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A reference work is a work, such as a paper, book or periodical (or their electronic equivalents), to which one can refer for
information Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random, ...
. 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 use of the first person, and emphasize facts. Indices are a common navigation feature in many types of reference works. Many reference works are compiled by a team of contributors whose work is coordinated by one or more editors, rather than by an individual author. Updated
edition Edition may refer to: * Edition (book), a bibliographical term for a substantially similar set of copies * Edition (printmaking), a publishing term for a set print run * Edition (textual criticism), a particular version of a text * Edition Recor ...
s are usually published as needed, in some cases annually ('' Whitaker's Almanack'', '' Who's Who''). Reference works include almanacs,
atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geogra ...
es, bibliographies, biographical sources, catalogs such as
library catalog A library catalog (or library catalogue in British English) is a register of all bibliographic items found in a library or group of libraries, such as a network of libraries at several locations. A catalog for a group of libraries is also ...
s and art catalogs, concordances, dictionaries, directories such as business directories and
telephone directories A telephone directory, commonly called a telephone book, telephone address book, phonebook, or the white and yellow pages, is a listing of telephone subscribers in a geographical area or subscribers to services provided by the organization that ...
, discographies,
encyclopedias An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...
, filmographies,
gazetteers A gazetteer is a geographical index or directory used in conjunction with a map or atlas.Aurousseau, 61. It typically contains information concerning the geographical makeup, social statistics and physical features of a country, region, or co ...
, glossaries, handbooks, indices such as bibliographic indices and citation indices, manuals, research guides, thesauruses, and yearbooks. Many reference works are available in electronic form and can be obtained as reference software,
CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains data. Computers can read—but not write or erase—CD-ROMs. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold both com ...
s, DVDs, or online through the
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...
.
Wikipedia Wikipedia is a multilingual free online encyclopedia written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and using a wiki-based editing system. Wikipedia is the largest and most-read refer ...
, an online encyclopedia, is both the largest and the most-read reference work in history.


Reference book

In contrast to books that are loaned, a reference book or reference-only book in a
library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...
is one that may only be used in the library and may not be borrowed from the library. Many such books are reference works (in the first sense), which are, usually, used briefly or photocopied from, and therefore, do not need to be borrowed. Keeping reference books in the library assures that they will always be available for use on demand. Some reference-only books are too valuable to permit borrowers to take them out. Reference-only items may be shelved in a reference collection located separately from circulating items. Some libraries consist entirely, or to a large extent, of books which may not be borrowed.


Types of reference work

These are the main types and categories of reference work: * 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 An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geogra ...
– 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 particular criteria * Biographical dictionary – an encyclopedic dictionary limited to biographical information * Books of Quotations – collections of
quotation A quotation is the repetition of a sentence, phrase, or passage from speech or text that someone has said or written. In oral speech, it is the representation of an utterance (i.e. of something that a speaker actually said) that is introduced by ...
s satisfying particular criteria, arranged systematically *
Chronicle A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and ...
/
Chronology Chronology (from Latin ''chronologia'', from Ancient Greek , ''chrónos'', "time"; and , ''-logia'') is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time. Consider, for example, the use of a timeline or sequence of even ...
– a historical account of events arranged in chronological order *
Compendium A compendium (plural: compendia or compendiums) is a comprehensive collection of information and analysis pertaining to a body of knowledge. A compendium may concisely summarize a larger work. In most cases, the body of knowledge will concern a s ...
– 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 dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by radical and stroke for ideographic languages), which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologie ...
– a list of words from one or more languages, systematically arranged and giving meanings etymologies etc. *
Digest Digest may refer to: Biology *Digestion of food *Restriction digest Literature and publications *'' The Digest'', formerly the English and Empire Digest *Digest size magazine format * ''Digest'' (Roman law), also known as ''Pandects'', a digest ...
– a summary of information on a particular subject *
Directory Directory may refer to: * Directory (computing), or folder, a file system structure in which to store computer files * Directory (OpenVMS command) * Directory service, a software application for organizing information about a computer network' ...
– 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 lexicon is the vocabulary of a language or branch of knowledge (such as nautical or medical). In linguistics, a lexicon is a language's inventory of lexemes. The word ''lexicon'' derives from Greek word (), neuter of () meaning 'of or fo ...
– a synonym for a dictionary or encyclopaedic dictionary * List – a published enumeration of a set of items *
Manual Manual may refer to: Instructions * User guide * Owner's manual An owner's manual (also called an instruction manual or a user guide) is an instructional book or booklet that is supplied with almost all technologically advanced consumer ...
– 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 * 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 A computer program is a sequence or set of instructions in a programming language for a computer to Execution (computing), execute. Computer programs are one component of software, which also includes software documentation, documentation and oth ...
or
data In the pursuit of knowledge, data (; ) is a collection of discrete values that convey information, describing quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpret ...
that is stored electronically, which is usually found on a computer, including information that is available on the Internet. Libraries offer numerous types of electronic resources including electronic texts such as electronic books and electronic journals, bibliographic databases,
institutional repositories An institutional repository is an archive for collecting, preserving, and disseminating digital copies of the intellectual output of an institution, particularly a research institution. Academics also utilize their IRs for archiving published work ...
,
website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and W ...
s, and software applications.


References


Further reading

;General * * * * ;Guides to reference works * Published annually beginning in 1970. * * * * * * 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). * First published in 1954. * * * (an abridgement of Walford's Guide)


External links

* {{Authority control