The New York Public Library Book of How and Where to Look It Up (A Prentice Hall Reference Book) (Hardcover)

From Library Journal
The stately stone lion on the cover instantly announces this is another in the well-received series of Stonesong reference books. Unlike its browsable predecessors ( The New York Public Library Book of Chronologies , LJ 1/91; The New York Public Library Desk Reference , LJ 7/89), this is a mixture of bibliographic and directory information and thus may re ceive more use by librarians performing reference duties than by the general public. The book consists of six sections, covering Reference Books, Telephone, Government, and Picture sources, Special Collections, and Electronic Data bases. Each section is prefaced by basic advice on how to do research, an overview of the types of tools that exist, and an individualized subject index full of "see" and "see also" references. Within each category, entries are alphabetical by subject. Despite this accessible format, a master index, thorough and particularly graphic, assures that any information in the book will be found by the experienced and uninitiated alike. Virtually all entries are annotated and describe the contents of books, the scope of collections, and the services of agencies. Inclusions in each section are of necessity highly selective, and this volume strives to update rather than supplant such standards as Eugene P. Sheehy's Guide to Reference Books (American Library Assn., 1986), Lee Ash's Subject Collections (Bowker, 1985. 6th ed.), or the Washington Information Directory (Congressional Quarterly, 1991). It will prove an outstanding pur chase for smaller libraries, and larger ones will welcome it as a ready reference tool at t