Reference work---Helping the inexperienced inquirer--Periodicals
Reference work in libraries large and small has for its first rule:
Meet the inquirer more than half way. To the stranger a library is
often an oppressive place, an awesome place--in his imagination. He
comes in shyly; everyone appears busy, his question suddenly seems to
him trivial; he won't trouble these wise and busy people with it--and
goes out.
A good second rule is: Learn at once just exactly what the inquirer
wishes to know. This is not always easy. Tact and a little patience
will generally effect it.
A good third rule is: Whenever possible show the inquirer how the
answer is found, so that he may next time in some measure help
himself. It is surprising how many, especially of the younger people
in a community, can be taught within one year, on their occasional
visits, to make the proper use of at least a few reference books.
Another rule of very general application is: Go first to a dictionary.
In many cases a question answers itself, or betrays where its answer
may best be found, if it is once plainly stated. And nothing is better
than reference to a few words in a dictionary for the clear statement
of a question. The larger dictionaries, moreover, and notably the
Century, will answer many more inquiries than even great readers often
suppose.
Many questions come up again and again. Of these, and of the
references which answered them, notes should be kept on cards for
future use. In fact it is well to keep an index in this way of the
references looked up for all the more important inquiries.
The following excellent advice is from an article on The use of
periodicals in reference work, by Frederick Winthrop Faxon, in Public
Libraries for June, 1898:
"In all reference work periodicals play a large part. They may be
roughly divided into two great classes, the technical and the popular.
The former are indispensable to the scholar, or the expert, and in the
rapid advancement of science are the only real sources of information.
Text-books or treatises are out of date before published; therefore
for a correct present view, or a complete history of the development
of any science, the technical reviews and society transactions must be
consulted. These will be the principal part of a scientific library,
and should be in the large public and college libraries in order to
cover advanced study.
They have, on the other hand, little place in small libraries--they
would seldom be of use, and are very expensive.
"But the popular periodicals every library needs. In the better class
of these reviews it is possible, if we know where to look, to find
several articles on both sides of almost any subject. Furthermore,
these are often written by the foremost authors or scientists, and are
in a language intelligible to all. The amateur cannot give the time or
patience to wade two-volume deep in the subject his club wishes him to
treat in half an hour's speech. The magazine gives just what he wants
in several pages. There are periodicals exclusively devoted to every
branch of every science, and magazines which, in their files, include
articles on all subjects. This mine of information has been opened up
by Poole's index. Since 1881, when the third and enlarged edition
of Poole's index was published, all this is common property for the
asking. Grouped around Poole and keeping pace with the times are the
Poole supplements, which ought, perhaps, to be named the Fletchers,
covering the five-year periods since 1881, ending respectively 1886,
1891, 1896. Then the Annual literary index gives a yearly index
of subjects and authors, and serves as a supplement to the Poole
supplement. For such as cannot be even a year without a periodical
index we now have the admirable Cumulative index, bi-monthly, edited
by the Cleveland public library. Thus all the principal periodicals
since the beginning of the century may be consulted by reference to
one or more of five single books or alphabets.
"The Review of reviews must be mentioned as a useful monthly index to
current periodical literature, but of little value for study reference
as compared with the indexes just mentioned. An annual index issued by
the Review of reviews, since 1890, is good in its way, though rather
superficial. Sargent's Reading for the young, and its supplement,
index the juvenile sets of St Nicholas, Harper's young people, and
Wide Awake. Poole and the Cumulative are of little use without a fair
assortment of the sets therein indexed.
"Thus far 442 titles (practically all of them serials published since
1800) have been indexed. It is a mistake, however, to suppose that
most of these are necessary in a small library before Poole's index
should be purchased or can be of use. Given Poole and a complete set
of Littell's living age, and Harper's monthly, more reference work can
be done than with twice the number of reference books not periodicals.
A small collection of sets has enabled more than one struggling
library to hold its own with the students and club members, and to
accomplish work which could not have been done as well with many works
of reference, the purchase of which would have exhausted the whole
book fund."