Transcript Reference Books Show

Reference
Books
Reference books have a special purpose in
the media center. They are shelved in a
special area. They are used to:
 gather information for a report
 find an answer to a question
 read about something you’re interested in
 find words and their meanings or synonyms
Reference books have “Ref” as part of their
call number. A call number tells you where
the book is located. You will find the call
number on the spine of the book.
Types of Reference Books
 Dictionary
 Encyclopedia
 Atlas
 Thesaurus
Dictionary
A dictionary is a book of words listed alphabetically.
You can use a dictionary to:
 find the meaning(s) of a word
 find the correct spelling of a word
 see how the word is used in a sentence
 see how the word is pronounced
 tell if the word is a noun, verb, adjective, etc.
drum (druhm)
1. noun A musical instrument with a hollow
body covered with a stretched skin that
makes a loud noise when you hit it.
2. verb To beat a drum or other surfaces
with drumsticks or with your fingers. Joe
drummed his fingers on the
table.>drumming,drummed>noun drummer
3. noun A container shaped like a drum.
Oil is stored in a drum.
Guide Words
Guide words are found at the top of each page in a
dictionary. These words can “guide” you to the page where
your word is located. The guide words are the first and
last words on the page.
The Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a set of books that contain information about
many different subjects. There is to much information for one
book, so it is divided into many books. Each book in the set is
called a volume. In a set of encyclopedias:
 subjects are arranged in alphabetical order
 there are guide words on each page
 each volume contains subjects that begin the same letter(s)
 use the guide words to locate the page of your subject
 subjects are usually printed in bold type
 find people by their last names
 find places by the beginning letter
 Always take notes on the information
you find. Never copy from the
encyclopedia!
 It is always important to give credit
to your information source.
Atlas
An atlas is a book of maps and facts about geography.
Generally an atlas has many different types of maps for
all the areas of the world. An atlas usually contains:
 a legend (or key)
 symbols (show railroads, airports, lakes, feature of the
land
 an index ( alphabetical listing of places)
Thesaurus
A thesaurus is a book of synonyms. Synonyms are words
that have similar meanings. A thesaurus can:
 give you new choices for words instead of using the
same words over and over again.
 help you pick exactly the words you want to write.
 show you how the word is used in a sentence.
 give examples of antonyms (opposites meanings)
Reviewing Types of
Reference Books
 Dictionary
 Encyclopedia
 Atlas
 Thesaurus
Gather all the
facts in the
Reference Area!