Reference Sources: Origin,
Evaluation and Use
What is a Reference Source?
The ALA Glossary of Library and Information Science:
(functional)
a book designed by the arrangement and treatment of its
subject matter to be consulted for definite items of
information rather than to be read consecutively
(administrative)
a book whose use is restricted to the library building
What is a Reference Source?
(or)
• resources most frequently used by reference librarians
(printed, microforms, CD-ROM, machine-readable,
accessible through networks) owned or leased by the
library
• types of reference books characterized by peculiar
presentation of information, arrangement, indexing
almanacs directories dictionaries encyclopedias
gazetteers handbooks indexes maps almanacs
directories dictionaries encyclopedias gazetteers
handbooks indexes maps almanacs directories
dictionaries encyclopedias gazetteers handbooks
indexes maps almanacs directories dictionaries
encyclopedias gazetteers handbooks indexes maps
almanacs directories dictionaries encyclopedias
gazetteers handbooks indexes maps almanacs
directories dictionaries encyclopedias gazetteers
handbooks indexes maps almanacs directories
dictionaries encyclopedias gazetteers handbooks
indexes maps almanacs directories dictionaries
encyclopedias gazetteers handbooks indexes maps
Reference Sources
• lookup rather than reading
• reference sources provide a representation based
upon which we proceed with retrieval of
information from another source (secondary,
primary)
What is a Reference Source?
(general)
• information source that provides access to
organized information
Reference Source Types
each genre has a distinct epistemological strategy
bibliography
how does a bibliography let us know?
what does a bibliography let us know?
what are the retrieval structures for a bibliography?
how is it different from a library catalog?
index
how does an index let us know?
what does an index let us know?
what are the retrieval structures for an index?
how is it different from a library catalog,
bibliography, almanac?
abstract
how does an abstract let us know?
what does an abstract let us know?
what are the retrieval structures for an abstract?
as surrogate, it represents …?
Categorization of Reference Sources
• reference collections specifically serves to address
information queries
• traditional division of information sources which
are used by information specialists to answer
specific information queries by their patrons, is
reflected in the development of a reference
collection in the different types of libraries
Categorization of Reference Sources
• format
• referencing
sources containing information (encyclopedias, almanacs,
dictionaries, directories, handbooks, yearbooks, atlases,
government information, statistical sources)
sources with reference to places where information can be found
(catalogs, bibliographies, indexes)
• relationship to raw data (primary, secondary, tertiary)
Categorization of Reference Sources
The source types (or genres) fall into the following categories:
indexes, bibliographies
dictionaries
biographical sources
encyclopedias
almanacs, handbooks, ready-reference sources
geographical sources (gazetteers, dictionaries of place names,
guidebooks)
government documents
statistical sources
This division is also reflected in the organization of libraries' reference collections
cf.Library of Congress (Main Reading Room)
History of Reference Sources
• may be interpreted as historical forms, related to changes
in the forms of organization of information, and
communicational needs of a society
• indexes, dictionaries, and the almanacs are early
equivalents of an encyclopedia that aims to capture all
knowledge (in an "encyclopedic fashion")
• bibliography is a 15th century development, and the
encyclopedia an even later achievement of the French
Encyclopedists in the 18th century
History of Reference Sources
• exponential growth of information from the 19th cent.
• need to organize a variety of sources and information
about them, or facts and data, in various sources
• statistical information, pictorial information, spatial
information, and government information sources are all
the product of a later explosion in the amount of
information
• need for information in conducting private affairs of
individuals, and public affairs of various communities and
constituencies
History of Reference Sources
• tools that the libraries developed in order to facilitate
access to a body of literature, subject domain, or serve
special populations of users
• catalogs, bibliographies, and subject guides (pathfinders)
that represent in-house tools that facilitate access to a
narrow subject domain
History of Reference Sources
• created by individuals or collective effort (committees,
editorial guidance), commercial sector (online vendors,
A&I services)
• catalogs represent a collective effort of many librarians,
continued by the bibliographic utilities
• bibliographies are often compiled by individuals
• encyclopedias, and other information sources are
produced under editorial guidance
History of Reference Sources
• indexing and abstracting services -- converging influence
of the development of online databases (origins: Poole's
Index to Periodical Literature, Reader's Guide to
Periodical Literature)
• commercial vendors are developing these sources and
selling them for the use of libraries and information
agencies
These guidelines address information services from the following
perspectives:
1.
