|
In general, materials included in the Reference Collection exhibit some if not all of the following characteristics:
Duplication of reference material is usually avoided. Exceptions include style guides, some dictionaries, and thesauri. Serials/Series. Due to space consideration, series will only occasionally be included as part of the Reference Collection. If the primary purpose of a serial title is to provide current information (e.g., directories) and the title is regularly updated, only the most current volume(s) are kept in Reference (usually the latest three years of an annual publication). Older copies are sent to the stacks to circulate. Certain other serial publications are maintained in their entirety in Reference because they function as an integrated set (e.g., court reporters). Decisions about the location of particular serial reference publications are made by the Reference Decision Group. Almanacs and Yearbooks. The most current editions will reside in Reference.
Atlases and Maps. A representative selection of world atlases will reside in Reference. National and California road atlases will be purchased every three years. The latest Thomas Bros. Los Angeles/Orange Counties Street Guide and Directory will be kept at the Reference Desk. Occasionally other Southern California street guides will also be purchased.
Bibliographies. Subject bibliographies and guides to the Literature covering major disciplines taught on campus are located in Reference as are. Bibliographies of individual authors are located in the circulating stacks.
Biographies. Historical biographical sets are kept in the main stacks as LUO material. Individual biographies should be in the circulating stacks as regular books. Current biographical sets, including subject specific biographies not covered elsewhere are included in Reference.
Career Information. A small, current collection of general occupational guides, specific career guides matching our curriculum, and job finding – resume writing guides is maintained on two sections of an index tables.
Dictionaries. Dictionaries representing languages taught in the curricula as well as representative selections from other languages are located in Reference, as are etymological dictionaries, dictionaries of terms in various subject areas, and specialized dictionaries (e.g., slang and regional or ethnic dialect dictionaries).
Encyclopedias. Current editions of general encyclopedias as well as subject-based encyclopedias are located in Reference. Purchase of new editions will rotate among Encyclopedia Britannica, World Book Encyclopedia and the Americana Encyclopedia
Government Documents. Standard reference works, such as the Statistical Abstract of the United States, which are received as a depository items are located in Reference in LC call number order. Key indexes such as the Monthly Catalog, the CIS Index and the American Statistics Index are also kept in Reference.
Handbooks. Handbooks and guides covering major disciplines taught on campus are located in Reference.
Indexes. Duplication of print and electronic subject indexes does occur in Reference. In general the movement is toward electronic access to subject indexes. In most cases, only the most recent five (?) years of an index is housed in the Reference Collection.
Legal and Medical Resources. Major legal reporters. e.g., Lawyers Edition, are located in Reference. Some basic medical materials will reside in ready reference, and a representative selection of basic medical sources are located in the general Reference collection.
Phone Books. The most current white and yellow pages for the Southern California basin are kept on an index table. Online white and yellow page search engines are available through the Library web.
Sacred Books. Versions of the Bible and examples of the sacred texts of religions other than Christianity may be included in the Reference collection to meet curricular needs. General religious resources (e.g., dictionaries, encyclopedias) are also collected.
|