This guide will give you an introduction to our library's general reference collection. (It does not include information about the Theological Reference Collection.) Reference books are to be used for introductions and overviews of a topic, and our collection has books on every subject taught at Calvin. Reference books may be checked out of the library for a limited time.
This short video will introduce you to reference sources, which typically give a good background and basic information on topics.
*Video may be slightly out of date due to renovation construction and website redesign in 2023 - newer content coming soon*
The reference collection contains atlases, bibliographies, biographical sources, subject encyclopedias, books of facts, directories, language dictionaries, and more. These books generally contain many short entries that provide summaries, definitions, illustrations, directions, and quick facts. You won't read them from cover to cover but instead select one entry on a topic.
Examples (all are printed books unless indicated otherwise):
Oxford Reference Online is the home of Oxford’s quality reference publishing, bringing together over 2 million entries, many of which are illustrated, into a single cross-searchable resource. The Hekman Library has purchased 60+ reference titles, and they span all subject areas, with strengths in the humanities.
The Oxford Research Encyclopedias (OREs) offer long-form overview articles written, peer-reviewed, and edited by leading scholars. The OREs cover both foundational and cutting-edge topics in order to develop an anchoring knowledge base for major areas of research across the humanities, social sciences and sciences. Multi-media features embedded in the articles, along with cross-referenced links to related content, will further expand the utility and scope of the OREs.
Currently, Hekman Library subscribes to four subject areas: Climate Science, Communication, Encyclopedia of Social Work, and International Studies.
SAGE Knowledge hosts full-text reference e-books. Hekman Library owns 62 reference titles in this library as of June 2020.
Gale eBooks is a collection of authoritative ebooks, encyclopedias, and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. Individual titles may be searched by logging into the database and then narrowing to a specific title.
EBSCOhost eBook Collection is a wide-ranging multi-subject platform of ebooks covering everything from literary criticism to cybersecurity. Originally known as NetLibrary, this database has been combined with many others and relaunched under its new name. Also contained as subsets of this larger collection are the resources: eBook Academic Collection (EBSCO) and eBook Business Collection (EBSCO).
SpringerLink is an integrated full-text database for journals and books published by Springer. Disciplines covered include: architecture & design, biomedical sciences, business & management, chemistry, earth sciences & geography, economics, education & language, engineering, environmental sciences, food science & nutrition, medicine, philosophy, physics, psychology, public health, and social sciences.
Students know from experience how valuable Wikipedia can be when looking for quick background information about almost any topic. However, professors and librarians often say that Wikipedia articles should not be cited in papers. One reason for this has to do with the function of reference works. Encyclopedias typically provide only basic background information and not in-depth analysis. Other professors may disagree and say that some encyclopedia articles may be cited. Reference works vary greatly in nature, with some having more detail, context, and analysis than others. For example, the Smithsonian’s multi-volume Handbook of the North American Indian (print) and the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (online) are works of scholarship. If you get more than basic information from an encyclopedia or other reference work, you should consider citing it.
Perhaps the best advice is that Wikipedia can be useful as a starting point for many topics, especially obscure ones or those with a niche interest. Some articles are rich in detail, context, analysis, references, and suggestions for further reading. A rough rule of thumb, perhaps, is to be wary of articles on controversial or popular topics such as the Holocaust, but more trusting of articles on people, events, artistic works, social movements, etc., that you may not find in-depth anywhere else. A good example of a richly detailed Wikipedia article that engages the scholarly conversation is the one on the “American Frontier.” In some cases, Wikipedia articles will be as rich in detail and analysis as specialized works.
Wikipedia is a bit like "The Wild West" of scholarship. So, let the buyer beware!
(The text and ideas in this section come from Will Katerberg, Professor of History and Curator of Heritage Hall at Calvin University).
Articles from reference books should be cited in the following way:
For more citation help, check out our Citation 101 guide. You can also get in-person help on citations from Hekman librarians and from Rhetoric Center consultants.
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