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A History
Ready reference collections were originally formed, and still exist, because they perform a valuable function in providing convenient access to information that is frequently used at the reference desk. As library collections have been transformed from print to electronic, some of the materials in these collections also have inevitably been replaced by electronic resources. This article explores the historical roots of ready reference collections and their recent evolution.
As Katz wrote, "In almost every library there is a small collection of print sources, usually near the reference desk, which can be labeled ready-reference works."1 We don't know when or where the first print ready reference collection was formed in the United States. However, we can assume several conditions had to be met before there was a need for a ready reference collection. There must have been sufficient reference activity to require the provision of a place dedicated to reference service. There also must have been a reference collection large enough to make it cumbersome to find the most heavily used items. Once those elements existed, the reference librarian would have wanted the most essential tools of the trade near to hand and a ready reference collection would have naturally been assembled.
EARLY HISTORY OF REFERENCE SERVICES
The frequently cited 1876 article by Samuel Swett Green, "Personal Relations Between Librarians and Readers," is generally regarded as the first published call for a program of help to library users.2 Reference service wasn't invented by Green, as evidenced by the testimony of the Columbia College librarian that reported in 1857 that his work included helping students with their research. He explained, "The Librarian is really an instructor, as much so as a professor. . . . His business is not merely to suggest plans of reading, but actually to discuss a subject."3 Even in 1876, Green was far from being the only librarian to promote the idea of assistance to readers. In that year, Librarian of Congress Spofford wrote, "That is the best library, and he is the most useful librarian, by whose aid every reader is enabled to put his finger on the fact he wants just when it is wanted."4 A letter by Cutter, published in 1877, said, "To assist those who come...