This module will introduce you to some of the basic reference tools to help you with general research on a wide variety of topics. Once you have finished with this module, you will:
- Be familiar with the different types of reference tools such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, atlases, etc.
- Know how to locate both print and electronic reference tools.
Reference Tools: Introduction
Definition:
- Reference tools (dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc.) are sources of information that provide facts and figures
in an easy-to-find format (alphabetical, topical, or chronological). Unlike "regular" books, reference
resources are not designed to be read from beginning to end. They are designed to provide easy access
to specific information so a person can quickly find the answer to a question they have.
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Uses:
- Reference tools provide:
- Background information
- Pointers to other sources of information (in their bibliographies)
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Formats:
- Reference resources can be in many formats such as book, database, webpage,
cdrom, etc. Electronic reference resources such as the online version of
Encyclopedia Britannica are becoming especially
popular although many people still find print versions easier to use.
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Types of Reference Resources
There are two types of reference resources:
- 1. General reference resources cover all topics briefly. They present information that is
very broad, well-established, and commonly-known so you will probably need more in-depth information for a college-level
research paper.
- Examples:
- Webster's Dictionary (Reference PE1460 .W425 1989)
- World Almanac and Book of Facts (Reference Desk AY67 .N5 W7)
- World Book Encyclopedia (Reference table 2 AE5 .W55 2002)
- 2. Subject-specific (or "subject-focused") reference resources concentrate on one subject only.
They usually present more extensive information than general reference resources and are therefore often a better
source to get background information for a college-level research paper.
- Examples:
- Dictionary of Musical Terms (Music Res. ML108 .S76 1898)
- Encyclopedia of International Commerce (HF1001 .M55 1985)
- Louisiana Almanac (Reference Desk AY186 .N5 L68)
Locating Reference Resources
- The most current and popular reference resources are kept in the Reference Area on the first floor of the
Middleton Library. We keep them there because they are used so often by so many people. This is also the reason
they can not be checked out like regular books. There are, however, more reference books scattered throughout
the stacks which you can check out.
To find reference resources in the library catalog, do a keyword ("Words/Phrase") search combining a
broad subject with a type of reference resource. These searches work best if you truncate the type of reference source with the $ dollar symbol.
- Examples:
- "Medicine and dictionar$"
- "Biology and handbook$"
- "Europe and atlas$"
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
- DICTIONARIES give definitions, spellings, and pronunciations of words.
- Examples:
- Black's Law Dictionary (Reference Desk KF156 .B53 1999)
- Stedman's Medical Dictionary (Reference Desk R121 .S8 2000)
- Cassell's English-French Dictionary (Reference Desk PC2640 .C69 1998)
- To find dictionaries in the library catalog, do a keyword ("Words/Phrase") combining a broad subject with
the word dictionary This search works best if you truncate the word dictionar$.
- Example: medicine and dictionar$
- There are also several excellent online dictionaries such as the Oxford English Dictionary
and many others available at the LSU Libraries' Ready Reference webpage
- ENCYCLOPEDIAS give comprehensive background information about various topics.
-
- Examples:
- Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt (Reference DT58 .B96 1991)
- MacMillan Encyclopedia of Physics (Reference QC5 .M15 1996)
- Baseball Encyclopedia (Reference GV877 .B27 1996)
- To find encyclopedias in the library catalog, do a keyword ("Words/Phrase") combining a broad subject with
the word encyclopedia This search works best if you truncate the word encyclopedia$.
- Example: psychology and encyclopedia$
- There are also several online encyclopedias available at the LSU Libraries' Ready Reference webpage
Almanacs
- ALMANACS give lists of statistics and specific facts and are usually only 1-volume long. The World Almanac and Book of Facts,
(Reference Desk AY67 .N5 W7) for example, is an excellent source for frequently sought information like lists of the presidents, Nobel prize winners,
capitals, etc..
- There are also several subject-focused almanacs on many different topics such as
- The Louisiana Almanac (Reference Desk AY186 .N5 L68)
- The Weather Almanac (Reference QC983 .B35 1992)
- The Asian American Almanac (Reference E184 .06 A824 1995)
To find almanacs in the library catalog do a keyword
("Words/Phrase") search combining a broad subject with the word almanac This search works best if you truncate the word almanac$
- Examples:
- crime and almanac$
- women and almanac$
Bibliographies
A BIBLIOGRAPHY is essentially a list of books. It can also include other kinds of information sources such as articles in
journals, magazines, and newspapers.
