How Do I Find Info?
Using an:
• Almanac
• Atlas
• Dictionary
• Encyclopedia
• Thesaurus
2008, William P. Breitsprecher & BreitLinks. All rights reserved. www.breitlinks.com

Next Question Please!
• What do you
want to know?
• Who, what,
where, when,
why, how?
• Locate
information
2008, William P. Breitsprecher & BreitLinks. All rights reserved. www.breitlinks.com

Reference: Almanacs
• Facts, figures
• Information
• Statistics
• Frequently updated
• Different types
• Specialty almanacs
• Different purposes
2008, William P. Breitsprecher & BreitLinks. All rights reserved. www.breitlinks.com

Using Almanacs
• Not alphabetical Table of Content
• Organized by
ideas
• Use table of
content or index
• Varity of topics
• Most up-to-date
reference book
2008, William P. Breitsprecher & BreitLinks. All rights reserved. www.breitlinks.com

When To Use Almanac
• “One stop”, quick
information
• Examples:
– Population
– Economic data
– Political trends
– Weather
2008, William P. Breitsprecher & BreitLinks. All rights reserved. www.breitlinks.com

Reference: Atlases
• Maps, different kinds
– Physical
– Political
– Climate
– Economy
– Religions
– Vegetation
– Ocean currents
2008, William P. Breitsprecher & BreitLinks. All rights reserved. www.breitlinks.com

Using Atlases
• Special atlases
– Historical
– Archaeology
– The universe
– Weather & MORE!
• Organized in
different ways
2008, William P. Breitsprecher & BreitLinks. All rights reserved. www.breitlinks.com

When to Use Atlas
• Find places
• Learn about places
• Understand
countries, states,
cities
• Specialty topics
2008, William P. Breitsprecher & BreitLinks. All rights reserved. www.breitlinks.com

Reference: Dictionaries
• Word/phrase
definitions
pronunciation
• Where words
comes from
• Alphabetical
• Guide words at
top of page
2008, William P. Breitsprecher & BreitLinks. All rights reserved. www.breitlinks.com

Using Dictionaries
• Must spell word Guide Words in
right or be close Red Circles
• A, B, C order
• Use guide words
– After first guide
word
– Before last one
2008, William P. Breitsprecher & BreitLinks. All rights reserved. www.breitlinks.com

When to Use Dictionary
• Learn words
– Definition
– Pronounce
– Type of word
(i.e. noun, verb)
– Origin of word
2008, William P. Breitsprecher & BreitLinks. All rights reserved. www.breitlinks.com

Reference: Encyclopedia
• Information on
many topics
• Unlike WIKI, fact-
checked by pros
• Often multi-book
sets
• Specialty
encyclopedias too
2008, William P. Breitsprecher & BreitLinks. All rights reserved. www.breitlinks.com

Using Encyclopedias
• Alphabetical
• May have index
• Can have maps
• Be careful with
data, figures
• Check date
published
2008, William P. Breitsprecher & BreitLinks. All rights reserved. www.breitlinks.com

When to Use Encyclopedia
• Background information
• Preliminary research
• Start research
• Personal use
• Overview
2008, William P. Breitsprecher & BreitLinks. All rights reserved. www.breitlinks.com

Reference: Thesaurus
• Alternative word
• Different words,
same meaning
(synonyms)
• Some offer words
with opposite
meaning
(antonyms)
2008, William P. Breitsprecher & BreitLinks. All rights reserved. www.breitlinks.com

Using Thesauruses
• Dictionaries define
words
• Thesauruses give
similar/opposite
• Sometimes
alphabetical
• Sometimes by ideas
(see contents or index)
2008, William P. Breitsprecher & BreitLinks. All rights reserved. www.breitlinks.com

When to Use Thesaurus
• Improve writing, use
different words
• Expand vocabulary
• Look up definitions
in dictionary
• Find similar/opposite
words in thesaurus
2008, William P. Breitsprecher & BreitLinks. All rights reserved. www.breitlinks.com

Reference Tools
• Not checked out
• In library when
you need them
• Faster than
computer boot-up
or log-in
• Fact-checked
2008, William P. Breitsprecher & BreitLinks. All rights reserved. www.breitlinks.com