http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/peterson/ Peterson's Online Field Guide Review WHAT Ready Reference questions Intended audience: good for all bird enthusiasts novices and experts by DD

1. Ready Reference
What Questions
Peterson Field Guides
by Dana Dorais

2. Ready Reference Sources...
allow librarians to provide ready answers quickly
*Reference and public service librarians select a collection
of resources that they can rely on to provide answers that
are “straightforward” and require “little or no negotiation” .
(Topic Overview for week nine, Dr. Huggins)
*Ready reference questions seek answers that are “short,
factual and nonanalytical information”
(Cassell and Hiremath, p. 101)

3. Examples of Handy Resources
Directories
Almanacs
Handbooks
Manuels

4. Types of Ready Reference Questions:
and some popular reference sources
Who-Anywho, Superpages, Switchboard, Marquis’ Was Who in America, Who’s Who in the World
What-Consumer Reports, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Kelly Blue Book, Edmund Guides, Catalog
of Federal Domestic Assistance, Peterson’s Guides
Which-Masterplots, CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, RxList: the Internet Drug Index
When-Anyday, Chase’s Calendar of Events
Where-CIA World Factbook, City Profiles USA, Statesman’s Year-book
How-Statistical Abstracts, Emily Post’s Etiquette, Robert’s Rules

5. Evaluating Ready Reference Sources
Most important areas to evaluate are:
Accuracy and Currency (updating policy)
Also important to consider:
scope, quality authority, format, appropriateness to audience,
arrangement/usability and cost
Cassell & Hiremath (p. 114-115)
lists 4 ways to monitor online ready references:
1. check for dead links
2. check the citation sources for verifiability
3. cross-checking answers to establish accuracy
4. checking the updating timetables for each site

6. More background on what facts
from Cassell and Hiremath text
Oftentimes what questions arise from consumers. For example, “what is the best restaurant, vacuum
cleaner, ...or the more weighty ones of what occupation, college or government aid is available”
(Cassell and Hiremath, p.108) are all what questions.
There are many patrons who need help with finding out what college entrants need to do to prepare
and what trades are in demand and where to go to pursue them.
In summary, questions for Ready Reference Librarians of the what nature can be simple or complex.
But they all need quick answers.

7. Example of a WHAT ready reference:
PETERSON FIELD GUIDES
WHAT QUESTIONS CAN BE
ANSWERED BY THIS RESOURCE?
This online podcast library with 15
family overview podcasts will answer
questions about specific bird groups.

8. Online Ready Reference:
There are many resources available from Peterson guides
such as apps, guide books and this presentation will focus
on the website:
when you google
“Peterson Field Guides”-you select...
www.petersononline.com
and this link will take you to…
http://
www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/peterson/

9. Wiki background

10. Peterson’s
Identification and fact guides
wiki facts
*His (Roger T. Peterson) inaugural volume was the classic 1934 book A Field Guide to the Birds,
published (as were all subsequent volumes) by the Houghton Mifflin Company. (wiki)
*The PFG series utilized what became known as the Peterson Identification System, a practical
method for field identification which highlights readily noticed visual features rather than focusing on
the technical features of interest to scientists. The series both reflected and contributed to awareness
of the emerging environmental movement. (wiki)
*Most books in this series use a section of plates of drawings (usually reduced from commissioned
paintings) rather than photographs of the subject species, grouped at the center of the book. This
allows for idealized portraits that highlight the identifying "field marks" of each species; such field
marks are often indicated by arrows or straight lines in the plate illustrations (wiki)

11. The Field Guides by subject
The site lists all their guidebook available from Houghton Mifflin via amazon:
Birds
Plants
Mammals
Reptiles and Amphibians
Fishes
Insects
Earth and Sky
Seashore
Ecology

13. The site also introduces you to
each of their series available for purchase:
Field Guides
First Guides
Coloring Books
Audio Guides
Young Naturalists
Flash guides
Backyard Bird Guides
Reference Guides
Workbooks

15. Types of Podcasts to be found
Family Overviews:
bird facts
This is the best resource
for ready reference at this site.
Though there is much more to
discover.

16. PODCASTS
The main feature this online site has to help
with ready reference what questions is their
podcasts available for download or on
youtube.
The links to youtube are there and a
librarian could share these with patrons.

18. Podcasts
Each unique
podcast is
focused and
fact filled--
and provides
excellent
visuals and audio.

19. HOW TO
Librarians can teach patrons
how to download podcasts
and show them the easy
directions on the site as well.

20. Roger Troy Peterson-an
inspiration
I encourage you all to take some time
to visit this site.
My family loves to go birding and we
use many apps-including this one.
This site introduces you to the variety
and marvel of birds.
They are many amazing facts to find!

21. Bonus features for convenience and fun:
Toys
Cards
Calendars
and
Great
APPS

22. Bibliography
Referencing and Information Services An Introduction, Third Edition, Kay Ann
Cassell and Uma Hiremath, Chicago 2013.
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/peterson/, 10/27/2014
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peterson_Field_Guides
Ready Reference Sources: Topic Overview for week 9, Dr. Huggins, 10/2014.