Services
2.
Resources
3.
Access
4.
Personnel
5.
Evaluation
6.
Ethics
2.0 Resources
2.1 The library should collect or provide access to information resources germane to its mission and reflecting the full
spectrum of the population it serves.
2.2 The library should develop an information resources collection and development policy consistent with the goals of its
institution or community. These information resources should satisfy through content, currency, format, organization, and
quantity a diversity of user needs.
2.3 As necessary, information services personnel should reach beyond in-house collections and in-house expertise by
drawing on the resources of other organizations that collect and provide information, by consulting individual experts, and
by tapping external information sources regardless of their medium.
2.4 The library should provide access to the most current reference sources available in order to assure the accuracy of
information.
These guidelines address information services from the following
perspectives:
1.
Services
2.
Resources
3.
Access
4.
Personnel
5.
Evaluation
6.
Ethics
3.0 Access
3.1 The library should arrange information services according to a coherent plan, taking into account ready accessibility to
users. The information services workspace should be large enough to accommodate staff, the collection of information
resources, equipment necessary for accessing all communications and other equipment, and users seeking their services.
3.2 The library should make service areas for information services highly visible and accommodate the needs of users,
including users with disabilities. Signage should unambiguously direct users to areas where they can obtain assistance in
finding the information they seek.
3.3 The library should support state-of-the-art communications methods for access to information resources for all its users.
3.4 The library should provide appropriate equipment in adequate quantities and in good working order for the convenient,
efficient consultation of local and remote information resources by staff and the public. This includes communications
hardware and software to receive and answer queries for information from users.
3.5 Operation hours for information services should be responsive to the community’s needs and behavior and the library’s
financial and personnel resources.
Development of Reference Collections
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Objectives
Subject scope,
Size
Types of materials
Responsibility for selection and selection procedures
Weeding
Inventory of the reference collection
Incorporate technology-based criteria in selecting
electronic databases
• Guides to reference sources (Balay; Walford; Kister)
Arrangement of Reference Collections
• frequency of use (ready-reference, general reference,
stacks)
• format
• classified, abc, type of source (reference tables with
indexes)
These guidelines address information services from the following
perspectives:
1.
Services
2.
Resources
3.
Access
4.
Personnel
5.
Evaluation
6.
Ethics
5.0 Evaluation
...
5.5 The library should evaluate individual resources within the collection
based upon professional standards and users’ needs. It should also
evaluate its information resources as a unified information system,
including in-house print and non-print as well as accessible external
resources.
...
Evaluation of Sources
• quality of sources determined; suitability for inclusion in
the library’s reference collection
• evaluation criteria for print sources, non-print
(manuscripts, multimedia, electronic)
• criteria that apply to all sources (Bopp & Smith, p. 312316)
• special evaluation criteria for a type of source (Bopp &
Smith, Katz)
why evaluate and review new
information sources?
• raise the standard for producers
• pushing producers to meet the standards set by the
information provider community that represent the
needs of the users of information
General Evaluation Criteria
Format
Scope
Relation to similar works
Authority
Treatment
Arrangement
Special features
Cost
General Evaluation Criteria
authority
1. Authorship. What are the qualifications in experience and
education of the author, authors, contributors, and editors
by reputation and as revealed in previous works?
2. Auspices. What is the reputation of the publisher or the
sponsoring agency?
3. Genealogy. Is the work new? If it is based on previous
publication, what is the extent of the revision?
