The Reference collection is a major component of the AUC Library's collection and follows in part the guidelines set by the General Collection Development Policy of the Main Library. The Reference Collection Policy focuses on the definition of its collection and the main procedures in developing and maintaining this resource.

I. Policy Objectives

1. To establish the scope of the Reference collection and the types and formats of materials to be included.
   
   
2. To provide policies and procedures for acquiring new materials and weeding the collection to ensure that the collection at all times meets the needs of the AUC community, its undergraduate and graduate students, its faculty, and its staff.

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II. Scope and Size of the Collection

The Reference collection currently holds approximately 5972 titles of monographs which contain basic and detailed information in subject areas in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Monographic publications in series are acquired individually based on their authority and relevance to the collection. A substantial part of the collection consists of works which contain current, accurate, relatively short articles, or brief factual information such as almanacs and dictionaries.

The Reference collection includes sources in anthropology, business, economics, history, law and human rights, linguistics, literature, political science, science and technology, sociology, as well as selective coverage of topics of interest. Areas emphasized in the collection include specifically sources in Middle East studies in both the English and Arabic languages.

The collection includes 263 titles of current standing order publications and services which consist of titled series, annuals, loose-leaf and other updating services. It also encompasses up-to-date sources such as directories, yearbooks, indexes and abstract services in databases, which cover periodicals and other publications.

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III. Specific types of material included in the Collection in electronic and/or paper formats: (see Appendix for detailed description of each item)

Almanacs and Annuals
Annual Reviews
International and National Biographical Sources
Bibliographies
Concordances
Dictionaries
Directories of International and National Organizations
Encyclopedias
Geographical Sources
Legal Resources
Quotations and Proverbs
Statistical yearbooks
Style manuals
Travel Guides

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IV. Acquisition of Reference Materials

Reference librarians have the primary responsibility to acquire relevant materials in their assigned subject areas. The Head of Reference librarian is responsible for General Reference and will support and coordinate the collection development of all librarians. General input from other librarians as well as the AUC community is encouraged.

1. Guidelines for Selection of Materials

Selection of useful Reference publications must meet the needs of AUC programs and research interests.

Favorable reviews in authoritative sources about the reference publications.

Reputation of author/publisher of the reference source to be selected.

Date of publication and currency of material have priority over retrospective material. The aim is to acquire and retain works that are currently the most authoritative in their fields.

Price of publication is a consideration, especially with the budget constraints.

Language of publication: Priority is given to material in English, followed by publications in Arabic.

Format: Hard bound editions are preferred to paperback when available.

2. Sources to be consulted when selecting new materials include:

Professional literature

Annual lists of reference books

Standard reference guides

Publisher's leaflets and catalogs

Recommendations from the Library, teaching faculty, students, and scholarly visitors are encouraged.

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V. Evaluation,Weeding and Maintenance of the Reference Collection

1. The reference collection shall be periodically evaluated as to its overall relevancy and currency to the needs of the AUC community. The evaluation process shall follow the same guidelines as in selection of new materials.
   
   
2. Systematic weeding should be done by retaining the latest volumes or editions in the Reference collection. Earlier editions shall be moved to the main collection, non-circulating or to be prudently discarded.

Some of the important considerations in the weeding process:

-availability of later editions
-duplication of contents is to be avoided
-currency of publication, earlier editions that are superceded should be removed
-significance and authority of publication
-physical condition of publication

Maintenance

Shelf-reading: The Reference collection is shelf-read each semester by the shelvers.
Inventorying: The Reference collection inventory is periodically done by part-time assistants who are supervised by the Reference staff.

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Appendix: Description of the Reference Collection

Almanacs, Annual Reviews and Yearbooks: The reference collection provides selected current editions of international, Middle Eastern and national sources. These are kept in the "Reference Cupboards" and the material is closely monitored when it is circulating in the Library. Earlier editions are transferred to the main collection, non circulating.

-The World Almanac and Book of Facts
-Yearbook of International Organizations
-The Europa World Yearbook
-The Middle East and North Africa

Annual Reviews: The reference collection provides access to selected annual reviews. They include such sources as:

-Book Review Digest
-Book Review Index.
-Annual Review of United Nations Affairs.

