2005 Reference works

2005 Reference works

Lots of debate over what works would appear in the reference (classically, a non-circulating collection) section of a library. As last year, we let OCLC's own librarian have final say on this updated list.

#1  Census [ various] United States Library holdings: 460,628 Bibliographic records: 10,617 Rank on complete list: 2 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#2  Familiar Quotations John Bartlett Library holdings: 16,249 Bibliographic records: 114 Rank on complete list: 90 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#3  World Book Encyclopedia Library holdings: 14,984 Bibliographic records: 56 Rank on complete list: 114 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#4  MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers Joseph Gibaldi Library holdings: 11,657 Bibliographic records: 25 Rank on complete list: 186 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#5  History of Art H. W. Janson Library holdings: 11,317 Bibliographic records: 54 Rank on complete list: 193 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#6  Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations Kate L. Turabian Library holdings: 11,139 Bibliographic records: 20 Rank on complete list: 200 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#7  Elements of Style William Strunk Library holdings: 10,851 Bibliographic records: 41 Rank on complete list: 211 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#8  Birds of America John James Audubon Library holdings: 10,127 Bibliographic records: 120 Rank on complete list: 250 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#9  Joy of Cooking Irma Rombauer Library holdings: 9,721 Bibliographic records: 63 Rank on complete list: 269 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#10 Oxford Companion to American Literature James David Hart Library holdings: 9,491 Bibliographic records: 18 Rank on complete list: 275 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#11  Art through the Ages Helen Gardner Library holdings: 9,289 Bibliographic records: 42 Rank on complete list: 287 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#12 Index to Poetry Edith Granger Library holdings: 9,205 Bibliographic records: 15 Rank on complete list: 294 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#13 Encyclopedia Americana Library holdings: 8,894 Bibliographic records: 17 Rank on complete list: 316 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#14  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association Library holdings: 8,886 Bibliographic records: 11 Rank on complete list: 317 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#15  Handbook of Denominations in the United States Frank Spencer Mead Library holdings: 8,844 Bibliographic records: 17 Rank on complete list: 323 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#16  Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged Philip Babcock Gove Library holdings: 8,679 Bibliographic records: 25 Rank on complete list: 331 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#17  Law Dictionary Henry Campbell Black Library holdings: 8,417 Bibliographic records: 23 Rank on complete list: 357 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#18  Roget's International Thesaurus Library holdings: 8,316 Bibliographic records: 20 Rank on complete list: 365 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#19  Medical Dictionary Thomas Lathrop Stedman Library holdings: 8,262 Bibliographic records: 48 Rank on complete list: 368 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#20 Documents of American History Henry Steele Commager Library holdings: 7,994 Bibliographic records: 27 Rank on complete list: 389 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#21 Larousse Encyclopedia of Prehistoric and Ancient Art René Huyghe Library holdings: 7,949 Bibliographic records: 18 Rank on complete list: 395 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#22  Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy Robert Berkow Library holdings: 7,700 Bibliographic records: 16 Rank on complete list: 420 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#23 Abridgment of Murray's English Grammar Lindley Murray Library holdings: 7,555 Bibliographic records: 333 Rank on complete list: 438
#24  Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Library holdings: 7,436 Bibliographic records: 9 Rank on complete list: 452 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#25  Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia Douglas M. Considine Library holdings: 7,240 Bibliographic records: 6 Rank on complete list: 479 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#26 Atlas of the World Library holdings: 7,213 Bibliographic records: 18 Rank on complete list: 485 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#27 Oxford Companion to English Literature Margaret Drabble Library holdings: 7,152 Bibliographic records: 12 Rank on complete list: 494 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#28 Occupational Outlook Handbook Library holdings: 7,096 Bibliographic records: 39 Rank on complete list: 502 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#29 Collier's Encyclopedia With Bibliography and Index William Darrach Halsey Library holdings: 7,076 Bibliographic records: 42 Rank on complete list: 507 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#30 Dictionary of Modern English Usage H. W. Fowler Library holdings: 7,030 Bibliographic records: 53 Rank on complete list: 517 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#31 New York Public Library Desk Reference Library holdings: 6,965 Bibliographic records: 7 Rank on complete list: 531 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#32 New Encyclopaedia Britannica Library holdings: 6,897 Bibliographic records: 15 Rank on complete list: 543 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#33 Decimal Classification and Relative Index Melvil Dewey Library holdings: 6,820 Bibliographic records: 54 Rank on complete list: 563 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#34 Outline of History H. G. Wells Library holdings: 6,552 Bibliographic records: 154 Rank on complete list: 615 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#35 Architectural Graphic Standards Charles George Ramsey Library holdings: 6,389 Bibliographic records: 37 Rank on complete list: 646 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#36 Textbook of Medical Physiology Arthur C. Guyton Library holdings: 6,296 Bibliographic records: 28 Rank on complete list: 665 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#37 Anatomy Descriptive and Surgical Henry Gray Library holdings: 6,237 Bibliographic records: 61 Rank on complete list: 685 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#38 Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine Tinsley Randolph Harrison Library holdings: 6,223 Bibliographic records: 24 Rank on complete list: 686 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#39 Field Guide to the Birds Roger Tory Peterson Library holdings: 6,137 Bibliographic records: 14 Rank on complete list: 711 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#40 Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians Nicolas Slonimsky Library holdings: 6,105 Bibliographic records: 6 Rank on complete list: 728 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#41 Encyclopedia of American Facts and Dates Gorton Carruth Library holdings: 5,993 Bibliographic records: 10 Rank on complete list: 752 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#42 Etiquette Emily Post Library holdings: 5,959 Bibliographic records: 40 Rank on complete list: 770 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#43 Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance William E. Hopke Library holdings: 5,952 Bibliographic records: 12 Rank on complete list: 775 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#44 American Political Dictionary Jack C. Plano Library holdings: 5,896 Bibliographic records: 20 Rank on complete list: 791 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#45 Dictionary of Contemporary American Artists Paul Cummings Library holdings: 5,888 Bibliographic records: 10 Rank on complete list: 796 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#46 Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary Library holdings: 5,871 Bibliographic records: 14 Rank on complete list: 803 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#47 Merck Index: An Encyclopedia of Chemicals Drugs and Biologicals Library holdings: 5,767 Bibliographic records: 12 Rank on complete list: 831 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#48 A To Zoo: Subject Access to Children's Picture Books Carolyn W. Lima Library holdings: 5,670 Bibliographic records: 7 Rank on complete list: 857 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#49 Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary Library holdings: 5,647 Bibliographic records: 18 Rank on complete list: 862 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#50 Encyclopedia of American Religions J. Gordon Melton Library holdings: 5,598 Bibliographic records: 14 Rank on complete list: 884 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#51 Facts About the Presidents Joseph Nathan Kane Library holdings: 5,479 Bibliographic records: 4 Rank on complete list: 924 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#52 Index to Plays in Collections John H. Ottemiller Library holdings: 5,364 Bibliographic records: 11 Rank on complete list: 968 Find this title in an OCLC library near you
#53 Academic American Encyclopedia Library holdings: 5,326 Bibliographic records: 37 Rank on complete list: 987 Find this title in an OCLC library near you