Reference books are not intended to be read cover to cover. They're to be consulted for background, context, definition and outline, and they usually include brief but excellent bibliographies that point you to further research on the subject.
They're a great place to get quick info, or to get a basic grounding in something with which you may not be overly familiar.
We have many print reference books, but increasingly we're acquiring reference e-books that you can use from whereever you have internet connections.
NOTE: Most of Bethel's print reference books may be checked out for short periods.
This free online encyclopedia allows users to view, edit, or create entire articles. Sometimes it's good, sometimes not, but it's rarely the same thing twice. Credibility varies wildly.
7 Things You Should Know About Wikipedia
Alternatives to Wikipedia:
These can be found either on the main floor of the library in our Reference Collection ("Ref" will precede the call number), and some are in the main collection, with our usual checkout period of 6 weeks.
Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
A dictionary of philosophy
Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Religion
The Cambridge Companion to Arabic Philosophy
The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Philosophy
The Cambridge History of Hellenistic philosophy
The Columbia History of Western philosophy
The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Philosophy
The Oxford handbook of Ethical Theory
The Routledge Companion to Twentieth-Century Philosophy