Best of Reference 2002: The Magical Realm of Reference
The Best of Reference from 2001

Once Upon a Time

Encyclopedia of the United States in the Nineteenth Century
Finkelman, Paul, ed. | Scribner, © 2001 | 973.5 E
This 3-volume encyclopedia provides answers to major questions about the issues and ideas that shaped American life during the 19th century. A comprehensive index, maps, and over 400 pictures will help the student and the librarian delve into a surprisingly diverse America.
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History Resource Center

www.nypl.org/databases/index.cfm?act=3&id=194
This Gale Group database is designed to draw on many databases to create one stop shopping for students and scholars researching United States history. There are interactive chronological timelines, primary sources, and many articles on thousands of people and events that have shaped United States History. This database makes searching history easy and fun for beginners and experts.

The Oxford Encyclopedia Of Mesoamerican Cultures: The Civilizations Of Mexico And Central America
Carrasco, David, ed. | Oxford University Press, © 2001 | 972.01 O
An authoritative, comprehensive, interdisciplinary examination of the geography, peoples, monuments, and history of the cultures of the Mesoamericas, both before and after the historic meeting and mixing with western civilization.
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The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt
Shaw, Ian, ed. | Oxford University Press, © 2000 | 932 O
A comprehensive, historical portrait of the political, social, economic and cultural developments in ancient Egypt. Useful and accessible to both students and scholars, it covers a longer period in history than other similar works: from the early Stone age to Egypt's incorporation into the Roman Empire.
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Legends, lore and flights of fantasy

Bartleby

www.bartleby.com
A searchable database of fiction and non-fiction, poems and quotations, dictionaries and encyclopedias - free and complete works of the familiar and the famous. Supplemented by illustations, audio files and a daily newsletter.

Death and the Afterlife: A Cultural Encyclopedia
Taylor, Richard P. | ABC-CLIO, © 2000 | 393.03 T
Succinct, well-written articles examining the elemental meanings behind funeral and afterlife traditions from around the world and across time. Educational, informative and even entertaining content on an unusual topic.
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Encyclopedia of Psychology
Kazdin, Alan E., ed. | Oxford University Press, © 2000 | 150.3 E
"Know Thyself". This definitive eight-volume set provides the most authoritative resource to do just that. 1500 original articles by recognized scholars of psychology, arranged in easy to use alphabetical order, are complemented by an exhaustive index, cross-references, bibliographies and a unique synoptic table of contents.
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NoveList

www.nypl.org/databases/index.cfm?act=3&id=834
This extraordinary readers' advisory database contains more than 100,000 fiction titles with 10,000 new records added yearly. Search by author, plot, title, location or series. An unparalleled resource with full-text reviews for adult, young adult and juvenile fiction.

The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales
Zipes, Jack, ed. | Oxford University Press, © 2000 | 398.21 O
This source has thousands of signed essays on fairy tales from around the world. There is also an extensive general bibliography as well as a separate bibliographies for the more popular entries.
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Wondrous Beasts and Games of Skill

Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife
Wilson, Don E., David Burnie, eds. | Dorling Kindersley, © 2001 | 590 A
A resource that is both visually exhilarating and textually satisfying. Concise profiles of over 2000 species support the lavish color photographs. Glossaries, maps, comprehensive lists, and a detailed index complete a source that would enhance any reference collection.
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Encyclopedia of the World's Zoos
Bell, Catharine E., ed. | Fitzroy Dearborn, © 2001 | 590.7303 B
3 volumes of 400 illustrated, signed, indexed and cross referenced articles of international zoos and the animals in them. Other thematic entries include affiliated individuals and associations, conservation, legislation, exhibits, and careers, creating a first and unique reference of a fascinating topic.
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Gambling In America : An Encyclopedia Of History, Issues, And Society
Thompson, William N. | ABC-CLIO, © 2001 | 795.0973 T
This exhaustive work by a renowned authority on gambling examines the history, personalities, laws, economics dangers, lore and lure all things aleatory, from addiction to zero sum games.
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Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia
Green, Thomas A., ed. | ABC-CLIO, © 2001 | 796.803 M
An introduction to nearly 100 martial arts beyond the familiar karate and kung fu. For practitioners and general readers, these are grouped by nation, historical period, or philosophy in a mix of scholarly research and popular topics.
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Magic Slippers and Golden Words

