The lyrics from the Ervin Drake song made famous by Frank Sinatra, "It Was a Very Good Year," kept coming to mind in 2010, despite the economy. While the quantity of works produced declined, and publishers suffered along with everyone else, there was no diminution in quality. With reduced budgets for collections, librarians were forced to make…

When flood came to Cedar Rapids city, the Cedar Rapids Public Library (CRPL), IA, lost 160,000 items including large parts of its adult and youth collections, magazines, newspapers, reference materials, CDs, and DVDs. Most of its public access computers were destroyed as was its computer lab and microfilm equipment. The automatic circulation and…

Reading reference sources, whether on paper or on the screen, often leads to enlightened thinking, especially for library patrons. In an earlier age, enlightened monarchs surrounded themselves with leading intellectuals and patronized the arts. Today, people have the advantage of the world's collected wisdom at their fingertips in the form of…

Once the pristine pastime of blue bloods tracing their pedigrees back to the "Mayflower," genealogy--from hobby to serious endeavor--has broadened and deepened into a democratic avocation. It was Alex Haley's "Roots," published 30 years ago, with the hugely popular TV miniseries coming a year later, that likely started the boom. Television still…

Lists 44 new publications which would be of value to reference collections of small and medium-sized public and college libraries. (Author)

Fifty-two of last year's outstanding reference books are recommended by a committee of the Reference Services Division of the American Library Association. (Author)

This annual supplement discusses issues related to reference books and the publishing industry. Highlights include producing reference books for the library market; a bibliography of over 1000 titles organized by categories and indicating appropriate grade levels; a descriptive list of library distributors; a publisher's index; and a list of the…

A compilation of reference books published in 1974 or late 1973 that should be of unique value for the small and medium-sized public and academic library. (PF)

A committee of the Reference and Adult Services Division of ALA has prepared a list of the outstanding reference books published in 1972. Topics include films and theater, history and geography, religion and sports, and hobbies. (67 references) (DH)

A list of last year's outstanding reference books, prepared especially for Library Journal" and recommended by a committee of the Reference Services Division of the American Library Association. (58 references) (Author)

The most significant reference sources of 1993, including 30 books and 7 CD-ROMs, are presented in this annotated bibliography. A sidebar entitled "The Reference Medium of Choice: Print or Electronic" (Pat Ensor) is also included. (SLW)

Presents an annotated list of the best reference materials published in 2001. Discusses activity in the reference publishing industry; costs; and lists print materials, Web sites, databases, and CD-ROMs. (LRW)

Provides a history of Native American studies, focusing on Native Americans in North America, and includes an annotated bibliography for library collection development under the headings of reference works, before the Europeans, Indian-White relations, videos, and Web resources. (LRW)

Like any well-run company deciding on what products and services to offer, a good library should pay attention to customer demand when it is building its business reference collection. What kind of information do business patrons want? Most are looking for company and industry details: a corporate address or name of an officer, financial data for…