What makes a reference work a classic?(Editorial)

Publication: Booklist

Publication Date: 01-JUN-06

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COPYRIGHT 2006 American Library Association

I have a problem with the reference sets that are often called classics, and it comes from my career as a public librarian. The vast majority of my patrons have been grade-school and high-school students and adult patrons who just need a simple answer to a question. Many reference classics are too big, too expensive, and often too scholarly. Any public library I've worked in has had space and budget constraints that severely limit what it can buy. Many school...

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