Reference Works, from Idea to Reality

I\u27ve been reviewing reference books and databases for more than 10 years now, cracking the bindings on new titles, test-driving the interface features, and summarizing my impressions for reference librarians wanting the latest opinion on the newest content. I can\u27t say that I spent much of that period processing the amount of time, effort, money, and personnel involved in bringing a multi-volume encyclopedia or online product to fruition. At the 2010 ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., however, I got a chance to stop and think about that, thanks to the program sponsored by Reference Books Bulletin