To explore how arrangement and access features enhance source content.

To learn how source features translate into user benefits.

To develop skill in critically comparing reference sources of the same type.

The past two decades has witnessed a slow shift in reference source publishing from print to digital media, beginning with online indices and directories. At present, numerous digital examples exist for all of the ten reference source types listed in the course syllabus.

However, to what extent have reference sources been improved by the shift to the new medium? What new features have been introduced and developed that weren’t possible in print? What added benefits are readers able to derive from those features? To what extent do distinctions between reference source types evaporate in the digital environment?

1. Choose a reference source type (from the ten formats on our course syllabus).
2. Examine several reputable (i.e. "brand-name") digital examples of this source type. You may use sources available via the web, through local libraries, or from your own personal collection.
3. In a brief essay (4-5 pages), discuss whether or not the digital versions of this format are an improvement over earlier print versions. Does the reader receive substantial benefits or only minor benefits? Cite examples from the sources that you have personally examined.

In addition to personal observation, reading review articles of the various sources may also prove useful.