Reference Books:
The Tools of Research
HSAS Fall 2004!
What Are Reference Works?
Reference works are tools that are used
to find information quickly and efficiently.
All libraries carefully select their reference
materials to meet the needs of their users.
Familiar Reference Books
Each reference work presents special
information in pure form. The most familiar
types of reference books are: encyclopedias
and dictionaries.
Not-So-Familiar Reference Books
There are several basic types of reference
books. In addition to standard dictionaries
and general encyclopedias, we find atlases,
almanacs, bibliographies, specialized
dictionaries, directories, specialized
encyclopedias, handbooks & yearbooks.
Basic Types of Reference
Works
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Atlases
Almanacs
Bibliographies
Dictionaries
Directories
Encyclopedias
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Fact/Record Books
Guides
Handbooks
Subject Encyclopedias
Subject Dictionaries
Yearbooks
Atlases
Hammond Incorporated. Hammond
Historical Atlas of the World.
Newly revised ed. [Maplewood, N.J.
: Hammond Incorporated, 1997.
Lehman College Reference Area 1st
Floor. Call No. Ref. G1930.H3203
1997
 WorldSat International Inc. The
Cartographic Satellite Atlas of
the World. Toronto, Ont.; Los
Angeles, Calif. : Warwick Pub.,
1997. Lehman College Reference
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Almanacs
The World Almanac and Book of
Facts Lehman College Stacks
– 2nd floor
 Call No.: AY67 .N5 W7 Years
Available: 1947-1950; 19532002. Current volume is
available at the Reference
Desk.
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Bibliographies
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There are several types of bibliography.
Basically bibliographies are lists of book or journal or
newspaper or pamphlet titles on a particular topic or
theme.
Bibliographies can be at the back of a single published
article or part of a book. They are placed after the paper.
There are whole books that are bibliographies!
One of a reference librarian’s tasks is the compilation of
subject bibliographies. These are often annotated to assist
library users.
Dictionaries
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Webster's Third New International
Dictionary of the English Language
Unabridged. Ed. by Philip Babcock Gove
and the Merriam-Webster editorial
staff. Springfield, MA : MerriamWebster, 1986. (1st Floor by Elevators)
The Concise American Heritage Spanish
Dictionary. Boston : Houghton Mifflin,
c2001. Lehman College Reference 1st
Floor South. Call No.: Ref. PC4640
.C553 2001
Directories
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Federal Depository Library Directory.
Washington, DC: Library Programs
Service, Supt. Of Docs, US GPO, 1999http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS2562
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Internet Tollfree National Directory.
Blue Bell, PA: Volt Information
Sciences, 2002- Lehman College
Reference.
1st Floor South. Call No. Ref.
HE8811.I58
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Directory of Scholarly Electronic
Encyclopedias (General)
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Academic American Encyclopedia. Danbury, CT:
Grolier,1997.
21 v. Lehman College Reference 1st Floor South.
Call. No.: Ref. AE5.A23 1997
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Collier's Encyclopedia : With Bibliography and Index.
Edited by Lauren
S. Bahr, editorial director; Bernard Johnston,
editor in chief ; Louise
A. Bloomfield, executive editor. New York :
Collier's, c1997. 24 v.
Lehman College Reference 1st Floor South. Call No.:
Ref. AE5.C683 1997
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The Encyclopedia Americana.
Inc.,1997.
Danbury, CT : Grolier
Encyclopedias (Specialized)
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There are many specialized or subject
encyclopedias. If one exists for the topic of your
paper, you can find it by using CUNY+ basic
search. Type a key word (your subject), followed
by the word AND followed by the words
ENCYCLOPEDIA OR ENCYCLOPEDIAS.
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Now, you try this search and see what you find.
Subject Encyclopedias
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Encyclopedia of the U.S. Supreme Court. Edited by Thomas T.
Lewis, Richard L. Wilson. Pasadena, CA :Salem Press, 2001.
Lehman College Ready Reference . 1st Floor. Call No : Ref.
KF8742.A35 E53 2001
Encyclopedia of Computers and Computer History. Edited by
Raúl Rojas, editor in chief. Chicago : Fitzroy Dearborn, 2001.
