Reference

The Reference Department is located in the basement. Our knowledgeable staff can help to answer your questions and assist you in getting started on your research.

Research Databases
The library offers a rich and varied collection of electronic databases for research. These databases provide indexes and full-text articles for thousands of magazines, newspapers, and other publications.

For information on current events, health and medicine, history, books, people, genealogy, and much more, click Databases. 

IRS Tax Information
Selected tax forms for the current year are available during tax season.

The library provides notebooks of reproducible tax forms from the previous ten years. You may photocopy these forms, which are acceptable for submission to the Internal Revenue Department.

The library has federal and state tax guides that provide answers to tax questions in business and personal transactions.

During tax season, volunteers trained by the IRS assist with basic tax returns, particularly for elderly, handicapped, and non-English-speaking taxpayers.

For other tax forms and publications, visit the Internal Revenue Service website.

Richardson History Collection
Preserving the heritage of the community is an important role of the public library. The Richardson History Collection is the repository for items unique to the history of Richardson. Included in the collection are:

• Historical photographs of people and places
• Family histories
• Richardson and Dallas newspapers
• Richardson history books
• Clipping files
• Scrapbooks
• Slides
• Richardson high school year books
• Maps
• City of Richardson budgets and annual reports

The collection is housed in the Reference Department in the basement of the library.

Do you have Richardson history items to donate? Please call (972) 744-4355 to have the items evaluated by the Local History Librarian.

Business
The library offers a variety of investment materials, job-searching resources, and general company and industry information.

For basic data on a company, or to create a list of companies, use the Reference USA database.

For articles, industry updates, and in-depth information, use Business Source Complete and Regional Business News databases.

Magazines and Newspapers
Current issues of magazines and newspapers are shelved on the third floor. Older issues are stored in the Reference Department in the basement.

Check the Catalog to see if we have the issue you need. Or call the Reference Department at 972-744-4355.

Some articles may be accessible from the library’s online resources, such as InfoTrac’s Search Bank, Newsbank Newsfile and Dallas Morning News, Newspaper Search, and other Databases.

Literary Criticism
You will find large collections of literature criticism in Reference, including excellent multi-volume sets and numerous works on individual authors.

The librarians can provide help and hints on using these resources.

Electronic resources are also available, such as InfoTrac’s Search Bank and 20th Century Poetry Collections.

Law Resources
You may conduct research on Texas laws, United States laws, Texas cases, and Supreme Court cases.

Procedure and form guides are available, as well as how-to handbooks for the layperson.  See also our online Law links and  Gale Legal Forms (located towards the bottom of the Gale resource listings).

Medical and Health Information
Get current, reliable information on health, diseases, symptoms, treatment, and more.

Directories of physicians and hospitals are also available in the Reference Department.

Locate articles through the library’s subscriptions to Health Source – Consumer Edition, Health Source – Nursing/Academic Edition, Alt HealthWatch, Health Reference Center Academic and our Health related Internet links.

Librarians can assist you in finding the information that you need.