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Check Reference Works

Reference rooms contain reliable print resources on a range of topics, from government to finance to philosophy to science. Although many of these reference books serve the same purposes as electronic databases, others offer information not available in databases. Using reference books to locate print resources has several advantages over using databases.

Most databases have short memories. Databases typically index sources only as far back as the mid-1980s and seldom index anything published before 1970. Depending on your subject, a database might not include some important sources. If you use a reference book, however, you might be able to locate print resources dating back a century or more.
Most databases focus on short works. In contrast, many of the print resources in library reference rooms will refer you to books and longer publications as well as to articles in periodicals.
Many library reference resources are unavailable in electronic form. For instance, the Encyclopedia of Creativity, which offers more than two hundred articles, is available only in print form.
Entries in print indexes are easier to browse. Despite efforts to aid browsing, databases support searching far better than they do browsing.

Some of the most important print resources you can consult in a reference room include bibliographies, indexes, biographies, general and specialized encyclopedias, handbooks, almanacs, and atlases.