There are several different kinds of bibliographies:
- A. You're probably familiar with the kind of bibliography that you put at the back of a research paper in which you list all the
books you quoted from in the text of your paper.
- B. Encyclopedias and other books often have bibliographies at the end of them suggesting other books to read on the topic discussed.
- C. There are also whole books which contain nothing but a list of other sources of information on a particular topic.
- Examples:
- Bibliography of Nursing Literature (Z6675.N7 T452)
- The History of Modern Physics : an International Bibliography (Z7141 .B78 1983)
- What Romance Do I Read Next?: a Reader's Guide to Recent Romance Fiction (Reference LIS Collection PS374 .L6 R36 1997)
To find bibliographies in the library catalog, do a keyword search combining a broad subject
with the word bibliography
This search works best if you truncate the word bibliograph$
- Example: science fiction and bibliograph$
Biographical Dictionaries
BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARIES give brief background information on important people such as their dates of birth and
death, educational and professional history, and what significant things they have accomplished. (Note: Biographical
dictionaries often call themselves "directories" or "who's who")
- Examples:
- Who's Who in American Art (Reference table 1 N6536 .W5)
- American Men and Women of Science (Reference table 1 Q141 .A47)
- Contemporary Black Biography (Reference table 1 E185.96 .C66)
Many of the most popular biographical dictionaries are located on Reference table one behind the Reference Desk but there
are also other books throughout the library.
There are also several online biographical dictionaries available through the library's
"Indexes and Databases" webpage:
- Biography Resource Center
Full-text biographical information on more than 185,000 people from throughout history, around the world, and across
all disciplines and subject areas.
- Biography and Genealogy Master Index
Indexes current and retrospective biographical dictionaries and Who's Who that cover both contemporary
and historical figures, providing citations to biographies of individuals from every field of activity
and from all areas of the world.
- LexisNexis Academic (Choose "Reference" and then
"Biographical Information") Full-text articles about contemporary politicians, business executives, etc.
Concordances
CONCORDANCES allow you to find exactly where a particular word was mentioned in a particular book (or set of books).
There are many concordances for religious works.
- Examples:
- Bible concordances (there are several to choose from) (Reference: BS 425 C655)
- Koran Concordance (Reference BP133 .K37 1983)
- Harvard Shakespeare Concordance (Reference PR2892.S62)
- Concordance to the Complete Poems and Plays of T.S. Eliot (PS 3509 L43 Z459 1995)
- Exhaustive Concordance to the United States Constitution (KF 4528 .5 E97 1994)
To find a concordance in the library catalog do a keyword
("Words/Phrase") search combining a broad subject with the word concordance. This search works best if you truncate
the word concordance$
- Examples:
- Milton concordance$
- Aeschylus and concordance$
There are also several concordances available on the web such as:
- Concordance.com
- Shakespeare Concordance
Directories
DIRECTORIES give a list of names and contact information such as telephone numbers, addresses, email, etc.
Use directories to find out how to contact a person, company, or organization.
- Examples:
- Telephone Books (Middleton Library has Louisiana telephone books on Reference table 3)
- National Directory of Women-Owned Manufacturing Firms (Government Documents SBA 1.13/4:W 84/3)
- Ward's Business Directory (Shelves behind the Reference Desk: HG4057 A59) gives brief information about thousands of public and private companies
- Research Centers Directory (Reference Desk AS25.D5)
To find directories in the library catalog do a keyword
("Words/Phrase")search combining a broad subject with the word directory. This search works best if you truncate
the word director$
- Examples:
- physicians and director$
- lobbyists and director$
There are also several online directories available through the library's Ready Reference webpage.
Chronologies
CHRONOLOGIES (also called "Timelines" or "Yearbooks") are a chronological view of a specific time period.
They tell you what happened day by day, or month by month, or year by year, or decade by decade, etc.
There are two general chronologies that are very popular:
- Facts on File (Reference: D410 F3) gives weekly newspaper headlines of major world events
- Keesing's Record of World Events (Reference Stacks: D410 K4) gives weekly newspaper headlines of major world events
There are also many subject-focused chronologies:
- Day by Day: The Eighties (Reference D848 .M45 1995)
- Chronology of World Slavery (Reference HT861 .R63 1999)
- Asimov's Chronology of Science and Discovery (Reference Q125 .A765 1994)
- Women's World: a Timeline of Women in History (Reference HQ 1122 F69 1995)
- Calendar of Music and Musicians (Music Reference ML161 .M16)
To find chronologies in the library catalog, do a keyword ("Words/Phrase") search combining a broad subject with
the word chronology. This search works best if you truncate the word chronolog$
- Example:science and chronolog$
-
There are also several timelines available on the web such as:
- Ancient Rome Timeline
- The History Place Civil War Timeline
- IPL Slavery and Religion in America: Time Line
- Chronology of the History of Computing
Atlases and Gazetteers
ATLASES are books of maps. They can be maps of physical places as well as more abstract
concepts such as migration, weather patterns, population expansions, etc. Several of the most popular
atlases are kept on atlas stands near the Reference Desk, but many others are shelved throughout the library
according to their subjects.
