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Back in the day, at least 2/3 of my reference collection budget supported standing orders for hundreds of print statistical books, biographical sources, directories, dictionaries,and almanacs of all types.  Each year it seems to dwindle as we ask ourselves, do we really need to get that print source EVERY year?  This year is no different, we are analyzing the existing list of standing orders and canceling many of these.  It’s sad, but interesting to see what is dropping from the list these days.  Biographical sources and directories are at the top of the list.  The panelists at the ALA RBB panel “Rethinking the Reference Collection” also confirmed this sentiment, stating that biographical compilations and directories are a dying breed.  ”All but one directory,” said Dave Tyckoson, “the local telephone directory.”  I wonder though, what other directories can we not live without?  I’m sure it depends on the type of library.  For example, at Wright State University where I am employed, 10% of our population has a disability, so we can’t live without directories of disability services.  What is the key directory in your library?

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 8:20 pm and is filed under Print Resources, Reference Classics, Reference Collections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.