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• Subject Scope of the Collection
The Reference Collection at the Buley Library provides both basic and in-depth information sources that relate to academic disciplines taught at the University at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and which support faculty research. More in-depth coverage of those disciplines offering graduate degree programs is maintained as warranted .
In addition to titles that support the academic mission of the University, a more selective number of titles are routinely acquired which provide coverage of subjects of current interest and reference information which is basic to general knowledge. Guidelines for developing the Library's principal Reference Collections include such factors as:
In addition, the library has in place a continuing policy of regularly-scheduled Reference Collection Reviews. These reviews will help ensure that the Reference Collection remains responsive to user needs, that materials received on Standing Order are essential purchases, and that outdated or superseded material is removed in a timely fashion. Reference Collection Reviews are usually scheduled during the Summer Session or during the January intercession, when activity at the Reference Desk is more moderate.
Electronic Reference Works
A considerable number of the reference needs of graduate students at Southern Connecticut State University, the majority of who attend part-time, are currently being met through a host of electronically-based information services offered remotely through the library. On-site users have the option of accessing these electronic information services via one of the many library workstations located in the Reference area of the library, or remotely from any off-campus computer through IP authentication. Due to the i ncreasing reliance being placed upon electronic information sources for information retrieval through the Buley Library, it is predicted that the library's substantial print Reference Collections will actually decrease in size over the next decade, and that additional growth will be experienced through increased offerings of reference materials in an electronic format. Members of the Collection Development Committee are increasingly selective in the purchasing of resources for the Reference Collection, carefully weighing the advantages of print material against the acquisition of electronic resources offering comparable information.
The Buley Library began this on-going transition to electronic reference works in earnest in 2004, with the acquisition of several notable reference ebook packages, including CredoReference, Gales' Ready-Reference Shelf, and Oxford Reference Online, which added some 200 titles to Buley Library's virtual reference library offerings. These early electronic reference book acquisitions were heavy in their emphasis on dictionaries, almanacs, atlases and directory publications. The library's “virtual” Reference Collection was expanded significantly once again with the acquisition of some 132 titles from the Gale Virtual Reference Library in the fall of 2006 and the spring of 2007. Acquisitions from the product offerings of the Gale Virtual Reference Library spanned all subject disciplines, with particular notice paid to the acquisition of titles that would also administer to the needs of distance learners. Selections made from the Gale Virtual Reference Library have been particularly strong in the area of subject-specific encyclopedias, covering such subjects as bioethics, world education, Russian history, distance learning, and labor history, to name only a few.
Generally, duplication of Reference materials in both print and electronic formats is not cost-effective and, therefore, will be kept to a minimum. However there are a variety of factors to weigh in making the decision to acquire an electronic version of a reference source, versus the comparable print product. The most significant factors to consider are ease of use of the electronic reference product, completeness of coverage, currency, and comparative cost.
• Types of Material Collected
The following is an alphabetical listing of the types of resources which can be found in the Reference Collections of the Buley Library. A certain portion of these tools are defined as Continuations/Serials that are received on a regular (e.g. annual) or irregular basis and are classified by the LC Classification System for placement in the Reference Area rather than the Periodicals Collection. A number of the annuals found in the Reference Collection are received through a Standing Order arrangement with the library's book jobber to ensure their timely receipt. In addition, a significant number of the sources housed in the Reference collection are issued in a loose-leaf format which allows for continuous updating. This is accomplished through the discarding of older sections as new supplements are received.
Annual Reviews
Biblographies
Biographies
Concordances
Corporate Manuals
Dictionaries
Directories
Encyclopedias
Geographical Sources
Handbooks
Indexes and Abstracts
Legal Materials
Plot Summaries
Statistics Sources
Style Manuals
Almanacs and yearbooks. Current editions of both American and world almanacs are collected, in addition to a variety of specialized yearbooks, based on a review of curricular offerings. Because of their historical value and continual use, historical runs of these almanacs are also maintained for extensive periods. Yearbooks associated with the purchase of an entire set of encyclopedias are also found in the Reference collection, as are other yearbooks from various organizations. These may be retained for historical value, with the decision to withdraw based on whether or not information in a yearbook is entirely superseded by the next edition of the full encyclopedia or other reference source.
