The reorganization of a monographic reference collection.

Reference monographs in the Health Sciences Library of the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey were reorganized recently according to form, in order to enable both librarians and patrons to utilize these materials more efficiently. This reorganization reflects the unique characteristics of reference books as differentiated from the regular monographic collection, since reference materials are frequently consulted for quick "look-ups." A reference category scheme was developed and implemented, based on observations of and comparisons with reference collections of eight medical libraries in the New York metropolitan area. The reorganization enhances the retrievability of materials from this collection.