Bibliographies:

Bibliographies are primarily kept in the main collection.The reference collection provides access to some major titles such as:

-American Reference Books Annual
-Bibliography of African Statistical Publications
-International Bibliography of Social and Cultural Anthropology
-International Bibliography of Political Science
-International Bibliography of Economics
-International Bibliography of Sociology
-Nashrat al-Ida (Dar al-Kutub wa-al-Watha'iq alQawmiyah)

Concordances:The reference collection includes a selection of concordances.

-A Concordance of the Quran
-The Complete Concordance to the Bible, New King James Version
-An Index and Concordance of Pre-Islamic Arabian Names and Inscriptions

Dictionaries:

Many dictionaries are available online through Oxford Reference Online. The reference collection also provides access to a wide range of dictionaries including:
Language dictionaries that are mainly in English and Arabic, and to a lesser extent in other languages, such as French, German, Latin, Greek and other languages.
Example:

-Oxford English Dictionary
-Al-Mawrid : a Modern English-Arabic Dictionary / by Munir Baalbaki

Other types of dictionaries include those that cover dialects, slang, synonyms, antonyms, idioms, etymology, historical dictionaries, unabridged, and abridged. Example:

-Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English : Colloquial
-Roget's International Thesaurus

Subject dictionaries include a range of subjects in the humanities, social sciences and sciences disciplines:

-The Blackwell Dictionary of Political Science : a User's Guide A Critical Dictionary of Sociology / Raymond Boudon
-Dictionary of Colloid and Interface Science
-The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics and the Law

Directories: The reference collection includes directories for national and international business, national and international companies directories, educational programs, and trade:

-Directory of Grants in the Humanities
-The Foundation Directory
-Major Companies of the Arab World

Encyclopedias: The reference collection includes a variety of encyclopedias, ranging from the general to the specialized subject ones. Some are published in single or multi-volume sets. The current Encyclopedia Britannica is accessible online.

The earlier editions of the Encyclopedia Britannica that cover the first edition that was published in 1768 - 1771 until the 16th edition that was published in 1985 are all accessible online: http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclopaedia_Britannica

The collection includes a comprehensive selection of specialized encyclopedias in various subject areas that are relevant to the instructional programs such as:

-Encyclopedia American Cultural & Intellectual History
-Encyclopedia of the American Constitution
-The Encyclopedia of Political Thought / [edited] by Garrett
-The Human Rights Encyclopedia
-Law and Politics: a Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia
-McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Networking &Telecommunications
-McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology

Geographical Sources:
The reference collection includes authoritative general atlases, and maps from all areas of the world as well as thematic atlases (e.g. historical, economic, social). Yearbooks covering geographical interests:

-Europa
-Statesman

Legal Materials:
The Reference Department maintains a collection of selected sources in human rights, treaties, constitutional law in both English and Arabic, and legal dictionaries and encyclopedias in English and Arabic. The newly established Law Library provides materials for the Masters of Laws Degree in International and Comparative Law. Some of the Main Library sources include:

-American Foreign Relations
-Constitutions of the World.
-EU law: Text, Cases, and Materials
-Human Rights Law in Africa.
-Refugee Law and Policy: Cases and Materials
-World Treaty Index

Quotations and Proverbs
The reference collection maintains a sizable collection of general and discipline specific quotations such as:

-Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
-International Thesaurus of Quotations
-The New Quotable Woman
-Oxford Dictionary of Political Quotations

Statistics:
The Reference Department collects major statistical yearbooks for international and national organizations in areas that are pertinent to business, economics, demography, labor, population, trade and other subjects relevant to the requirements of the programs. The Reference Department retains only the most current edition. Retrospective statistical yearbooks and annuals are moved to the main collection, non-circulating.

Some of the titles include major publications of the United Nations, including the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) region:

-Balance of Payments Statistics. Yearbook
-Bulletin of industrial statistics of the ESCWA Region.
-Demographic Yearbook.
-FAO Yearbook. Production
-al-Mawsuuah al-Tashriiyyah al-Hadiithah lil-Jumhuuriyyah al- Arabiyyah al- Muttahidah
-Nashrat al-ihst al-sinyah lil-duwal al-Arabyah (Bulletin of Industrial Statistics for the Arab Countries)
-Population, Spatial Distribution
-Survey of Economic and Social Developments in the ESCWA region

Style Manuals:

The collection includes several publications of recent style manuals that are kept in the "Reference Cupboard":

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
APA Publication Manual
The Chicago Manual of Style.

Last Updated January, 2005

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