- Examples:
- Atlas of Ancient Egypt (Reference DT56.9 .B34 1980)
- Atlas of the World's Religions (Reference BL85 .A85 1999)
- Atlas of World War II Battle Plans (Reference D743 .H84 2000)
To find atlases in the library catalog do a keyword
("Words/Phrase") search combining a broad subject with the word atlas. This search works best if you truncate
the word atlas$
- Examples:
- crime and atlas$
- astronomy and atlas$
There are also several free map services on the web such as:
- MapQuest
- Yahoo Maps
- Maps on Us
GAZETEERS are dictionaries of geographical place names. You can look up the name of a city, country, river, mountain,
etc. and it will tell you where and what it is. (Note: Gazeteers often call themselves "dictionaries")
- Examples:
- The Columbia Gazetteer (Reference Desk G103.5 C65 1998)
- Merriam Webster's Geographical Dictionary (Reference Desk G103.5 W42 1997)
Handbooks and Manuals
Handbooks and manuals are two different things but often the two words are often used interchangeably.
HANDBOOKS are summary overviews of an extremely broad subject. They are often similar to textbooks.
- Examples:
- Handbook of Nutrition and Food (Reference QP141 .C774 2002)
- Harper Handbook to Literature (Reference PN41 .F75 1985)
- CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (Reference Desk QD65 .H3)
To find handbooks in the library catalog do a keyword
("Words/Phrase") search combining a broad subject with the word handbook. This search works best if you
truncate the word handbook$
- Examples:
- music and handbook$
- anthropology and handbook$
MANUALS are step-by-step instructions in how to do something specific. They can show you how to conduct
a scientific experiment, write a research paper, apply for financial aid, etc.
- Examples:
- The Psychology Student Writer's Manual (Reference table 2 BF76.8 .P76 2002)
- Initial Fire Investigation Manual (Government Documents FEM 1.108:F 51/3/STUD)
- Manual of Fluorometric and Spectrophotometric Experiments (Chem Lib Reference QD96 .F56 G55 1985)
To find manuals in the library catalog do a keyword
("Words/Phrase") search combining a broad subject with the word manual. This search works best if you
truncate the word manual$
- Examples:
- grants and manual$
- writing and manual$
Statistics
STATISTICS are numerical data put into tables. You can find
statistics on almost any topic you can think of: monthly rainfall, sales figures, cancer rates, religious beliefs, etc.
The U.S. Government is the largest producer of statistics in the world so it is fortunate that the LSU Libraries are a
regional government depository.
Citing statistics is an excellent way to support or refute a statement in a research paper.
There is no one place to go to find statistics: you can find them in books, periodical articles, webpages, statistical
databases, etc. To find statistics, you'll have to look in several places:
- 1. Library Catalog: To find statistics in books and government documents, do a keyword ("Words/Phrase") search in
the catalog combining a broad subject and the word statistics.
- Example: crimes and statistics
- 2. Journal Indexes: To find statistics in articles in scholarly journals, use a journal index in your field and
do a keyword search combining a broad subject with the word statistics. If you are not sure which journal index to use
go to the library's Indexes and Databases webpage and click on your subject.
- Examples:
- poverty and statistics
- dropouts and statistics
- 3. Internet: To find statistics on the web, use a search engine to do a keyword search using a broad subject and
the word statistics.
- Example: "lung cancer" and statistics
- 4. Statistical Databases: There are several excellent online statistical resources available through the library's
Indexes and Databases webpage such as:
-
LexisNexis Statistical: statistical information on all topics in U.S. Government publications from
1973 (full-text starting in 1995) to the present.
- Statistical Masterfile:
statistical publications from the U.S. Government (1973 - 1997), private organizations, and state
government sources (1980 - 1997), and an index to international statistics. Primarily social, economic,
demographic, business, and industrial statistics rather than scientific or technical data.
