Ready Reference

Ready Reference• The need for ready reference sources is felt when:•Quick, rather than multistep, answers are required.•Factual, rather than analytical, information is required.• Relative facts need to be located in a single source• The information required is wide ranging but not

deep.• Citations for primary research are required

• The data found in a random Internet search are of dubious accuracy.

Samples of Questions answered by Ready Reference:

• What is the Earth’s distance from the sun?• Where are the Amtrak and Greyhound

stations located in Mobile, Alabama?• How much would it cost to register copyright

on a new computer software application?• Who publishes historical romances in Virginia?

Major Ready Reference Resources Used in Reference Work:

• General Facts• Local Facts• The “Who” Facts• The “What” Facts• The “Which” Facts• The “When” Facts• The “Where” Facts• The “How” Facts

General Facts

• Almanacs are the epitome of a ready reference resource; crammed with general information that is concise, factual, and structured to broadly answer who, what, where, which, when and how questions.

• The most respected and used almanac in America is the annual World Almanac and Book of Facts. This is crammed with facts, features, rankings, directories, and information.

Local Facts• An essential component of ready reference is accessible local

information. • Some resources that can answer the who, what, when, where, which,

and how questions of municipality are the following: 1) Town directory2) Town map3) List of elected officials and representatives4) Local government, institutions, agencies, and associations5) Visitor information6) List of services such as nearest fax, notary public, passport services,

post office 7) Transportation and directions to the library8) Local datasheet

The “Who” Facts

• The “who” questions are typically answered by telephone directories or by biographical directories.

• Online telephone directories are highly effective resources as well; www.anywho.com, www.superpages.com, www.switchboard.com are all worthy sites to locate persons or businesses.

“What” Facts• “What” questions generally center around consumer

concerns.• Print catalogs are available for all of these ready

reference tools, but online versions tend to be more user friendly.– Consumer Reports and Consumer Reports Buyers Guide.

Subscription based website: www.consumerreports.org– Free auto ratings website www.edmunds.com– The Government Assistance Almanac is used for Federal

assistance and grant information. The online version can be found at http://12.46.245.173/cfda/cfda.html

“Which” Facts

• “Which” questions frequently deal with literary questions.– Masterplots(12 volume print series) can be found

in CD-ROM format to answer a wide array of literary questions (e.g. which author, which poet, etc…).

– The CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics can also be found in CD-ROM format to answer scientific questions (e.g. which compound, which formula, etc…).

“When” Facts

• “When” questions center around dates, years, and time periods.– Chase’s annualCalendar of Events– www.scopesys.com/anydayprovides information

on anyday in history– Perpetual calendar (1901-2100)

www.vpcalendar.net– American Decades and American Eras also

provides dates for historical questions.

“Where” Facts

• The Stateman’s Yearbook is a source for Social, Political, Geographic and Economics Profiles.

• Information is concise, authoritative. • Published on an annual update

Interactive online version

• www.sybworld.com/views/home.html• Updated monthly• Interactive site links to over 2000 other

related sites such as immediate government information

• Examples: chiefs of state and cabinet ministers of nations and territories across the world

Examples:

• Time Zone• ISO County Codes• Foldout Colored Maps• Statistics on issues

regarding, “quality of life indicators”

• Chamber of Commerce Information

• Pertinent Information from general Almanacs on US Cities: City Profiles on most popular relocation locations & factual information on selective cities

“How” Facts: Two Types

• Answers “How Many”• A resource that requires

statistical resources

• Answers “How To”• A resource that requires

manuals

How Many

• Resource for Statistical Queries Annually• Statistical Abstract of the United States• Complied of United States information of

social, economic, and political profile that is broken down into many sections and tables

• Each table references to another web site, provides an alphabetical index & guide

How Many

• Abstract Statistics Information available in CD-ROM with spreadsheets attached with more details

• These statistics are refer to its on-line version at www.census.gov/statab/www which links use to macro and micro data

• Data includes: counties, cities, states, & metropolitan areas

www.census.gov/statab/www

• Transform into a lengthy reference session by loading details instructions with fast loading screens to follow

• Quick search strings by subject, time period, and location for effective referencing

• A similar stats site is www.fedstats.gov

• Acts as a portal to major federal agencies

• Access by the agency, by subject, alphabetically or by keyword searches

• Monitored & revised by each agency

How To

• Resource that requires manuals• Examples: social information on how to socially

phrase information such etiquette, online dating, netiquette, writing invitations, procedures on conducting an institutional meetings, rules of quorum and debates

• www.robertsrules.com• Emily Post’s Etiquette, a most popular resource

Evaluation of Ready Reference Resources

• Validating resources by establishing which source serves which category of question

• Deciding whether the source is consistently accurate, current, & reliable

• 95 percent of academic library web sites have a ready reference section of selected sources selected by professionals

Collection Development of Sites Monitoring by

• Checking for dead links• Checking for citation sources• Alert to sites of commercial endorsements• Cross-checking answers to establish whether

answers are consistently accurate• And checking the updating timetables for each

site

Maintenance & Keeping Current

• Keep current with new Web sites by subscribing to New This Week, a weekly newsletter at the Librarian’s Internet Index: http://lii.org/search/file/mailinglist

• Free and provides reliable information sites that are categorized according to Library of Congress headings

Maintenance & Keeping Current

• Printed Resources: Subscribing to the New York Times Updating Service that sends weekly updates of ready reference facts through reference tools: World Almanac and Books of Facts, Statesman’s Yearbook, Congressional Directory, Who’s Who in America, etc.

References

• Cassell, K.A. &Hiremath, U. (2004). Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century (2nd edition). New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers Inc.