Fundamentals of Reference

23

four

almanacs, Handbooks,

and Yearbooks

A calendar, a calendar! Look in the

almanack; find out moonshine.

—Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, act 3, scene 1, line 55

t

he ALA Glossary of Library and Information Science uses the word compen-

dium in defining almanacs, handbooks, and yearbooks:

Almanac—A compendium, usually an annual, of statistics and facts,

both current and retrospective. May be broad in geographical and

subject coverage, or limited to a particular country or state or to a

special subject.^1

Handbook—A compendium, covering one or more subjects and of

basic or advanced level, arranged for the quick location of facts

and capable of being conveniently carried.^2

Yearbook—An annual compendium of facts and statistics of the

preceding year, frequently limited to a special subject.^3

What is a compendium? Joan M. Reitz defines a compendium as “a work
that treats a broad subject or entire field of knowledge briefly and concisely,
sometimes in the form of an outline.”^4 The key, then, is that all these types of