What is "Reference"?
"Reference" sources are so called because they're something you would "refer" to rather than read. You probably wouldn't read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica A to Z -- you'd go to the specific article(s) that talk about what you're interested in. The same is true for the specialized resources recommended here:
Recommended Reference Resources:
Note: Books with call numbers Dinand Ref. are shelved in the Reference collection in the Main Reading Room, and are for in-library use only.
Sacramentum Mundi: An Encyclopedia of Theology
by
MONOGRAPHS vs EDITED COLLECTIONS:
Monographs typically consist of a single intellectual work in one volume (i.e., one topic, likely one overall argument, etc.). You might find that an individual chapter or section of a monograph contributes substantially to your understanding of a topic.
Edited collections (also sometimes called anthologies or edited works, among others) contain a collection of essays around a topic or idea, typically curated by one or more scholars in the field. These scholars, called the editors, have usually determined the topic of the collection, solicited papers on relevant topics, and selected the papers for final inclusion in the volume; they may have taken on other roles in the publishing process as well. Edited collections are valuable for their ability to bring together different takes on and aspects of a topic in a particular volume where they can be read together, but the chapters or essays also stand as their own intellectual works.
Whereas monographs are quite broad, chapters in edited collections are more similar in depth and length to journal articles. You can find more information about edited collections and the chapters in them, on the Research Articles & Chapters page of this guide.
SEARCHING FOR BOOKS:
You can search for books and ebooks at Holy Cross using CrossSearch, the main search box on our website:
CrossSearch is the Libraries' multi-search "discovery" tool. CrossSearch searches a cross-section of journal articles, newspapers, CDs, images, and many other types of resources available through the libraries. It is also our main library catalog -- the tool you use to find books, journals, films, and other items physically located in the library, as well electronic versions of those items. 
To leave out individual articles and focus on things like books and films, you can use the Catalog Only limit in CrossSearch.
Watch our video tutorial 📺 to learn more about CrossSearch. If you're not a CrossSearch fan, you can also use the Library Catalog to find books.
Try searching for books using a very basic keyword search. Books tend to be on broad topics, so the terms you search with should be broad, too! Once you've found a few books that look interesting to you, you can use clues from the books to help you find other books. For example....
FINDING YOUR WAY IN THE LIBRARY:
At Holy Cross, we organize our books using a system called Library of Congress Classification or LCC. LCC is based on the subject of the books. Each letter represents a specific subject. Each subject is broken down into more specific letter sections, each of which is further broken down into number ranges for specific topics. Most call numbers have additional numbers and letters on the end of them, which are used to give each book a unique spot on the library shelves.
Generally:
The Stacks Guide handout attached below has more information about how the stacks are organized, and the best places for you to look.
You can also watch our video tutorial 
to learn more about how call numbers work. Or, check out the Library of Congress Classification Outline for a detailed breakdown of our call number system.
EBOOKS:
To search for ebooks located at Holy Cross, use CrossSearch.
Then, use the Resource Type limiter in the side navigation to focus your search on ebooks.
Accessing Ebooks:
In most cases, your best option is to use the "Read Online" feature for our ebooks. Most academic ebooks do not work with devices that you might use to read personal ebooks, such as a Kindle or Nook (believe me -- this frustrates librarians too!). There is software that you can download onto a PC or iPad, but this can be difficult to use, so if you have a stable internet connection, I recommend reading online.
However, if you would like to download the software, or if you are having trouble accessing any particular ebook, please feel free to contact us (libref@holycross.edu) or see our ebooks guide linked below:
NOTE that most e-books do have limits on printing. Each publisher has different functionality and rules for downloading and printing ebooks.
LOCATING BOOK CHAPTERS:
Locating book chapters that you may want to read can take a little more time. Here are some creative ways that you might find book chapters:
You can also try searching WorldCat, which searches the collections of libraries around the world (including ours!). Sometimes the information about a book is listed differently in WorldCat, allowing you to find sources that you would never have pulled up in our own catalog.
A world-wide catalog of books, journals, audiovisual materials, and other sources available in libraries worldwide. Includes direct links to request items on Interlibrary Loan.
Each of these strategies can be used to....
(1) Find the titles of book chapters in our own libraries, which library staff can scan and send to you; or
(2) Find the titles of book chapters held by other libraries, which can be requested on Interlibrary Loan.
Requesting Book Chapters:
For instructions on how to obtain book chapters that you would like to use, see the Access Options page on this guide.