Reference Books
Reference books are one of the best ways to get facts and statistics about any topic. They include dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs and handbooks. They don’t check out of the library but are quick to use. Here are just a few you might want to consider when starting your research project.
Getting Started:
900.5 E23 CQ Researcher: Provides weekly summaries of current national issues. This is an excellent first source to use for most research topics. It provides a summary of an issue, background, pro and con arguments, statistics and references to other useful sources.
Statistics:
317.3 U58 Statistical Abstract of the United States: Published jointly by the Census Bureau, Dept. of Labor and Statistics and other federal agencies, it includes national statistics on just about any topic. Use the index in the back to find a topic and then go to the corresponding table number.
317.3 W927 World Almanac and Book of Facts: One of many almanacs we carry, this book provides facts and statistics on a wide variety of topics – not just national.
**More statistical sources are available in specific subjects – check by call number.
Encyclopedias & Handbooks:
Can provide an excellent overview of a topic. There are general encyclopedias like the World Book and Encyclopedia Britannica, but also more specific ones focusing on particular subjects. Here is an outline of the general call number areas so you can browse the shelves and find reference books relating to your topic.
000 General works, including encyclopedias; communications, media, computer science
100’s Philosophy and Psychology
200’s Religion
300’s Social Sciences
400’s Language, including dictionaries, foreign language, English language
500’s Science and Math
600’s Technology and Applied Science, including medicine, engineering, business (advertising, management, office services)
700”s Arts, including music, film, sports, games
800’s Literature
900’s Geography and History