General Evaluation Criteria
scope
4. Purpose. To what extent is the statement of purpose in the
preface fulfilled in the text?
5. Coverage. What is the range of subject matter and what
are the limitations?
6. Recency. How up to date is the material? Are all of the
articles and bibliograpies as recent as the last copyright
date?
7. Bibliographies. To what extent do the bibliographies
indicate scholarship and send the user on to additional
information?
General Evaluation Criteria
treatment
8. Accuracy. How thorough, reliable and complete are the
facts?
9. Objectivity. Is there any bias in controversial issues? How
balanced is the space given one subject as compared with
others of equal importance?
10. Style. Is the writing level that of the layman or the
scholar, adult, or child? How readable is the work?
General Evaluation Criteria
arrangement
11. Sequence. Does the sequence of content follow
classified, chronologic, geographic, tabular or alphabetic
order? If alphabetic, are the topics large or small?
12. Indexing. Is the main text arrangement adequately
complemented by indexes and cross references
General Evaluation Criteria
format
13. Physical make-up. Do binding, paper, type, and layout
meet minimum specifications?
14. Illustrations. Are the illustrations of good quality, are
they of real significance and are they directly related to
the text?
General Evaluation Criteria
special features
15. Distinction. What features distinguish this information
source (reference book) from all others?
16. Comparative values. How does the work compare to
similar titles? Reviews: are they favorable?
Electronic Formats
General Evaluation Criteria
• electronic media evaluation demands expanded
expertise but the basics developed for reviewing print
materials remain the basis for reviews in any format
• the following questions should be asked, going beyond
the wonder of recall value, or the perceived ease of use
Electronic Formats
General Evaluation Criteria
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Who is the progenitor of this information?
Upon what authority is it presented?
What is the expertise of the providers?
How accurate, in depth, comprehensive, and up-to-date is
it?
Who is its audience?
What does it deliver in terms of its medium?
Is it cheaper, easier, faster, user-friendly that the
alternative?
How does it compare to its print or CD-ROM version or to
similar products in the same or other formats?
Future Developments for Reference Titles
Katz predicts that the future of information sources
is in an electronic format
Ps to Es
Future Developments
• traditionally available in print format but increasingly
alternative formats (CD ROM format, online databases)
• increased specialization in subject matter is another
anticipated development in how information will be
provided
• revolution in information delivery (networked context of
information distribution, document delivery services, and
full texts available electronically
• increasing sophistication of the end-user in searching and
accessing information
Future Developments: Ps to Es
Information may now be stored electronically in such a way that
divisions among encyclopedias, biographies, and government
documents are no longer needed.
A vast electronic database of reference material includes all these.
Sitting at a computer one is able to search not just an index, not just
a bibliography, but many forms of reference works at the same
time.
(Katz 1996, Vol. 1, 24)
Future Developments: Ps to Es
With that, though, it is necessary to appreciate the reference
librarian who can differentiate sources of information (index or
encyclopedia, yearbook or government document) and is able to
ascertain what is likely to be best for the individual with a query.
Forms, therefore, remain and will continue to remain important as
guides to types of content, reliability, relative currency, and so on.
So no matter how the sources are bunched together electronically, it
is imperative to be able to differentiate fruit as an orange, an apple,
or a pear.
(Katz 1996, Vol. 1, 24)
What is Variable?
• their structuring (as database, or sequential list with
indexes for additional entry points)
• their displays and interfaces (print, digital) may be
distinctly diverse in print, CD ROM, online, or electronic
library format
• some features of information sources remain predictable
What is Stable in the Process of Migration?
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forms of information sources
ways in which they are created
Ps to
Es
• print sources may become obsolete in providing
information
• the ability to evaluate content and its delivery will remain
crucial skills of information professionals
Implications for Reference?
• it pays to think about what each source type is likely to
offer in terms of information delivery
• and predictable, stable features, and queries that it is fit to
answer