Editing Reference collection

{{Short description|Collection of objects for study}}
A '''reference collection''' is a [[collecting|collection]] of objects maintained for the purposes of study, comparison, research, and authentication.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fEcB4ez-jG8C&pg=PA2 |title=Fundamentals of Managing Reference Collections |author=Carol A. Singer |year=2012 |isbn=978-0838911532 |publisher=[[American Library Association]]}}</ref>  While most commonly associated with libraries, reference collections can also be found in museums, archives, research institutions, and private holdings. 

These collections are generally non-circulating, meaning that items cannot be checked out or removed from the premises, to ensure their availability and preservation for future users; and thus are not typically meant for general reading or entertainment, but rather for specific, detailed study and consultation.<ref name="Nolan1999">{{Cite book |last=Nolan |first=Christopher W. |title=Managing the reference collection |date=1999 |publisher=[[American Library Association]] |isbn=978-0-8389-0748-1 |edition=Nachdr. |location=Chicago London}}</ref> They may be very expensive items, such as a current [[encyclopedia]], which the institution does not want to risk losing.

==Overview==
The primary aim of reference collections is to provide a comprehensive and authoritative resource for researchers, students, professionals, and the general public.<ref name="Nolan1999" /> Reference collections are generally large undertakings maintained by institutions; instead of having a single representative of each object, they will typically have multiples, so as to illustrate variations and, sometimes, provide samples for comparisons.<ref>{{Citation | title=What Is a Reference Collection? | url=https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1021&context=bliss}}</ref>

Items within a reference collection may include books, journals, manuscripts, samples, artifacts, and other primary and secondary sources of information. A reference collection may also include an assortment of damaged or manipulated items, fakes and forgeries, or items to be used for education and [[public outreach]].<ref name="philately">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_PjICgAAQBAJ&pg=PA60 |page=60 |title=Fakebusters Ii: Scientific Detection Of Fakery In Art And Philately |year=2004 |isbn=9789814481892 |publisher=[[World Scientific Publishing Company]] |editor1=Duane Chartier |editor2=Richard J Weiss}}</ref> The items are curated with inclusion is based on their relevance, accuracy, authenticity, and potential for future research needs.<ref name="Nolan1999" />

These collections are often permanently housed in public institutions and used on site, such as those managed by [[universities]] or GLAM institutions ([[Art gallery|galleries]], [[libraries]], [[archives]] and [[museums]]). The [[Great libraries of the ancient world|earliest libraries]] were almost all reference libraries, but lending libraries became more common in the 18th century<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kelly |first=Thomas |url=http://archive.org/details/earlypubliclibra0000kell |title=Early public libraries : a history of public libraries in Great Britain before 1850 |date=1966 |publisher=London : Library Association |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-85365-381-3}}</ref> with [[Circulating library|circulating libraries]] [[Subscription library|subscription libraries]], followed by free [[Public library|public libraries]]. Occasionally, reference collections (notably, highly specific and specialized collections or art collections) can be found in private ownership.

As new knowledge emerges and older materials become less relevant or outdated, the reference collection may undergo periodic reviews and updates to ensure its continued usefulness and reliability.<ref name="Nolan1999" />

==Typical formats==
Within academic, [[open source]], and research libraries, there are various sources that cater to specific types of information. The table below provides an inexhaustive overview of these typical information repositories.<ref>{{Citation | year=2023 | title=LibGuides: Reference Department: Collection | url=https://subr.libguides.com/c.php?g=590573&p=4083833 | access-date=11 September 2023}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! Name                 !! Description
|-
| [[Almanacs]]             || Annual publications with current information on various topics like weather, news, etc.
|-
| [[Artifact (archaeology)|Artifact]] collections || Collections of historical or [[Cultural artifact|culturally]] significant items.
|-
| [[Atlases]]              || Books of maps detailing both physical and political features of regions.
|-
| [[Bibliographies]]       || Lists of books, articles, and other resources focused on specific subjects.
|-
| [[Biographies]]          || Detailed accounts of individuals' lives, both personal and professional.
|-
| [[Chronologies]]         || Documents events over time, frequently in a timeline fashion.
|-
| [[Content repository|Code repositories]]    || Databases that store, manage, and track changes in source code.
|-
| [[Dictionaries]]         || Books providing definitions, pronunciations, and forms of words.
|-
| Digests              || Organized collections of summaries of longer documents in a specific area.
|-
| [[Web directory|Directories]]          || Provide contact and background information for people and organizations.
|-
| [[Encyclopedias]]        || Sets of books with short articles on a multitude of topics.
|-
| [[Gazetteers]]           || Geographical dictionaries detailing information on specific places.
|-
| [[Handbook]]s            || Practitioners' guides specific to fields of study or work.
|-
| [[Bibliographic index|Indexes]]              || Guides to articles in periodicals and newspapers.
|-
| Physical Collections || Tangible items grouped together for study or reference purposes.
|-
| Pictorial Works      || Materials using visuals, like photographs or drawings, to clarify topics.
|-
| [[Microscopy]] Slide Collections    || Type slides, often used biology and medicine.
|-
| Statistical Works    || Processes that involve collecting, analyzing, and summarizing data numerically.
|-
| [[Yearbook]]s            || Provide statistical data and articles updating information in various areas.
|}

==Significance in academic research==
In [[biology]], reference collections, such as [[herbarium|herbaria]] are a source of information about variations of populations within a species.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/58024/1/ZORA_NL_58024.pdf |last1=Warinner |first1=C. |last2=Guedes |first2=J.D.A. |last3=Goode |first3=D. |year=2011 |title=Paleobot. org: establishing open-access online reference collections for archaeobotanical research |journal=Vegetation History and Archaeobotany |volume=20 |issue=3 |pages=241–244|doi=10.1007/s00334-011-0282-6 |bibcode=2011VegHA..20..241W |s2cid=129830605 }}</ref> They are also the repository of nomenclatural [[Type (biology)|type]] specimens used to fix the circumscription of the taxonomic name.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8BOyDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA525 |page=525 |title=50 Years Of Science In Singapore |year=2016 |isbn=9789813140912 |publisher=[[World Scientific Publishing Company]] |editor1=Bernard Tiong Gie Tan |editor2=Hock Lim |editor3=Kok Khoo Phua}}</ref>

In [[philately]], reference collections are critical to [[expertization]], since the characteristics differentiating authentic stamps from reprints, fakes, and forgeries are often too subtle to be described verbally.<ref name="philately" />

==See also==
* [[List of academic databases and search engines]]
* [[Antiquities trade]]
* [[Archive]]
* [[Open source]]
* [[Open access]]
* [[Private museum]]
* [[Information repository]]
* [[Typology (disambiguation)]]

==External links==
* [https://www.niche-museums.com/ Niche Museums] – A search engine/blog for small niche museums.
* [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/support-and-collaboration/research-frameworks-typologies/reference-collections-typologies/ Reference Collections and Typologies] – Information from [[Historic England]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reference Collection}}
[[Category:Research]]
[[Category:Museum collections]]
[[Category:Libraries]]
[[Category:Archives]]
[[Category:Collections]]

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