Question: What value lies in a reference work? Why should you bother to consult these books?
Answer: Reference books help create a framework around your topic. They can help guide you in asking the right questions. Reference books can help researchers become more efficient database searchers - in formulating which keywords (or search terms) to use. Scholarly reference books also contain bibliographies (!!) - a listing of some of the most respected secondary and most useful primary sources on a topic. In a nutshell.... reference books are a great way to begin your research.
Here are some awesome books to get you started on your research topic. Please note: E-Books are restricted to current TRU students, staff and faculty.
Canadian Studies: the State of the Art / ÉTudes Canadiennes: Questions de Recherché by 
Canadian studies : past, present, praxis by 
The Undiscovered Country by 
Canadian Oxford Dictionary by Here are some awesome books to get you started on your research topic. Please note: E-Books are restricted to current TRU students, staff and faculty.
History and Geography:
Encyclopedia of British Columbia (Online)
Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador by Dictionary of Canadian biography online
The Oxford Companion to Canadian History by Peel's bibliography of the Canadian prairies to 1953 (Online) by The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan (Online) by 
Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples by Bibliographia Canadiana by Contemporary Canadian Musicians Series by Encyclopedia of Canadian Rock, Pop, and Folk Music by 
Encyclopedia of Music in Canada by Contemporary Canadian Artists by A dictionary of Canadian artists by 
A guide to Canadian children's books in English by 
Take One's Essential Guide to Canadian Film by John Robert Colombo's Famous Lasting Words by 
Native North American literature : biographical and critical information on native writers and orators from the United States and Canada from historical times to the present by 
Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada by 
The Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature by Contemporary Canadian Authors by 
Profiles in Canadian Literature by 
Art and architecture in Canada : a bibliography and guide to the literature to 1981 by Canadian Art by 
Canadian Film and Video by 
Bibliography of Theatre History in Canada : the beginnings through 1984 by Handbook of North American Indians by FP Markets : Canadian DemographicsCanadian Company Histories by FP survey, mines & energyThe Blue book of Canadian businessFP survey, industrials
Recent social trends in Canada, 1960-2000 by Women in Canada at a glance : statistical highlightsProfiling Canada's Families III by 
History of Canadian Childhood and Youth by 
Canadian encyclopedia of social work by 
Encyclopedia of Social Welfare History in North America by 
The Language of Canadian Politics: A Guide to Important Terms and Concepts by 
Info source. Guide to sources of federal government informationCanadian constitutional documents consolidated by 
Canadian Family Law by 
Martin's annual criminal codeEducation in Canada : a bibliography by The Observer's handbookA Field Guide to Western Trees by 
Trees in Canada by Common and Scientific Names of Aquatic Invertebrates from the United States and Canada : Cnidaria and Ctenophora by 
Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada. Decapod crustaceans by 
Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada by Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada by 
Peterson Field Guide to Mammals of North America by 
Compendium of pharmaceuticals and specialties [electronic resource] by Hortus third : a concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada by Article databases contain information about articles, and often include the full-text of the articles as well.
While searching our discovery service will find articles for you, databases allow you do more controlled and precise searching.
Contains: about 2,000 journals; approximately 6,000 citations of book and media reviews; citations to abstracts of dissertations. Updates: unknown.
Canadian Business & Current Affairs™ Database combines full text and indexed content from a broad range of Canadian sources. Subject coverage: Canadian current events, business, science and technology, education, health, humanities and the arts, politics.
Research reports and webinars on Economic Trends (Canadian, Provincial, Metropolitan and International); Industry Sector Economics; Consumer and Business Confidence; Travel and Tourism; Organizational Performance and Public Policly. Updated regularly.
JSTOR represents over 600 journals in the arts, humanities and social sciences. NOTE: Does not provide access to current issues of periodicals. JSTOR provides archival access to journals and access to journals varies from publisher to publisher. In most cases two to five years plus the current calendar year are excluded.
Covering the fields of anthropology, archaeology, and interdisciplinary studies. Monthly updates.
Provides access to current and retrospective citations and cited references found in nearly 1,130 of the world's leading arts & humanities journals. Arts & Humanities Citation Index covers individually selected, relevant items from approximately 7,000 of the world's leading science and social sciences journals. Weekly updates.
Provides access to scholarly research in nearly 4,000 journals and series. Also covers relevant monographs, working papers, proceedings, bibliographies, and other formats. Updates: unknown
Current and retrospective bibliographic information, author abstracts, and cited references found in over 1,700 of the world's leading scholarly social sciences journals covering more than 50 disciplines. They also cover individually selected, relevant items from approximately 3,300 of the world's leading science and technology journals.
Provides current and retrospective bibliographic information, author abstracts, and cited references found in over 1,700 of the world's leading scholarly sciences journals covering more than 50 disciplines. Also covers individually selected, relevant items from approximately 3,300 of the world's leading science and technology journals. Updated weekly.
Web Resources
Some really great resources to consult are:
