Reviewing Print Reference: the RA view
Posted by: Jessica Moyer
Barbara’s post earlier this week about reviewing reference reminded me of an outline that I had created to help my students in writing a review, a required assignment in all my classes. Below is the complete outline and question list, and while a few of the questions are for readers’ advisory reference books, most of the points pertain to all good reference works. Next week I’ll share my outline for reviewing electronic subscription sources.
1. Get the book in hand, and any previous editions.
2. Look at the front and back.
a. Is there more than one volume? Is that clearly stated on the cover?
b. Does the title say whether it is a dictionary, encyclopedia or something else?
c. Is an author or editor listed? Is it someone you have heard of or has written other reference tools?
d. The back cover generally includes a summary; what does it tell you about the subject area, content coverage, and types of entries? Does it say anything about the audience? Additional author/editor information is sometimes found here.
3. Introductory materials. Read the title page, preface and any other introductory materials (Don’t read the how to use this book or other more in depth introduction yet – that’s the next step)
a. What additional information is provided about the author, type of work and subject matter?
b. Why was this particular work created?
4. Introduction and How to Use this Work. Outside of the indices, these are the most useful and informative sections.
a. Why was this work created?
b. What is the subject matter and coverage? What is and is not included? It is an overview or in-depth?
c. Are there subject entries? Biographical entries? Maps or other illustrations?
d. Are any other works mentioned as complementary or competitors? Is this a prequel or sequel?
e. Determine if this is a dictionary, encyclopedia or other type of reference tool. This makes a big difference in how the work is used and how the entries are set up.
f. Additional author or editor information should be nearby, make sure to read it. Who is the author? How qualified is the author to write this work? Has this author written or spoken on this topic or related topics previously?
5. Table of contents and/or lists or entries
a. Is there a table of contents? Is it a strict listing of the contents in order? Is it in alphabetical order or arranged by subjects? Are there chapters or sections or just entries in alphabetical order?
b. How are you going to access these materials? How might patrons access these materials?
c. Peruse the list of entries or chapter headings. What do they tell you about the contents of the work? Are there any that appear to be missing or out of place?
6. Read some sample sections.
a. Pick a section that you know a lot about, such as a science fiction chapter for science fiction fans. How well does this match up with what you know?
b. Then pick another section that you know very little about. How informative is the entry or chapter? Does it make sense? Is enough background information provided?
7. Evaluate what you read. Will the average library patron be able to read and understand and use this work? Or is it best for librarians or serious fans? Is it accessible for teens or best for adults?
8. Who is the audience for this work? Is it aimed directly at readers like Nancy Pearl’s Book Crush? Or aimed at librarians working with readers like Neal Hollands’ Read on…. Fantasy Fiction? Or is it best for librarians trying to understand the genre like Saricks’ Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction (2nd ed 2009)?
9. How easy will this be to use at the desk with readers? Does it have annotations? Or will you need to look somewhere else for more information on every suggested author and title?
10. Consider the physical elements.
a. Does the book open easily? Will it hold together as librarians use it?
b. Is it too big or too small to fit easily on the reference shelves?
c. If the book is going to circulate will it hold up to multiple uses?
11. Access points. How many ways are there to locate information?
a. Author, subject, title, setting, etc indexes?
b. Are there cross-references within the text?
c. For example, under an entry for Nora Roberts, how are users guided to J. D. Robb, one of her pseudonyms?
d. How useful is the table of contents?
e. Are titles listed in more than one place?
f. How easily can specific titles be located?
g. How easily can readalikes or reading suggestions be located?
12. If there is a previous edition, how similar or different is the new edition? Has it been thoroughly updated? Are there significant changes?
Excerpted from The Readers’ Advisory Toolkit, edited by Jessica E. Moyer and Kaite Mediatore Stover, coming soon from ALA Editions
