At the Downcity Library, most reference books can be checked out. Ask a librarian at the Reference Desk for help.

At the Harborside Library, reference books typically can't be checked out, but you can ask a librarian at the main desk to see if we can make an exception.

Why can't I always check out reference books?

Since most reference books are encyclopedias, dictionaries, or other books where you'd only be using a small portion; highly popular or frequently used; or very expensive and hard to replace (or all of the above), we prefer to keep them in the library.