DEFINITION
The definition of “print sources” is so well understood by those in the field of reference librarianship that no formal definition exists in the specialized resources usually consulted. The ALA World Encyclopedia of Library and Information Services, the ALA Glossary of Library and Information Science, Elsevier’s Dictionary of Library Science and Documentation, and Harrod’s Librarians’ Glossary and Reference Book all fail to define this term.
However, Harrod’s does provide some assistance to those seeking to understand this concept by providing definitions for both “printed” and “source.”
“PRINTED: Broadly, any representation of characters which are reproduced on any material by any method of mechanical impression, whatever it may be” (Prytherch, 1987, p. 623).
“SOURCE: 1. Any document which provides the users of libraries or of information services with the information sought. 2. Any document which provides information reproduced in another document. 3. The data or records providing the basis for an informational search” (Prytherch, 1987, p. 731).
While Harrod’s definition of “source” is quite comprehensive and applicable specifically to reference librarianship, the definition of “printed” may be too broad. Some may argue that print sources are limited to those that are paper-based, such as books, newspapers, magazines, etc.
Print sources may also be defined by what they are not. In his 1984 book, Guide to Sources of Information in Libraries, Olle clearly separates print sources from microforms, audio, visual, and online sources, although all of these have what he describes as “physical form” (p. 2). Here, Olle provides another clue to the understanding of print sources: they are tangible objects that occupy physical space.
It is worth remembering that modern libraries are based on collections of print sources. It is the responsibility of the reference librarian to match a reference question to the print (or other) source(s) in which the answer can be found. Understandably, reference librarians first look to reference materials. Reference materials are a specific type of print sources, as opposed to literature, biographies, or non-fiction. Reference librarians use specialized guides and indexes to access the information available in reference materials.
A frequently cited guide is Gavin L. Higgens’ Printed Reference Material, published in 1984. The guide describes, in depth, the following print sources used by reference librarians:
• dictionaries
• general and subject encyclopedias
• biographical reference works
• directories and other business publications
• newspapers and other material on recent events
• periodicals and serials
• reports and theses, conferences and symposia, standards, and patents
• maps, atlases, and gazetteers
• government publications
• statistical publications and sources
• local information
• current general bibliographies (current general, subject, and older materials)
• international official publications
• printed visual sources
• indexes (Higgens, 1984, p. v).
CURRENT TRENDS
In recent years, the focus on print sources has shifted. Rather than describing and indexing the various forms that a print source may take, researchers are now interested in comparing print sources to online sources to determine if one or the other is more useful, effective, or efficient in reference transactions.
As a doctoral student at the University of North Carolina, W. Michael Havener developed a model to compare print and online sources. His research formed the basis of his Ph.D. dissertation (Havener, 1988). In 1990, Havener published a condensed version of his findings in the journal Online in an article entitled “Answering Ready Reference Questions: Print Versus Online.”
Based on the results of the study, Havener (1990) found that “the relative benefits of using print and online tools varied according to question type. Print sources were more efficient in answering factual questions, but online was more efficient in answering conceptual questions” (Section IV, para. 1).
Although Havener’s study is now over fifteen years old and the nature of online sources has changed dramatically – which would lead one to believe that the results of the study would be drastically different if repeated today – printed reference sources continue to play a central role in reference librarianship.
Robin E. Fitzpatrick
Havener, W. M. (1990). Ready reference questions: Print versus online. Online, 14, 22-28. Retrieved November 13, 2006, from Thomson Gale database.
Higgens, G. L. (Ed.). (1984). Printed reference material (Second ed.). London, England: Library Association Publishing.
Olle, J. G. (1984). A guide to sources of information in libraries. Brookfield, Vermont: Gower Publishing Company Limited.
Prytherch, R. (1987). Harrod's librarians' glossary and reference book (Sixth ed.). Hants, England: Gower Publishing Company Limited.
Horner, J., & Michaud-Oystryk, N. (1995). The efficiency and success rates of print ready reference vs online ready reference searches in Canadian university libraries. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 21, No. 2, 97-102.