After 244 years, the venerable Encyclopedia Britannica will stop publication of its printed edition soon. As many of you that have had me (or other librarians) for COM 101 classes know, the minute an encyclopedia is printed (and actually, during the final editing process) it is out of date. Sales of the printed Encyclopedia Britannica have been falling since the 1990s, with information seekers heading to Google and Wikipedia.
The good news is that we have a better product - the online edition of Britannica, which has already been updated to reflect the deaths of Whitney Houston, the Monkees' Davy Jones and other (more) important timely information.
If you are feeling nostalgic, you can look at our copy of the Encyclopedia Britannica from 1959, donated by a Coker alumna. The volumes are located on the landing between the first and second floors.
Check out the printed edition of Encyclopedia Britannica's obituary from the New York Times.
