LIBR 101: College Research Skills
Name_______________________
Instructor____________________
UNIT 4: GENERAL REFERENCE SOURCES--Encyclopedias/Dictionaries
General reference sources include dictionaries, atlases, and encyclopedias. Reference sources are
useful in the research process for a number of reasons: they provide background information, they
provide facts or specific details on a subject, and they point to other sources of information.
Generally located in a separate “reference” area in the library, books in this section usually
provide quick answers to questions or specific facts, such as the address of the local Congressional
representatives, the number of alcohol-related deaths in a given year, a short biography of
Malcolm X, or a brief interpretation of the Shakespeare play “Hamlet.”
Several characteristics distinguish traditional reference material from other materials in library
collections:
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They are usually consulted rather than read straight through (reference).
They may provide facts and figures in an easy-to-find format.
They may provide concise information to frequently asked questions.
They may contain valuable information for particular subject areas.
They may serve as guides to information.
They do not circulate but remain in the library for access to all.
Using Reference Sources
Reference works can serve a variety of purposes. In the beginning of the research process, general
encyclopedias and dictionaries can highlight specific major aspects of a topic. For example, an
article in The World Book Encyclopedia entitled “Women’s Rights” gives a narrative of the
history of women in the workforce and highlights the inequality in wages that continues to exist.
Statistics and facts are often found in one-volume reference works such as almanacs or yearbooks.
Subject reference books provide more in-depth information on a particular aspect of a topic. We
will take a look at subject specific reference sources in the next unit.
The Reference Collection at The MiraCosta College Library
The Reference Collection is located on the first floor of the library at both campuses. These books
do not leave the library as they are meant to be consulted for quick facts (or photocopied or
scanned) and not read from cover-to-cover; for this reason, it is important to become familiar with
the indexes, table of contents, and special features of these various resources. In lessons 5, 8, and 9
we will continue to explore reference sources. In addition to the general reference sources
discussed in this unit, subsequent units explore subject-specific reference sources (books that
focus on facts and figures of a single subject such as a Chemistry Dictionary, Encyclopedia of the
Civil War, or Atlas of South American Geography) as well as online versions of reference sources.
General Reference Sources
We consult general reference sources such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, and almanacs to
acquire a basic understanding of a topic or to find a quick answer to a question.
Encyclopedias
UNIT 4-1
LIBR 101: College Research Skills
A general encyclopedia is helpful to give you an overview of your topic; it may bring up
interesting aspects of your topic for further study. Go to the AE section of the Reference
Collection. This is where you’ll find general encyclopedias. Note that the last volume at the end
of these multivolume encyclopedias is an index volume. Many topics are cross-listed under
another subject. When doing research, always begin at the index to discover which specific
volumes and pages discuss the topic you are researching! The following is a list of sources you
will be using in this exercise.
World Book Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia Americana
Britannica Online
AE5 .W55
AE5 .E333
Available online via library databases
Exercise 1 -Encyclopedias
You are taking an introductory psychology course and your first assignment is to find out about
the various fields of study in psychology. You choose to use the World Book Encyclopedia as a
starting point for this assignment and look under the word “psychology.” Name three of the major
fields of psychology mentioned in the article (hint: look for a table that lists these).
1._______________________________________________
2._______________________________________________
3._______________________________________________
Now let’s take a look at one of MiraCosta Library’s online reference sources. Go to the computer
and find the library’s home page. Under Articles/Databases, you will see a link for Databases A
to Z. Click on the link. Here you will find the online databases listed in alphabetical order with a
short description of each. We will be exploring these at length in future units. For now, simply
find and click on Britannica Online.
In the search box, type Mexican Revolution
4. What year did the Mexican Revolution begin? ___________________
Name three important political figures (persons) from the Mexican Revolution.
5. _______________________________________________
6. _______________________________________________
7. _______________________________________________
Now click on the link for one of the people you named above and answer the following questions:
Which person did you select? _______________________________________________________
8. When and where was this person born? ______________________________________
9. When and where did this person die? ________________________________________
UNIT 4-2
LIBR 101: College Research Skills
10. Describe this person’s involvement or contribution in the Mexican Revolution.
______________________________________________________________________
Dictionaries
Dictionaries do much more than provide definitions of words. They also provide the correct
pronunciation, they often show how a word is used in writing and in speech, and they may also
trace the changes in the meaning of a word from the way it was used centuries ago! Not all
dictionaries are alike. If you don’t find what you are looking for in one dictionary, try another!
There are also abridged and unabridged dictionaries. Dictionaries that try to include every word in
a language are called UNABRIDGED dictionaries, while ABRIDGED ones try to limit
themselves to the most commonly used words.
Examples of UNABRIDGED DICTIONARIES:
Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary
Webster’s Third New International Dictionary
Examples of ABRIDGED DICTIONARIES:
The American Heritage College Dictionary
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.)
The following is a list of dictionaries you will be using for this exercise. Use the online library
catalog to find the call numbers. Some dictionaries may be located on the dictionary stand; ask the
librarian to point it out if you cannot find any given dictionary in the regular reference collection.
Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary
Webster’s Third New International Dictionary
The American Heritage College Dictionary
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.)
Exercise 2 –Dictionaries
11. What is the definition and Middle English (ME) spelling of the word “etymology”? Please
use an ABRIDGED dictionary to find your answer.
Definition ________________________________________________________________
12. In which of the two ABRIDGED dictionaries, and on what page, would you learn that one
definition for “hubble-bubble” is a water pipe?
Book _____________________________________________________ Pg. ___________
13. You borrowed your friend’s tent for a camping trip, but decided not to use it because the
tent was truly “grungy.” Looking in the two UNABRIDGED dictionaries, which one has a
definition for the slang term “grungy”? What is the definition of grungy?
Book ____________________________________________________________________
Definition ________________________________________________________________
UNIT 4-3