Almanac/Yearbook: A compendium, usually an annual, of statistics and facts,
both current and retrospective.
Atlas: A volume of maps, plates, engravings, tables, etc., with or without
descriptive text.
Bibliography: A list of works, documents, and/or bibliographic items, usually
with some relationship between them.
Biography: The branch of literature concerned with peoples’ lives.
Concordance: An index of all words or the principal words in any work or in
the works of a single author, showing location in the text, generally giving
context, and sometimes defining the words.
Dictionary: A book explaining the words of a language, the words being
arranged in alphabetical order; it usually gives the orthography, pronunciation
and meaning of each word. A dictionary of words in a restricted field of
knowledge usually gives only the meaning.
Directory: A list of persons or organizations, systemically arranged, usually in
alphabetic or classed order, giving address, affiliations, etc., for individuals, and
address, officers, functions, and similar data for organizations.
Encyclopedia: A book or set of books containing informational articles on
subjects in every field of knowledge, usually arranged in alphabetical order, or a
similar work limited to a special field or subject.
Handbook: A compendium, covering one or more subjects and of basic or
advanced level, arranged for the quick location of facts and capable of being
conveniently used.
Index: A systemic guide to the contents of a file, document, or group of
documents, consisting of an ordered arrangement of terms of other symbols
representing the contents and references, code numbers, page numbers, etc., for
accessing the contents.
Style Manual: A set of rules drawn up by a printing establishment for the
guidance of its staff or contributors to ensure that details of typography,
spelling, capitalization, punctuation and other matters about which opinions and
customs differ, are in accordance with the prevailing practice of that
establishment.
The Reference Collection is located on the first floor of Richardson Library. Reference books include mostly factual resources on all topics like: dictionaries, handbooks, topical encyclopedias, directories, bibliographies and more. Reference materials can only be used in the library and can't be checked out.
Some reference materials are located in the closed stacks and can be requested at the circulation desk.
