What is “Reference”?

Library reference service is all about helping people meet specific information needs. We answer brief, factual questions, provide guidance in using reference tools, and refer requests for in-depth research to specialists.

While all San Jose Public Library locations provide reference service, King Library is open the most hours, has an extensive collection of reference materials for in-library use, and provides access to San Jose State University electronic databases.  So please ask us to help you with your particular information needs. Now you can ask a librarian a reference question in more ways than ever before!

Reference Web Sites

General

•  

  U. S. Census Bureau –

          Census Bureau’s Mobile App – America’s Economy

          Enhanced American FactFinder

• Bartleby.com - Reference (search across reference sources)
• Internet Public Library - Reference Subject Guide
• Library of Congress - Virtual Reference Shelf
• Refdesk - Quick Reference/Research 

Almanacs

• Information Please Almanac Online
• Old Farmer's Almanac Online (tides, sun/moon-rise/set, weather, astronomy)

Awards, Prizes and Records

• Guinness World Records
• Nobel Prize, 1901-present
• Pulitzer Prize, 1917-present

Communications

• Telephone Area Codes (locator and complete guide for North America)

Distance

• How Far is it Between...?
• Mapcrow - Travel Distance Between Cities/Countries

How...

• eHow.com (step-by-step instructions on "How to do just about everything")
• How Stuff Works

Measurement and Conversion

• Convert Me (weight, mass, distance, length, capacity, volume, area, speed, temperature, energy, etc.)
• Online Conversion

Quotations

• Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (plus Columbia World of Quotations, Simpson's Contemporary Quotations, and Respectfully Quoted)
• The Quotations Page