Selecting Reference Books
In selecting reference books for a business library it is wise to keep in mind the following facts. It does not necessarily follow that because a book is printed on a subject it is therefore authoritative and worth while purchasing. Examine and test the credentials for worthiness of every reference book carefully. Even the best reference books fall down at some point and must be used with judgment. No matter how excellent a reference book appears to be in its accuracy and completeness, remember it is of no value to the business library unless that library has particular use for it. It is almost as serious a fault in a business library to have more books than are needed as it is to have too few books to meet the needs. A good purchasing rule to follow, is to buy only after it has been clearly demonstrated that the library has no book which will give certain information desired, for it has been found that a few well selected reference books will answer a multitude of questions, and some of the business libraries doing the best work have comparatively few working tools of this class. It must be remembered also that it is not sufficient to buy a copy of an annual publication once, but that the latest edition must be purchased each year in order that the information may be kept strictly up to date.