Joan M. Reitz

ready reference

A reference question that can be answered by a reference librarian in one or two minutes by providing a fact or piece of information found in a single source. However, upon further inquiry, what at first appeared to be a simple query may turn out to be an opening gambit in a more extensive search, once the nature of the information need is fully understood.

Also refers to the reference materials used most often in answering such questions, shelved for convenience in a separate location near the reference desk rather than in the reference stacks (Books in Print, Encyclopedia of Associations, Statistical Abstract of the U.S., world almanacs, city directories, Ulrich's Periodicals Directory, etc.). Shelf dummies are used in the reference stacks to direct users to the correct location. Some libraries also provide online ready reference resources via their Web pages. Selection decisions are usually made by the public services librarians who work at the reference desk, based on consensus developed over time. For online ready reference resources, try Lii.org, Gary Price's Fast Facts, or the Fugitive Fact File maintained by the Hennepin County Library