Summer Extravaganza - Reference Books

For the next 13 Days, that is from 12th May to 24th May, we will facting (Looking at facts, searching facts e.t.c) on Reference Books. Today, we will see what exactly a Referance Work or Reference Book is and on the following days, we will see info and facts on different types of Reference Works.

A Reference Work is a comprehensive compilation of a body of Knowledge or a compendium of information of a specific type so as to allow readers to easily refer to that particular type of Information quickly. These books are not normally read from the first page to the last page and are only used at the time of reference. By avoiding the first person and emphasising on Facts, the writing style of these books is unique and informative. A main factor of a reference book is the Index, which allows readers to get the information that they need quickly and efficiently.

We can also say that this blog, The Factorium is a reference work as it justifies all the needs required to be a reference book except for the fact that it does not have specific information and an index and the fact that it is an Anthology. The different types of reference books are:

1. Almanac

2. Atlas

3. Citation Index

4. Chronologies

5. Dictionary

6. Directory

7. Encyclopaedia

8. Gazetteer

9. Handbook

10. Pharmacopoeia

11. Telephone Directory

12. Thesaurus