Reference inventory
A reference inventory or a reference library (sometimes also a handset ) are those parts of the media inventory in a library that can only be used within the library's premises and therefore cannot be borrowed outside the home . Such a medium is called a presence copy .
In public libraries , the reference stock usually includes daily newspapers , weekly magazines , encyclopedias , atlases and other reference works . These media are often used by users and should therefore always be available, i.e. present. In addition, particularly old or rare titles usually have a presence in order to avoid unnecessary wear and tear.
In academic libraries it can also happen that the entire media inventory cannot be borrowed. These are mostly libraries of scientific institutions where research is carried out on site by their own employees, who should be guaranteed constant availability of the media. In this case we speak of a reference library .
University libraries usually have both a reference collection and a library of titles that can be borrowed.