The Guide to Reference is a compilation of highly selected reference books and other sources, both free and fee‐based, intended primarily for use by librarians. It includes some 16,000 works across a broad spectrum of subject categories, including General Works, Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, History and Area Studies, and Science, Technology and Medicine. The present version of the Guide to Reference introduces a new category, interdisciplinary fields, which includes cognitive science, communication and media studies, cultural studies, environmental studies, and gender studies. Usefulness and quality of the tool are key criteria for inclusion; emphasis is on North American sources. For the first time, this 12th edition includes web sources as well as older works of ongoing value. Sources that have been converted to electronic format are indicated in the entries, each of which includes bibliographic information and a concise description that indicates the strengths of the tool.
This 12th edition is the first electronic incarnation of the print Guide to Reference Books, a reference guide known to generations of reference librarians by the names of the previous editors: Kroeger, Mudge, Winchell, Sheehy, and Balay. This edition represents the efforts of some 125 editors, both academic reference librarians and subject experts. Robert Kieft served as general editor from 2000 to 2009; Denise Beaubien Bennett assumed the post in 2009.
Guide to Reference users can carry out single‐box or advanced searches, or follow the taxonomy of categories from the browse tab at the top of the home page. Each broad group and narrower category features an editor's guide, which indicates the number of sources included in each topic. Guide to Reference can serve as the “source of first resort” for library reference assistants, early‐career librarians, or seasoned reference practitioners looking for sources outside their own specialties. Library patrons and library school students are also potential users.
The Guide to Reference emphasizes well‐tested sources, and updates since 2008 appear to be relatively sparse. This may limit its usefulness for current awareness, or for smaller libraries without extensive reference collections and generous budgets for retrospective purchasing. Nevertheless, when used in conjunction with collection development tools such as Choice and Resources for College Libraries, Guide to Reference is a valuable tool for comprehensive collection development. A further enhancement is the find feature, which links to WorldCat (for nearby libraries which hold the tool) and/or Amazon.com.
Navigation of Guide to Reference is by taxonomy, and both metadata and the texts of annotations are searchable. Another enhancement is the ability to set up a profile and download customized entry lists to my guide, share them on the guide's site, or maintain them as private lists. A further enhancement is the very thorough about section, which includes extensive FAQs, details about selection criteria, a complete listing of the subject categories, and an invitation to participate in the project via a blog or on Facebook. Video tours are available from the homepage.
In sum, the Guide to Reference is a thoughtfully‐prepared tool that can profitably be used by libraries of all sizes, especially those with complex reference needs, larger collections, limited space, and the need to weed their reference sections.