Annual Reviews. Annual reviews at the Buley Library span many of the major disciplines, and may be housed in the main circulating collection or the general Reference Collection. Other annual reviews, in either print or electronic format, are categorized as journals and those in print format are shelved alphabetically in the journal collection.
Bibliographies. General bibliographies on broad topics are included in the Reference collection, as are selected single author bibliographies, particularly for those authors who receive substantive treatment in current course offerings and whose works are frequently assigned to students for study. In the selection of bibliographies, purchase priority is given to those which are extensively annotated, and therefore offer added value to both students and faculty. Bibliographies of more narrow scope are acquired much more selectively and may be housed in either the Reference or circulating collections.
Biographies. Comprehensive national biographies, both current and retrospective, will be collected, as well as a representative collection of critically acclaimed works for other countries. Curricular offerings and library assignments are used to determine the extent and number of biographical sources collected for individual subjects.
Concordances. Concordances to the works of individual authors are selectively collected and maintained in the Reference Collection, with past emphasis placed on the works of well-known American and British poets, including William Shakespeare, Geoffrey Chaucer, T.S. Eliot, Ben Jonson, Herman Melville, Sylvia Plath and John Milton. Several specialized concordances are also maintained.
Corporate Manuals. Due to the strong curricular emphasis on business, a significant number of corporate manuals have always been maintained in the reference collections of the Buley Library. The best known of these was the Moody's Manual series, which was purchased by Mergent in 2001, and subsequently renamed the Mergent Manuals series. This series includes the Bank and Finance Manual, the Industrial Manual, the OTC Industrial Manual, the Public Utilities Manual, the Transportation Manual, the OTC Unlisted Manual, and the Municipal and Government Manual. All but one of the titles in the Mergent Manuals series has since been converted to a digital format. The electronic version, which is entitled Mergent Manuals Digitized, offers full-text access to all titles in the series from their inception to the present. The Municipal and Government Manual is the only title which has not yet been digitized, and is still being acquired in print format. The Mergent Manuals series remains a key source when performing historical research on firms that have been acquired by or merged with other firms, thereby obscuring their past identity and historical financial performance.
Dictionaries. Major English language dictionaries will be collected and updated as new editions become available. Dictionaries will also be collected for the major Romance languages and for other languages where there is considerable demand, and updated as needed. Bilingual dictionaries, with English as one language, shall be collected for as many major languages as possible, while dictionaries covering slang and idiomatic expressions are collected for the English language only. A variety of discipline-specific dictionaries in fields like Nursing, Psychology and Computer Science are also routinely acquired and heavily stressed in the library's instructional program. In addition, a large number of English-language dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries and subject dictionaries are available electronically through the CredoReference Library and Oxford Reference Online products.
Directories. The reference collection includes a significant number of directories of people, associations, companies, advertisers, and products, reflecting the heavy emphasis on business courses taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. However, prominent directories in all fields taught at the University are acquired, and every effort is made to purchase the most recent edition of directories which are heavily consulted and those where currency of information is imperative. The decision to acquire a new edition of directories of limited scope or low use will be made on an individual basis and with consideration given to the availability of comparable data in an electronic format.
Encyclopedias. Major general encyclopedias, both single and multi-volume, are acquired on a rotating basis, as funds permit. The Encyclopedia Britannica is also maintained in an electronic version, and is accessible through the Library's main Databases page. In addition to general encyclopedias, considerable emphasis is placed on the acquisition of specialized subject encyclopedias that are authoritative in nature. In addition to owning many of these subject-specific encyclopedias in print, the Buley Library acquired approximately 132 electronic reference book titles from the Gale Virtual Reference Library during AY'06-07, spanning all subject disciplines. A concerted effort was made to identify electronic titles that would be appropriate for those students enrolled in distance education courses at the University. Subject-specific encyclopedias receive frequent use by students enrolled in introductory and lower level courses at the university; consequently, a concerted effort is made to acquire revised editions on a timely basis, in either hard-copy or electronic versions.
Geographical Sources. Authoritative atlases and gazetteers covering all areas of the world are collected. Major city street and highway maps for the immediate regional vicinity are also acquired.
