Desk Set

Ready Reference for the Digital Librarian

Handbooks:

Glenday, Craig. (2011). Guinness world records 2012. London: Guinness World Records Limited.
The idea for the Guinness World Records began in County Wexford, Ireland, in 1951, with one mere question: what was Europe's fastest game bird? The question was asked by Sir Hugh Beaver, the then Managing Director of the Guinness Brewery, while attending a shooting party—hence the topic of birds. Sir Hugh soon learned that such question were asked, daily, by people across the globe, with many of these same questions going unanswered. In an effort to remedy this, Sir Hugh went on to compile what would be known as "The Guinness Book of Records," its first edition published in August of 1955. In keeping with tradition, The Guinness Book of Records provides random facts on an eclectic, innumerable variety of topics, along with, of course, stats and facts of all sorts of world records.

Kelley Blue Book (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2011, from http://www.kbb.com
The primary authoritative source on motor car values, the Kelley Blue Book was first published in 1926 by Les Kelley. Kelley, an automobile businessman, decided on the name Blue Book to allude to the Social Register (a then guide to names and addresses of affluent American families) to communicate to readers that his handbook would also provide notable information. Of course the Kelley Blue Book has expanded over the years, but it has still retained its place as the number one go-to reference for all car prices and values.

Gibaldi, Joseph. (2009). MLA handbook for writers of research papers. (7th ed.). New York: Modern Language Association of America.
Published by the Modern Language Association, the MLA Handbook is the comprehensive, official reference regarding the MLA documentation style. Through a series of narratives, which include advice and step-by-step explanations, and examples, the handbook primary purpose is to help its readers with every aspect of planning, then writing, a properly formatted MLA research paper. It is currently in its seventh edition.

New York Public Library. (2002). The new york public library desk reference. (4th ed.). New York: Hyperion.
An all-in-one resource for Librarians and other reference service professionals, The New York Public Library Desk Reference focuses on answers to the most frequently asked questions, these answers accompanied by charts, graphs, tables, sidebars, maps, illustrations, as well as url addresses to assist with any further research. It has recently released its fourth edition, over 1,000 pages including a newly revised atlas and index.

Robert, Henry M. & Robert, Sarah Corbin. (2011). Robert's rules of order newly revised (11th ed.). Philadelphia: Da Capo Press.
Currently in its eleventh edition, Robert's Rules of Order updates and informs its readers of parliamentary law through the use of a set of rules of order. Originally compiled by U.S. Army Brigadier General Henry Martyn Robert, the first edition was published in 1876 under the title: Pocket Manual of Rules of Order for Deliberative Assemblies. Over the years the editions have been expanded to include technological advances, such as videoconferences, teleconferences, and email.