The Internet Broadway Database

www.ibdb.com
From The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc. A definitive source on who played what when and where on the Great White Way. Try the exceptionally versatile advanced search option to find the facts on Broadway's hits and flops from Aristophanes to Ziegfeld.

Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet

shakespeare.palomar.edu
A trustworthy collation and annotation of historical, textual, critical, biographical, educational, literary, and pop-cultural presentations of Shakespeare on the web. Chronologies, genealogies, and full-text features make this an excellent departure point for electronic access to the Bard!

The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre
Rubin, Don, ed. | Routledge, © 1994-2000 | 792.03 W
Writers from almost every nation on earth profile native expressions of music, dance, puppet and dramatic theatre since 1945 and comment on trends in design, training, criticism and scholarship, in six insightful, inclusive and entertaining volumes.
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Mysterious Portals, Invisible Doors

International Dictionary of Library Histories
Stam, David H., ed. | Fitzroy Dearborn, © 2001 | 027.009 I
Details the institutional histories of over 224 currently operating libraries throughout the world with contact information provided for each. 34 alphabetically arranged essays describe various types of libraries.

The WWW Virtual Library

www.vlib.org
The oldest and one of the best WWW directory link pages. This easy to use, elegant site has its own search engine is maintained by volunteer experts and is unencumbered by fancy flash graphics or annoying ads. A timeless Web classic.

Xrefer

www.xrefer.com
A cross referenced online reference library providing access to encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri and books of quotations, plus a wide range of subject specific reference titles on topics such as art, science and law.

And now a return to reality

Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History
Cayton, Mary Kupiecand Peter Williams, ed. | Scribner, © 2001 | 973.03 E
The curtain is lifted on the character and diversity of American thought and expression since the founding fathers with this 3-volume set of 221 essays organized in historical, cultural, social, geographic, economic, artistic, political, and philosophical topical groups.
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Gotham Gazette

www.gothamgazette.com
A searchable non-partisan public policy magazine and daily digest of news about New York City.

The New York State Department of Health

www.health.state.ny.us
An extensive resource to help citizens become informed health care consumers. Whether you want to see the latest health news, find a doctor, or just get tips on how to keep your vital signs vital, the New York State Department of Health has the information you need.

Organizing Black America: An Encyclopedia of African American Associations
Mjagkij, Nina, ed. | Garland Publishing, © 2001 | 305.896 O
An alphabetically arranged collection of 576 signed entries, each of which describes the history, key players, achievements and even failures of the featured association. This extensive work will enhance any library's African American history collection.
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U.S. Census Bureau, United States Department of Commerce

www.census.gov
A site worth getting to know, this is a statistical treasure trove that can provide 2000 census data for entities as large as the city and as small as the block. Includes keyword searching, dissipating much of the earlier angst in locating specific census information.
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Best of Reference is an annual list of books, websites, and electronic resources selected by a committee of librarians for their usefulness in local branch collections. Selection criteria include value and appropriateness for branch collections, organization of material, style of presentation, and authority of author/editor.

The Best of Reference was selected and edited by Sharon Jarvis (chair) with Jay Barksdale, Susan Chute, Uma Hiremath, Thaddeus Krupo, Bernard van Maarseveen and Karen Weis.

Selected titles on this booklist may be available in recorded, braille, or large print versions. Please contact the Andrew Heiskell Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, 40 West 20th Street, New York NY 10011-4211 (212) 206-5400, (212) 206-5458 (TTY).