Locating references for information Available to Purchase

SAMUEL JOHNSON said that ‘Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can get information upon it’. Most engineers and technicians are familiar with some sources of information, probably those sources directly relevant to their work — the appropriate British Standards, handbooks, etc. — but encounter difficulty when faced with a problem outside their immediate resources. Ready reference material is usually required to give a quick answer to a minor question, a question that does not need too detailed an answer, and may range from the proper spelling of a word to brief details of a company's structure. It may, perhaps, be appropriate to deal with some sources under the headings of ‘People’, ‘Places’ and ‘Products’.