Written Communication:

A pathfinder to the written communication resources
of the Onondaga County Public Library System

by Shanti Shoemaker, Librarian

This pathfinder is designed to aid patrons in their search for information about business and personal communication. Most of the resources listed here are reference-style texts and websites: they can be used as guides and manuals. If you have questions about grammar, writing style, and forms of correspondence, these resources will give concrete answers and examples.

Encyclopedias & Handbooks
Books
Magazine Articles
Databases
Websites
Related Pathfinders

Encyclopedias & Handbooks

Image of Encyclopedias of Business letters book cover

image of book cover for English Grammar for the utterly confused

Image of book cover for the Little Brown Handbook

image of book cover for Oxford Essential Office Handbook

image of book cover for title: How to Write it

AMA Style Guide for Business Writing, 1996.
808.066 AMA

Business Grammar Handbook by Scott Pancoast, 1992.
428.202 PAN

Business Letters Ready to Go! by Anne Basye, 1998.
R651.75 BAS

Business Plans Handbook: A Compilation of Actual Business Plans Developed By Small Businesses Throughout North America Kristin Kahrs, Editor.1995.
Includes sample business plans in several volumes.
R658.401 BUS

Encyclopedia of Business Letters, Fax Memos, and E-Mail by Robert N. Bly, 1999.
651.BLY

English Grammar for the Utterly Confused by Lauri Rozakis, 2003
428.2 ROZ

Forms of Address: A Guide For Business and Social Use by Andrea Holberg et al., 1994
Includes commercial correspondence and etiquette examples.
R395.52 FOR

The Little, Brown Handbook 8th ed. by H. Ramsey Fowler, 2001
R808.042 FOW [Picture above is 9^th ed.]

Merriam-Webster’s Guide to Business Correspondence, 1996.
R651.75 MER

The Oxford Essential Office Handbook, 2004.
651 OXF

How To Write It: A Complete Guide to Everything You’ll Ever Write, by Sandra E. Lamb, 1998.
Includes letter examples for social, business, and personal occasions.
651.74 LAM [Picture above is 2004 ed.]

The McGraw-Hill Handbook of More Business Letters, by Ann Poe, 1998.
Includes sample letters.
R651.75 POE

Put It In a Memo: A Practical Guide to Persuasive Business Writing, by Helen Gorenstein, 1992.
651.755 GOR

U.S. Government Correspondence Manual, U.S. General Services Administration, 1992.
Includes chapters on punctuation, style, spelling, letter formats and forms of address. Good practical guide for anyone writing any business letters.
R651.75 UNI

Top of Page

The OCPL Library Catalog will have many resources.

Here are some useful subject headings to search for materials:

"Dos and Don'ts of a Good Proposal Letter", Journal of Accountancy, April 2002 v193 i4 p22(1) . Retrieved from Academic ASAP on June 2, 2005.

"Writing Tips for Noticeable Interoffice Memos", OfficeSolutions, May-June 2003 v20 i3 p11(1). Retrieved from Academic ASAP on June 2, 2005.

"Properly Use These Common Words and Phrases", Essential Assistant, April 2003 v16 i4 p4(1). Retrieved from Academic ASAP on June 2, 2005.

"Stop Whining and Start Writing: How to Pen Effective Complaint Letters", Black Enterprise, March 2004 v34 i8 p123(1). Retrieved from General Reference Center Gold on June 2, 2005.

"Writing the Fundraising Letter Right", Campaigns & Elections, Dec 2003 v24 i10 p42(2). Retrieved from General Reference Center Gold on June 2, 2005.

For an index to more articles on written communication, see OCPL’s Online Databases. Here you can access magazine and journal articles, newspapers, and reference books 24 hours a day using your OCPL library card and PIN.

For in-library use of the online databases, please see a librarian.