As a Virtual Assistant, your niche determines some of the more esoteric reference material on your bookshelf. A quick trip to Amazon or Barnes & Noble will give you an idea what all you may want to add to your library under the topics “Business,” “Marketing,” “Internet,” along with numerous topics in the “Missing Manual” vein, written to support your operating system and software.

Beyond those books, there are many other reference materials you need when you need them, but which you may not even know exist.

Alan Eggleston, business writer and editor puts on the Loosely Speaking hat today, as my featured Guest Blogger. Because I am so delighted with this piece by Alan, I am publishing it out of the planned order.

How to buy, store, and care for Reference Books

Every home office should have a set of reference books. It’s simply the best, most consistent way to find answers to vexing questions, including spelling, grammar, and punctuation conundrums.

What to Buy
Which books you buy depends on the work you do. An executive assistant needs a dictionary, thesaurus, and manager’s desk reference. A proofreader needs a dictionary, spelling dictionary, and AP stylebook. A paralegal needs a dictionary, law style book, and usage book. There will likely be others, too.

Whether you buy hard cover or paperback depends on your budget and how you will use them. Hard cover books can last a long time if cared for. On the other hand, there is no sense in putting a lot of expense into books that will get a lot of wear or that will become outdated quickly. If your budget is tight, paperback is the way to go, and you may even be able to find a useful desk reference set at a good price.

Some Suggestions

Dictionary: Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate, 11th Edition, ISBN: 0877798087

Thesaurus: New American Roget’s College Thesaurus in Dictionary Form, ISBN: 0451207165

Synonym Finder ³: The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms, ISBN: 0877799067

Usage Dictionary: Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage, ISBN: 0877791325

Grammar Manual: The Elements of Style, ISBN: 0979660742

Spelling Dictionary: Webster’s II Pocket Dictionary, ISBN: 0618406905

Stylebook – publishing: AP Stylebook, ISBN: 046500489X

Stylebook – education: The Real MLA Stylebook, ISBN: 0967665868s

Stylebook – law: Modern Rules of Style, ISBN: 1590318056

Business Desk Reference: Every Manager’s Desk Reference, ISBN: 0028642686

Business Dictionary: New Penguin Dictionary of Business, ISBN: 0140513779

Business Reference Manual: Gregg Reference Manual, ISBN: 0028040481

Pocket Reference Library: New International Webster’s Pocket Reference Library, ISBN: 1888777877

Information Reference: Writer’s Book of Checklists: ISBN: 0898794544

¹ All links lead to Amazon.com online bookstore for ease of reference; however, you may purchase from any other bookstore of your choice.

² Use ISBN (International Standard Book Number) to find and order these books on any online or local bookstore.

³ I found a thesaurus unproductive to use so I use a synonym finder. You might find it more useful than a thesaurus, too.

Where to Buy
If you buy at a local bookstore, a bookseller can point out good buys, and sometimes stores have reference works in the sale or “remainders� section.

To save money, try shopping online. My wife swears by Barnes & Noble online, but I have found my best prices at Amazon.com, and when you buy $25 or more in books you get free shipping. (At a bricks and mortar store, shipping is figured into the price.) Alibris.com is another fine option.

Storing Books
You’ll want your reference works near your work area, but be sure to protect them.

• Store books together on a desktop or shelf away from direct sunlight and heat
• Position them upright between bookends that keep them snug but not tight
• Keep the room temperature evenly warm and humidity consistently dry
• To save a page, use thin paper bookmarks, not clips or bent corners

Loaning Books
You’re less likely to loan out reference books than, say, your fiction or non-fiction books, but it does happen. Be prepared by personalizing your books.

• Enter your name and phone number on one of the blank pages in the front
• Use a book plate for a more professional look with your name, address, phone number
• Stick a personalized address label on the inside front cover for identification
• Affix a Post-It note to the inside front cover where you’ve written your name, phone number, and suggested return date – agreeing first on the return date can help
• Print a small page of book-care “rulesâ€? and include it in the book as a bookmark, just as a reminder

Caring for Books
Just remember, take care of a book and it will last a long time. Here are a few tips:

• Don’t store books too tightly together or with anything between the pages
• Store books of equal heights together; avoid storing books of great difference in height together
• Never bend corners or use paperclips or other devices that will mark or damage pages; use thin paper bookmarks
• Don’t use the cover as a writing surface; do not curve or bend covers
• Clean covers with a gentle cleaner like GooGone to remove soil
• Dust books as often as you do any furniture
• Protect from high heat and humidity or cold and extreme dryness
• Protect from bugs, dust, mold, mildew, water

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Alan Eggleston is a professional business writer and editor, and he writes several Web logs including Booksville online bookclub, Cliché-a-Day cliché rewriting column, and his Web Writing Blog.

Additional Resources, specifically for Virtual Assistants:

1. Nina Feldman, Nina Feldman Connections has a great list of books and guides here.

2. The amazing (and prolific) Kathie Thomas of A Clayton’s Secretarial Services and Admin Support, has a comprehensive post (”Essential Tools for VAs“) listing books on how to become a VA, how to market your practice, and more. Many, though not all, of these titles were written by Kathie herself.

3. Lanel Taylor of Taylored Office Solutions has a thorough resources list on her site.

Previous posts from this series:

Equipping Your VA Office: Assessment (Part 1).

Equipping Your VA Office: Furnishings (Part 2)

Equipping Your VA Office: Software (Part 3)

Equipping Your VA Office: Hardware (Part 4)

Still to come in the series:

Part 5: Basic Office Supplies

Part 6: Utilities Required (phone, internet service, etc.)