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Crossword puzzle dictionaries are a staple in most reference collections.  Two of the most popular are the Random House Webster’s Crossword Puzzle Dictionary (Random House Reference, 2006) and The American Heritage Crossword Puzzle Dictionary (Houghton Mifflin, 2003).  As helpful as they are, they don’t always have the answer to every cruciverbalist’s query.  OneAcross.com is the [...]

RUSA/CODES Reference Publishing Discussion Forum: Life after the Statistical Abstract. What will the proposed demise of the Statistical Abstract mean for reference librarians and library users?  Now in its 130th annual edition, Statistical Abstract has played a central role in guiding users to statistics since before we were born.   Since finding statistics can be challenging [...]

The New York Times had an article in yesterday’s paper about the major advertising campaign by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the new 5th edition of the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Even with the demise of print reference sources, the publisher is making a huge effort to convince the public that they still [...]

…but no longer use. Each day as I walk to the reference desk, I see the bright red and blue colors of the spine of the Encyclopedia of Associations. That work is dear to my heart because it was one of the very first — if not THE first — reference source that I learned about [...]

March 25 is the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, and this week a terrific (and harrowing) documentary about the fire aired on American Experience on PBS.  Click here to watch it online. Another documentary about the fire will air on HBO on March 21. There’s also a  good web exhibit containing both seconday material and primary [...]

Wondering what to do with an old print encyclopedia? Here are some Hints from Heloise in response to reader who asked for advice after offering an encyclopedia set to the local library (which wouldn’t take it). Besides donating it to a thrift shop, retirement center, or jail, you could: Give it to a local theater [...]

This is the first in a series of posts digging into Reference Books Bulletin‘s substantial review archive. Since today is Veterans Day, I’m looking back at the extensive library of military history published by ABC-CLIO and edited by Spencer C. Tucker. Tucker, who has written or edited numerous books on military and naval history, taught for [...]

Here’s a continuation of my look back at Reference Books Bulletin’s Encyclopedia Update. Previous posts are here and here.  By 1997, the year I started as editor of Reference Books Bulletin, many of the general encyclopedias were available in both print and CD-ROM versions. In addition, the full text (and it would have been text only) [...]

It’s October 1, and I’m sitting in my office waiting for the books. Every year, after a slow summer, the fall season brings college football,  colorful foliage, and a cornucopia of new reference books. At least, that’s the way it’s been. Maybe this will be the year that more single volumes and big multi-volume sets than we [...]

Last week, having finished working on the 2010 Encyclopedia Update, I decided to take a look back at previous updates, and I wrote here about the very first two updates we did, back in the mid-1980s. For several years after we started our annual updates, there were few changes either in encyclopedia publishing or in our [...]

Last week I participated in a webinar about the discovery of reference content.  We identified several of the challenges to locating reference content – print only, reference indexed in only one place (Reference Universe), changing research habits of students (only using search engines/Wikipedia), online reference content in multiple vendor interfaces, and content not available in [...]

I just got my copy of Booklist’s May 15 issue which, in addition to being the annual Spotlight on Sci Fi/Fantasy, is the traditional home of the Reference Showcase. This is Reference Books Bulletin‘s chance to shine but honestly, for a self-confessed print reference fan, it gets harder every year to find something to celebrate. [...]

With the growth of e-materials, or digital-native materials, do you find the amount of printing rising?  I have seen more emphasis put on the purchasing and subscribing to electronic databases and ebooks that have similar materials also available (or potentially available) in print.  When I see the number of pages being printed from the electronic [...]

When performing collection development, or teaching a lesson, or anything in-between, do you aim for the highest performing patron, the lowest performing patron, or somewhere in between?  For example, do you only purchase those items that suit the needs of the lowest reading level, forcing others to go ‘down’ or do you purchase only those [...]

An article in yesterday’s New York Times about a project of the Engangered Language Alliance to identify all the New Yorkers who speak dying languages prompted me to revisit Ethnologue, which has been collecting data on the living languages of the world for more than 50 years.  Ethnologue: Languages of the World, published by SIL [...]

The history of the making of the Oxford English Dictionary has been burnished into legend over the years, at least among librarians and linguists, many of whom are familiar with the story of the famous pigeon holes stuffed with quotations slips from contributors around the world. The OED has been called the word’s greatest dictionary, and [...]

In a news bulletin, PW has just announced the news that Kirkus Reviews will be closing as part of a media sale.  Well known for its anonymous and sometimes brutally honest reviews, Kirkus has been an important tool in library collection development for many years. This seems to be the year for the closure of [...]

While sitting at the Reference Desk, it is not uncommon to have a patron insist on a printed book, because their assignment calls for at least one book as a source.  When asked about the possibility of an ebook the patron is more apt to refuse than agree, simply because it is not what the [...]

Gale/Cengage announced today the release of the Encyclopedia of Modern China, part of the Scriber World History Program.  The encyclopedia features scholarly articles on the history and culture of China since 1800. According to a Gale press release, the Encyclopedia of Modern China offers: •    Authoritative content and fresh scholarly analysis from commissioned contributors from [...]

This month’s (11/15) issue of Library Journal features a Reference Bestellers list.  Many of the titles will not surprise librarians, as many of the top spots are claimed by perenial ready reference favorites of dictionaries and fact books.  And least surprising of all to this former academic librarian is that the MLA handbook claims the [...]