art catalogs, concordances, dictionaries, directories such as business directories and telephone directories, discographies, best-known traditional reference
book in German-speaking countries
encyclopedias, filmographies, gazetteers, glossaries, handbooks, indices such as bibliographic indices and citation indices,
manuals, research guides, thesauruses, and yearbooks.[2] Reference works, while traditionally printed, are often available in
electronic form and can be obtained as reference software, CD-ROMs, DVDs, or online through the Internet. Wikipedia, an
online encyclopedia, is both the largest and the most-read reference work in history.[3]

Library reference book


In most public and academic libraries, reference books are usually not available to be borrowed by patrons like the rest of the
library's holdings. Reference books are either used very frequently—a dictionary or an atlas, for example—or very infrequently,
such as a highly specialized concordance. Because some reference books are consulted by patrons too frequently to have The Lexikon des Mittelalters, a
enough copies and others so infrequently that replacing it would be difficult, libraries prefer to make them available for specialised German encyclopedia
photocopy rather than checkout.[4]

Types of reference work


The main types and categories of reference works include:

Abstracting journal – a published summary of articles, theses, reviews, conference proceedings etc. arranged
systematically
Almanac – an annual publication, listing a set of current, general or specific information about one or multiple subjects
Annals – concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically
Atlas – a collection of maps traditionally been bound into book form
Bibliography – a systematic list of books and other works such as journal articles on a given subject or which satisfy Encyclopædia Britannica, 15th
particular criteria edition: volumes of the Propedia
Biographical dictionary – an encyclopedic dictionary limited to biographical information (green), Micropedia (red),
Books of Quotations – collections of quotations satisfying particular criteria, arranged systematically Macropedia (black), and 2-volume
Chronicle/Chronology – a historical account of events arranged in chronological order Index (blue)

Compendium – a concise collection of information pertaining to a body of knowledge


Concordance – an alphabetical list of the principal words used in a book or body of work
Dictionary – a list of words from one or more languages, systematically arranged and giving meanings, etymologies etc.
Digest – a summary of information on a particular subject
Directory – a systematically arranged list of names, addresses, products, etc.
Business directory
Telephone directory
Web directory
Encyclopaedia – a compendium providing summaries of knowledge either from all branches or from a particular field or discipline
Gazetteer – a geographical dictionary or directory used to provide systematic access to a map or atlas
Glossary – an alphabetical list of terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms
Handbook – a small or portable book intended to provide ready reference
Index – a publication giving systematic access to a body of knowledge
Lexicon – a synonym for a dictionary or encyclopaedic dictionary
List – a published enumeration of a set of items
Manual – a handbook providing instructions in the use of a particular product
Phrase book – a collection of ready-made phrases, arranged systematically, usually for a foreign language together with a translation
Ready reckoner – a printed book or table containing pre-calculated values
Thematic catalogue – an index used to identify musical compositions through the citation of the opening notes
Textbook – a reference work containing information about a subject
Thesaurus – a reference work for finding synonyms and sometimes antonyms of words
Timetable – a published list of schedules giving times for transportation or other events
Yearbook – a compendium containing events relating to a specific year

Electronic resources
An electronic resource is a computer program or data that is stored electronically, which is usually found on a computer, including information that is available on
the Internet.[5] Libraries offer numerous types of electronic resources including electronic texts such as electronic books and electronic journals, bibliographic
databases, institutional repositories, websites, and software applications.[5]

