Page 207 - DLIS006_INFORMATION SOURCES AND SERVICES

Information Sources and Services

Notes
directory arranged the stores by geographic location and included contact information,
name of owners, and number of employees. A search of the online catalogue found that
the library did not have the directory, but a WorldCat search found that the local public
library had the latest version of the directory, and the user was successfully referred to the
public library.
Source:http://books.google.co.in/books?id=1G2ZdLFFUr8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Inform
ation+Sources+and+Services&hl=en&sa=X&ei=XpL4Ub2iLMiCrgeM6YHIDA&ved=0CDwQ6AEw
Aw#v=onepage&q=Information%20Sources%20and%20Services&f=false

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:

3. Some important criteria to consider in evaluating a directory include scope, currency,
........................., and arrangement.
4. Scope can be more difficult to determine for ........................., and often librarians have to
rely on vendor documentation or promotional material.
5. ......................... directories often follow an established publishing schedule, usually
appearing annually with supplements at regular intervals.
6. The ......................... determines whether access to the information in the directory will be
simple or difficult.
10.3 Telephone Directories

A telephone directory (also known as a telephone book, phone book, or white/yellow pages) is
a listing of telephone subscribers in a geographical area or subscribers to services provided by
the organization that publishes the directory. Its purpose is to allow the telephone number of a
subscriber identified by name and address to be found. For most of the 20th century, print
telephone directories were standard components of library reference collections. A successor to
the 19th century city directory, telephone books provide important information about local
communities. They can be used to answer such questions as the following:

What’s the phone number for Toe’s body Shop’?
I need to find my friend’s telephone number and address in Delhi, India.
Where can I go in town to get my bicycle repaired?
Along with the standard residential listings with addresses and phone numbers, telephone
directories have maps, building guides, local calendars, and advertisements for business. The
rise of the Internet and smart phones in the 21st Century greatly reduced the need for a paper
phone book. Some communities, such as Seattle and San Francisco, sought to ban their unsolicited
distribution as wasteful, unwanted and harmful to the environment.
Subscriber names are generally listed in alphabetical order, together with their postal or street
address and telephone number. In principle every subscriber in the geographical coverage area
is listed, but subscribers may request the exclusion of their number from the directory, often for
a fee; their number is then said to be “unlisted” (American English), “ex-directory” (British
English) or “private” (Australia and New Zealand).
A telephone directory may also provide instructions about how to use the telephone service in
the local area, may give important numbers for emergency services, utilities, hospitals, doctors,
and organizations who can provide support in times of crisis. It may also have civil defence or
emergency management information. There may be transit maps, postal code guides, or stadium
seating charts, as well as advertising.

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