What’s In Your Ready Ref?

I've been working on an answer to Debbie's comment about a guide to ready reference, but am sorry to say I haven't been able to find one.

Searches on the web found a lot of great ready reference lists of websites, but not print books. Amazon lists some, but I don't have them to review. I remember having such lists in my library school text books, so maybe that's the best place to look.

But as I thought about this, and looked at what's on the ready reference shelf at my library, I concluded two things:

1. To be effective, the ready reference collection needs to be tailored to the library and its patrons. My current ready reference collection is very different from the one we had behind the desk of the Kent State University Library when I worked there, but they are equally appropriate
2. The best thing to do might just be to ask other librarians which print ready reference resources they like and use

So in the spirit of the second one, here's an overview of resources on the ready reference shelf in my library. If you're so inclined, please share what you've got on your shelf - I'd really be curious to know.

For staff to help answer computer questions:

• Word processing : letters & mailing
• Teach yourself visually Office 2003

Things that don't really get used but I feel we should have:

• American library directory (2 volumes)
• Literary market place (2 volumes)

Quick Facts & Referencey books (for annual resources, we keep the current year in ready reference and move past years to the reference collection):

• Old farmer's almanac
• Guinness world records
• Time almanac
• The world almanac and book of facts
• CQ's state fact finder
• The 50 States
• The complete zip-area code directory
• Chase's calendar of events (where many of our book display ideas come from)
• Roget's international thesaurus
• Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (update with all the pages)
• Slang and euphemism dictionary
• Consumer Reports magazine & buying guide
• Cite right: a quick guide to citation styles
• A manual for writers of term papers, theses, and dissertations
• The Gregg reference manual
• NADA car values

Government Information:

• The statesman's yearbook
• Statistical abstract of the United States
• Occupational outlook handbook
• CQ's politics in America, the 110th Congress
• Washington information directory
• Federal regulatory directory
• The United States government manual
• CQ Researcher

Business Directories:

• Massachusetts manufacturers register
• Harris New England manufacturers directory

Local Information:

• Massachusetts municipal profiles (this one is invaluable)
• The Massachusetts political almanac
• Massachusetts municipal directory
• Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE)
• The Massachusetts state building code
• Commonwealth of Massachusetts fuel gas and plumbing codes
• Chelmsford alphabetical and street list of residents 17 years of age or more
• Various local history books, with information on town timeline, buildings, people, etc., with many
• Textbooks for the Chelmsford middle schools

Shelved right next to the desk

• World Book Encyclopedia
• Encyclopedia Britannica
• Information Plus series
• Public Library Core Collection: Nonfiction

Granted, many of these only get used once or twice a year, if that, and almost all have online versions (or equivalents). But I really like being able to answer a question just by grabbing a book within reach, showing a patron how to look it up, and then let them sit at a table absorbing the information. I don't know, it feels more tangible and satisfying than relying on Google for everything.

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