1. Welcome to Au RestaurantSources de Rfrence...
A leader in knowledge cuisine.
Todays specials are:
Seared
Geographical Sources,
fresh off the line,
served with roasted
Biographical sources
and a
hint of knowledge.
We hope you enjoy your meal with us
please come back for more.
With ComplimentsGroup Two `

2. Liked our Introduction?
We hope you did because now its time for the fun stuff.
Tonight, we will be serving :
For Our Appetizers:
Reference Sources:
A Definition sprinkled with
The Different Categories of Reference Sources.
And then finally, the pices de rsistance,
Our Main Course :
Geographical Sources
& for dessert
Biographical sources
We hope you came hungry for knowledge, because we shall be feasting on it tonight!
We have a hunger of the mind which asks for knowledge of all around us, and the more we gain, the more is our desire; the more we see, the more we are capable of seeing.Maria Mitchell
3. Here are your appetizers for the evening:First up, What are Reference Sources?
4. Reference Sources
There are many definitions of the term Reference Sources. Here are two:
Definition 1:
According to (Reitz) References Sources are,
Any publication from which authoritative information can be obtained, including but not limited to reference books, catalog records, printed indexes and abstracting services, and bibliographic databases. Individuals and services outside the library that can be relied upon to provide authoritative information are considered resources for referral.
5. Reference Sources contd.
Definition 2:
Harrods's Librarians Glossary defines these sources as any material published, work database, web site etc. which is used to obtain authoritative information, (as cited in Bopp & Smith, 2011, p. 388).
6. Types of Reference Sources
Reference Sources can be divided into two categories, those compilations that furnish information directlyand compilations that refer to other sources containing information, (Bopp & Smith, 2001, p. 388).
7. Types of Reference Sources:
Those that refer to sources whereinformation can be found:
Those that furnish information directly include:
Encyclopedias
Dictionaries
Almanacs
Handbooks
Yearbooks
Biographical sources
Directories
Atlases
Gazetteers
Etc.
Catalogs
Bibliographies
Indexes
Etc.
8. And now for the Main Course!!!
Geographical and Biographical Sources.
9. Geographical Sources
What is geography?
Geography is an interdisciplinary area of study spanning both earth science (physical geography) and social science (human geography) (Cassell & Hiremath, 2011, p. 213).
10. Geographical Sources contd.
According to Katz (2002) geography is very much a part of the library reference collection, (p. 418). It includes books from the shelves that relate to the subject and even maps and atlases that the library has (Katz, 2002, p. 418). Other items such as indexes, travel books and even magazines are also included in this collection (Katz, 2002, p. 418).
11. How are Geographical Sources Used?
Geographic information sources are used to answer a wide variety of queries (Cassell & Hiremath, 2011, p. 213). According to Bopp and Smith (2011), they are mainly used to answer location questions, (p. 555). For example:
Where is Peru?
Where is Tazmania?
Is the Bahamas located in the Caribbean Sea?
Where is Rock of Gibraltar located?
Is there really a place called Portland in Jamaica?
How far is from the Cayman Islands from France?
etc.
12. How are Geographical Sources Used? contd.
However, location questions can also be further divided into three areas- current events, recreation and business (Bopp & Smith, 2011, p. 556). For current events questions, patrons may want information on a place that was recently in the news, while for recreation they may simply be researching for leisurely or travel purposes (Bopp & Smith, 2011, p. 557). Business travel questions on the other hand call for information about cities, restaurants and hotels (Bopp & Smith, 2011, p. 557).
There is also another category of Geographical questions called historical geography (Bopp & Smith, 2011, p. 557). Bopp and Smith (2011) state that this category can also be further divided into genealogy, military history and place name changes (p. 557). Genealogy has to do with if a patron wants to find the location of a place where a relative lived, while military history has to do with information on particular wars that may have occurred in a special area (Bopp & Smith, 2011, p. 557). Lastly, place name changes has to do with patrons requesting information on countries whose names may have been changed (Bopp & Smith, 2011, p. 557).
13. Geographical Sources: Scope
Even though a large portion of the reference queries that relate to Geographical Sources are spatial/location oriented Geography is a discipline that deals with much more than just maps and globes.
According to Bopp and Smith (2011), geographers study spatial problems involving environmental issues, regional planning, medical geography, political geography, mapping and the general relationship between human beings and their physical world (p. 555).
14. Types of Geographical Sources (Formats)
Cassell and Hiremath (2011) state that, geographic information sources come in many formats, (p. 214).
These formats include:

Gazetteers/Geographical Dictionaries

15. Maps 16. Atlases 17. Guidebooks 18. GIS (Geographic Information Sources) 19. Supplemental Geographical Sources