Lehman College Sci Tech Reference. 3d Floor. Call No.: Ref.
QA76.15 .E53 2001
Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara. Edited by John
Middleton, editor in chief. New York: Scribners, 1997.
1st Floor Reference Area South. Call No. Ref. DT351.E53 1997
Fact/Record Books
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Anzovin, Steven and Janet Podell. Famous First
Facts, International Edition : A Record of
First Happenings, Discoveries, and Inventions
in World History . New York : H.W. Wilson,
2000.
Lehman College Reference Area 1st Floor.
Ref. AG5 .A69 2000
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Facts on File [1973 – 2002]
Lehman College Reference Area
Call No.: Ref. D410.F3
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1st Floor.
Chase’s Annual Events… Calendar of Events
Lehman College Reference Area 1st Floor.
Handbooks
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Robertson, Allen and Donald Hutera. The Dance
Handbook. Boston, Mass. : G.K. Hall, [1990],
c1988. Lehman College Fine Arts Reference 2nd
Floor North.Call No.: Ref. GV1601 .R63 1990
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Weil, Danny K. School Vouchers and
Privatization: A Reference
Handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO,
2002. Lehman College Education. Call No.: LB
2828.8.W45 2002
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Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers. 6th ed. MLA, 2003. Lehman
College Ready Reference Desk. 1st Floor. Call
No.: Ref. LB2369.G53 2003 (large-print copy
Guides
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Guide to Reference Books. Edited by Robert
Balay ; associate editor,
Vee Friesner Carrington ; with special
editorial assistance by Murray S. Martin. 11th
ed. Chicago: American Library Association,
1996.Lehman College Ready Reference 1st Floor.
Call No. Ref.Z1035.1.S43 1996
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American Institute of Architects. AIA Guide to
New York City. AIA, 1968. Lehman College Fine
Arts 2nd Floor. Call No. Ref NA735.N5A78 1968
Subject Encyclopedias
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Encyclopedia of Associations. Detroit: Gale, 2003.
Lehman College Ready Reference 1st Floor. Call No.: Ref. AS8.E53
A comprehensive list of national organizations described briefly, with names,
addresses, and telephone numbers. Associations keep track of industry data for
their members and may have valuable information on an industry that would
not be found in standard business sources. Indexes include name of
organization, key word, and geographic area.
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Organizing Black America : An Encyclopedia of
African American Associations. Edited by Nina
Mjagkij. New York : Garland Pub., 2001.
Lehman College Reference 1st Floor. Call No.:
Ref. E185.5 .O74 2001
Yearbooks
Britannica Book of the Year. Chicago:
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2003.
Lehman College Ready Reference. 1st Floor.
Call No. Ref. AE5.E364
"The Britannica book of the year bridges the gap between
editions [of the Encyclopaedia Britannica]."--Introd.
Also includes bibliographies.
Biographical Sources
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Inventions and Inventors. Ed. by
Roger Smith. Pasadena, CA : Salem
Press, c2002. Lehman College
SciTech Reference 3rd Floor South.
Call No. Ref. T20 .I59 2002
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The New Grove Dictionary of Music
and Musicians. Edited by Stanley
Sadie ; executive editor, John
Tyrrell. London : Macmillan Pub.
; New York, 2001. Lehman College
Fine Arts Reference 2nd Floor
More Biographical Sources
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American Men & Women of Science.
Biographical Directory. New York :
Bowker, 1989- Irregular 17th ed.
Lehman College SciTech Reference. 3rd
Floor. Call No.: Ref. Q141.A474 2003
(older volumes circulate)
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Dictionary of American Biography.
Complete Index Guide: Volumes I-X,
Supplements 1-7. New York : Published
under the auspices of the American
Council of Learned Societies [by]
Scribner, 1981.
Lehman College Reference 1st Floor.
Even More Biographical
Sources
Who’s Who in America.
Chicago:Marquis, 1899- 57th ed.
(2003)
 Lehman College Reference 1st Floor
South. Call No.: Ref. E663.W56
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Who Was Who in America with World
Notables. Chicago: Marquis, 1896 Lehman College Reference 1st Floor
South Call No.: Ref. E176.W64
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The END
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