Handbooks. Current handbooks for all subjects collected by the Reference Department are purchased and updated as frequently as possible with newly revised editions. In general, handbooks that are more than 10 years old are deselected. If a revised edition is not available, an alternative title offering comparable information will be acquired.
Indexes and Abstracts. A select number of print indexes are maintained in the Reference Collection, although electronic indexes, which are Web-based, offer the additional advantage of remote accessibility and are therefore the format of choice for the Buley Library. However, in certain specialized subject areas it is possible that no suitable electronic index yet is yet available which meets the Library's criteria for acquisition. In these cases, the Library may elect to continue its current print index subscription or initiate a subscription to a new print index in order to offer acceptable coverage of that subject to the University community.
In addition to subject coverage, the selection of any index is closely tied to the following considerations: the Library's periodical holdings, the percentage of full-text documents offered by the producer (if the index is electronic), and the availability of documents from titles not owned or supplied in the full-text through use of a commercial document delivery supplier or traditional interlibrary loan services. As a general rule, costly duplication of print-based and electronic indexes is undertaken only for unusually compelling reasons and should be avoided whenever possible. However, historical runs of indexes, covering time periods not available in the electronic version of the index, will continue to be maintained to meet the needs of those performing historical research.
Legal Materials. Legal dictionaries, general legal encyclopedias, and biographical tools focusing on the legal profession are maintained in the Reference Collection, as are key legal reference sources such as the U.S. Code, the Connecticut General Statutes and Connecticut Practice Series. The Internal Revenue Code and a select number of legal resources relating to tax and securities law are also maintained, some of which are supplied in loose-leaf format. Resources dealing with product and trade regulation, constitutional law and selected aspects of labor law are also acquired. One of the most useful series for basic legal research, presented in a readable manner, is the Nutshell Legal series, published by Thomson-West. This series, which is updated on a rotating basis, provides legal coverage of many subjects being studied by students at the University, including elder law, juvenile delinquency, family law, immigration law, antitrust law, energy law and white collar crimes, to mention only a few. Reliance is placed on electronic resources and databases to meet the needs of advanced students and faculty engaged in extensive legal and tax research, primarily through the Westlaw and Lexis-Nexis online product offerings.
Plot Summaries. Masterplots and major collections of plot summaries are collected. Single works, such as Cliff's Notes or Monarch Notes are not officially collected, but may be present in the collection as a result of donations or gifts.
Statistics Sources. Basic statistical summary information in both general and curriculum-oriented fields is housed in the Reference Collection. Many of these statistical reference sources are updated annually or more frequently. Displacement of print statistical reference sources by electronic databases and Web sites with comparable information which is completely current is occurring at a rapid pace. Consequently, more stringent selection criteria must be applied to the selection of new print reference material in this category.
Style Manuals. Current editions of the style manuals issued by the Modern Language Association, the American Psychological Association and the University of Chicago are considered essential to collect, while an assortment of other recommended style manuals may also be present in the collection. Style manuals from individual scholarly associations will be purchased if assigned by a specific department for classes, or at the request of individual faculty members.
Criteria for the Selection of Reference Books
The principles listed below are the key criteria for selection of reference books. This is not a ranked listing.
• Duplication of information found in titles already in the reference collection.
If duplication exists, does demand justify the duplication?• Availability of comparable data in an electronic format, offering the advantage of remote accessibility and/or data manipulation.
• Ease of use of existing electronic products on the market offering comparable Information.
• Currency of the topic and probability that interest in this topic will continue for the foreseeable future.
• The existence of favorable reviews of the reference work, in sources like American Reference Books Annual, Booklist, RSR: Reference Services Review, Library Journal and Choice. Inclusion of the source in one or more basic reference guides, such as Sheehy's Guide to Reference Books, Walford's Guide to Reference Material, and other authoritative reference bibliographies.
• Reputation of the publisher in the reference book publishing arena.
• Cost of the publication.
• Anticipated future commitment, particularly in terms of serial publications. Should the publication be placed on standing order so that all subsequent editions are automatically received as issued, or should the title be reviewed individually for the purpose of acquiring alternate or occasional editions only? While more labor-intensive, this second option may be more cost-effective.
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