The Reference Librarian's Bible: Print and Digital Reference Resources Every Library Should Own

(Paperback)

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Description

Divided into dedicated categories about the subjects most meaningful to librarians, this valuable resource reviews 500 texts across all major fields. Drawing on their collective experience in reference services and sifting through nearly 30,000 reviews in ARBAonline, editors Steven Sowards, associate director for collection at Michigan State University Libraries, and Juneal Chenoweth, editor of American Reference Books Annual, curated this collection of titles, most of which have been published since 2000, to serve collections and reference librarians in academic and public libraries. From the Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Social Sciences and Encyclopedia of the Civil War to the Encyclopedia of Physics, Encyclopedia of Insects, and Taylor's Encyclopedia of Garden Plants to the formidable Oxford English Dictionary, The Reference Librarian's Bible encompasses every subject imaginable and will be your first stop for choosing and evaluating your library's collections as well as for answering patrons' questions.

Reviews

Libraries without access to ARBA or ARBAonline should consider this reasonably priced title. Library and information science students will also find it beneficial. * Library Journal *
This will be a good checklist for many libraries, predominantly academic institutions, to use to evaluate their collections. Specialized libraries should also benefit by exploring the titles in their particular areas, such as science or the health sciences. Reasonably priced for a very useful tool, this volume should be considered by other libraries as well. * ARBA *
The entries in this curated collection are authoritative, reliable reference resources that have stood the test of time and are in widespread use in U.S. libraries. . . . This is a useful compilation of trusted reference tools. Summing Up: Recommended. Professionals. * Choice *
. . . the sort of bibliography that is too rarely consulted these days; it serves as both a collection development tool and an ever-present reminder that reference books still have a place. * Against the Grain *

Author Bio

Steven W. Sowards is associate director for collections and past head of reference at the Michigan State University Libraries. He has written scores of reviews and articles on the reference world and print-to-digital migration of library resources. Juneal Chenoweth is an historian and long-time editor of America: History and Life. Managing editor of American Reference Books Annual (ARBA) and ARBAonline, Chenoweth works with an advisory board to track the reference world for librarians and educators.