References
1. "reference" (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reference). Merriam-Webster. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20240829155411/https://www.m
erriam-webster.com/dictionary/reference) from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
2. Reitz, Joan (2004). "Reference". Dictionary for Library and Information Science (https://odlis.abc-clio.com/odlis_r.html). Bloomsbury Academic.
ISBN 9781591580751. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20241207060303/https://odlis.abc-clio.com/odlis_r.html#refbook) from the original on 7
December 2024 – via ABC-CLIO.
3. "Wikipedia is 20, and its reputation has never been higher" (https://www.economist.com/international/2021/01/09/wikipedia-is-20-and-its-reputation-has-never-
been-higher). The Economist. 9 January 2021. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20221231224550/https://www.economist.com/international/2021/01/09/w
ikipedia-is-20-and-its-reputation-has-never-been-higher) from the original on 31 December 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
4. "Why are some books non-circulating or in-library use?" (https://ask.library.harvard.edu/faq/82471). Harvard Library. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/202
40707101140/https://ask.library.harvard.edu/faq/82471) from the original on 7 July 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
5. Reitz, Joan (2004). "Electronic Resource". Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science (https://odlis.abc-clio.com/odlis_e.html). Bloomsbury
Academic. ISBN 9781563089626. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20241207050526/https://odlis.abc-clio.com/odlis_e.html) from the original on 7
December 2024.

Further reading

General
Higgens, Gavin, ed. (1984). Printed Reference Material. Handbooks on Library Practice (2nd revised ed.). London: Library Association. ISBN 978-
0853659952.
Katz, William A. (2001). Introduction to Reference Work, Volume 1: Basic Information Services (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0072441079.
Katz, William A. (2001). Introduction to Reference Work, Volume 2: Reference Services and Reference Processes (https://archive.org/details/introductiontore0
0will_0) (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0072441437.
Lynch, Jack (2016). You Could Look It Up: The Reference Shelf From Ancient Babylon to Wikipedia. New York: Bloomsbury Press. ISBN 978-0802777522.

Guides to reference works


Chenoweth, Juneal M., ed. (24 June 2019). American Reference Books Annual. Santa Barbara, California: Libraries Unlimited. ISBN 978-1-4408-6913-6.
Published annually beginning in 1970.
Heeks, Peggy (1968). Books of Reference for School Libraries: An Annotated List (2nd ed.). London: Library Association. ASIN B0006C36OO (https://www.am
azon.com/dp/B0006C36OO).
Lester, Ray, ed. (2005). New Walford Guide to Reference Resources, Volume 1: Science, Technology, and Medicine (https://archive.org/details/newwalfordgui
det0001unse). New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers. ISBN 978-1856044950.
Lester, Ray; Clinch, Peter; Dawson, Heather; Edwards, Helen; Tarrant, Susan, eds. (2007). New Walford Guide to Reference Resources, Volume 2: Social
Sciences (https://archive.org/details/newwalfordguidet0001unse). London: Facet Publishing. ISBN 978-1856044981.
Lester, Ray, ed. (2015). New Walford Guide to Reference Resources, Volume 3: Arts, Humanities, and General Reference. London: Facet Publishing.
ISBN 978-1856044998.
Malclès, Louise Noëlle (1950). Les sources du travail bibliographique (in French). Geneva: Librairie Droz.
Sheehy, Eugene P. (1976). Guide to Reference Books (9th ed.). Chicago: American Library Association. ISBN 978-0838902059. Originally compiled by Alice
B. Kroeger for first two editions beginning in 1902. Subsequently, edited by Isadore Gilbert Mudge (3rd through 6th editions) and Constance Mabel Winchell
(7th and 8th editions).
Totok, Wilhelm; Weitzel, Rolf (1984–1985). Handbuch der bibliographischen Nachschlagewerke (in German) (6th ed.). Frankfurt am Main: Klostermann. First
published in 1954.
Walford, A. J., ed. (1980). Walford's Guide to Reference Material, Volume 1: Science and Technology (https://archive.org/details/walfordsguidetor01libr)
(4th ed.). London: Library Association. ISBN 9780853656111.
Walford, A. J.; Taylor, L. J., eds. (1987). Walford's Guide to Reference Material, Volume 2: Generalia, Language and Literature, The Arts (https://archive.org/de
tails/walfordsguidetor00ajwa) (4th ed.). London: Library Association.
Walford, A. J., ed. (1981). Walford's Concise Guide to Reference Material. London: Library Association. (an abridgement of Walford's Guide)

External links
Media related to Reference works at Wikimedia Commons

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