• Reference Sources: Statistics

    What are the library reference sources? Let's find out!

    What are Statistics?

    Statistics are basically a collection of just numerical data that are analyzed, interpreted, and presented.[a] 

    Regarding reference sourcesstatistics can come from various places, including, but not limited to,

    • Censuses - Population counts of countries that occur on a frequency (e.g. The US completes one every 10 years, with the most recent one in 2020)
    • Almanacs - facts and statistics on a certain subject (e.g. country)
    • Yearbooks - facts and statistics from a certain year

    [a] Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/statistics.

    Examples of Statistics

    What are Censuses?

    Censuses are population counts. In the United States, our population is counted once every 10 years. This count is crucial because it lets our government know how to best distribute funding and how many representatives an area can have.

    Examples of Censuses

    What are Almanacs?

    Almanacs are sources that contains facts and statistics about certain subjects.


    Check out Ranges 1A and 1B for our in-house reference collection! These books are available to read anytime while the library is open.  Please Note: Books in the reference section cannot leave the library.


    There are also almanacs scattered through the rest of the collection. 

    Use this pre-filter search in our library catalog to find printed materials with "almanac" as a keyword. You will find books located in both the reference section and the general collection. Please Note: Any books not found in the reference section (or found in the general collection) can be checked out.

    Use this pre-filtered search in our library catalog to find eBooks with "almanac" as a keyword.

    Examples of Almanacs

    Yearbooks

    Check out Ranges 1A and 1B for our in-house reference collection! These books are available to read anytime while the library is open.  Please Note: Books in the reference section cannot leave the library.


    There are also yearbooks scattered through the rest of the collection. 

    Use this pre-filter search in our library catalog to find printed materials with "yearbook" as a keyword. You will find books located in both the reference section and the general collection. Please Note: Any books not found in the reference section (or found in the general collection) can be checked out.

    Use this pre-filtered search in our library catalog to find eBooks with "yearbook" as a keyword.


    Also check out the library's special collections and archives. There, you can find copies of yearbooks for Lindsey Wilson. You possibly could find yearbooks for Adair County schools, too.