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February 2001, update of June 1988
Anthony Vaver, Humanities Librarian
None Specified
The purpose of the Reference Collection is to serve as an information source for the university's teaching and research programs, for various administrative and academic offices of the University, for departments within the library, and, on a lower priority, for the local community. In addition, an attempt is made to include some major reference tools for those subject areas that may not currently occupy a place in the curriculum, in order to introduce and define these subjects.
A reference book is designed to furnish specific information quickly. In most cases it is not intended for consecutive reading. Important factors in the selection of reference books are the adequacy of indexing, accuracy, currency, and potential need for the information included. Books in the reference collection must meet high standards in these criteria. Any exceptions are those that contain essential information that is unavailable from other sources. In a few instances, books that are designed for consecutive reading, such as surveys of a broad subject, are included in the reference collection because they provide a great deal of information on interdisciplinary subjects or because they include well chosen bibliographies.
Although they are not current, certain books are included in the reference collection because of their long-standing reputation or authoritativeness. Problems of space preclude location of all so-called reference books in the reference area and periodic weeding is necessary. Most books are weeded from the reference collection because they are no longer current and are consequently sent to the general collection or are discarded. Perceived frequency of use is the best criterion for whether or not a reference book is housed physically in the reference collection.
The primary areas covered in the Main Reference Collection are the social sciences and the humanities. However, within these areas, some subjects are not as fully covered because other sections of the library have primary responsibility for those collections. (See reference statements for Creative Arts, Special Collections, and Judaica.) For those subjects, the main reference collection includes general materials for the non-specialists, reference books which related to circulating collection in the Goldfarb Library, and frequently-used books.
The Main Reference Collection's holdings in science, medicine, and technology are secondary to the reference collections housed in the Gerstenzang Science Library. General materials for the layperson, science reference books which relate to collections in the Goldfarb Library, and frequently-used reference books are purchased for the Main Reference collection when deemed appropriate.
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All.
All.
Primarily current.
Primarily English. Exceptions are the bibliographies, dictionaries in foreign languages, foreign-language-to-English dictionaries, foreign encyclopedias, etc.
Monographs are primary to the collection.
Serials are primary to the collection
The library buys or subscribes to electronic indexes and full-text databases that offer research value. Links to free websites are not actively collected together on the library's website although links to websites are included in guides produced by the library.
The Main Reference Collection resides on the main floor of the Goldfarb Library.
The Microform Reference Collection is an extension of the main reference collection, but located in the microforms areas for user convenience. It consists of indexes to the library's microform holdings.
Biographical Reference is a separate collection adjacent to the Main Reference collection and contains resources that specifically provide biographical information.
The Reference Desk collection is adjacent to and a part of the Research Consultation office. This collection includes heavily used reference works, major quick reference resources, and reference resources often referred to by reference librarians. The location provides easy access for reference librarians and information desk students.
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ALMANACS, ANNUALS, and YEARBOOKS - Ready reference sources of this nature are kept in the Reference Collection usually only in their most current edition.
ATLASES - A representative collection of the major geographic atlases is maintained. A selection of regional and thematic (historical, economic, and linguistic) atlases is also included.
BIBLES - A small collection of the major versions are kept in the Reference Collection. Most of the library Bibles are in the general stacks.
BIBLIOGRAPHIES - Included are catalogs of collections, archival guides, and lists of manuscripts and serials of various types of anticipated reference use. Subject bibliographies and guides to the literature are located in the general stacks.
BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARIES/DIRECTORIES - A fairly extensive collection of biographical material is maintained to support both administrative and curricular needs of the University.
COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY CATALOGS - An extensive collection of recent college and university catalogs is available online.
DICTIONARIES - Language (both same language and bilingual) are collected for English and all the major languages in the world. Multiple copies of English language and languages taught at Brandeis are kept. Especially in the latter category, philological and etymological dictionaries are collected as well as thesauri and other specialized language dictionaries. Dictionaries are also collected for the various fields of knowledge.
DIRECTORIES - Current national directories are collected, usually of business and service organizations.
ENCYCLOPEDIAS - The current editions of the major general (U.S.) encyclopedias are collected. Superceded editions are selectively kept and sent to the general stacks. Encyclopedias in major foreign languages are also kept.
INDEXING AND ABSTRACTING SERVICES - General and social science and humanities indexes and abstracts are collected. In the social sciences and humanities, they are collected rather comprehensively.
Indexes to individual periodicals are shelved with the periodical in the stacks.
Newspaper indexes are collected for major newspapers that tend to be national in scope. Only a limited number are available commercially, and they are located in the Microform Reference area.
QUOTATIONS AND PROVERB BOOKS - Editions of the major English language quotation and proverb dictionaries are collected as well as of the major foreign languages.
STYLE MANUALS - Selections of the current style manuals are collected.
TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES - A small collection of telephone directories covering most Massachusetts towns are collected.
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