| Abstract: | Summary Reference publishing is in an era of competing technologies: print and electronic. For large multivolume reference books, the transition from being primarily a print resource to being primarily electronic is well advanced, perhaps nearly complete. For many smaller reference books, such as dictionaries, thesauruses, and almanacs, the transition is less advanced; in fact, it seems likely that print and electronic editions of such works may coexist for years to come. There are good reasons for this to happen, but this situation also poses challenges to librarians, publishers, and patrons. This article reviews some of the aspects of this transitional era in terms of what has been learned so far and what may develop in the future. |
