American Reference Books Annual

Book excerpt: Read professional, fair reviews by practicing academic, public, and school librarians that will enable you to make the best choices from among the latest reference resources. This newest edition of American Reference Books Annual (ARBA) provides librarians with insightful, critical reviews of print and electronic reference resources released in 2015-2016, as well as some from key titles from 2017 that were received in time for review in the publication. By using this invaluable guide to consider both the positive and negative aspects of each resource, librarians can make informed decisions about which new reference resources are most appropriate for their collections and their patrons' needs. Collection development librarians who are working with limited budgets--as is the case in practically every library today--will be able to maximize the benefit from their monetary resources by selecting what they need most for their collection, while bypassing materials that bring limited value to their specific environment. - Provides reviews of print and electronic resources, showcasing a wide spectrum for users to consider - Presents unbiased evaluations that allow users to make their own decisions on the suitability of a given resource for their patrons' needs - Gives users access to reviews containing critical, relevant, and timely information from librarians and subject-area specialists