Wilson's Public Library Core Collection: Nonfiction (20th Edition, 2025) is designed for acquisitions librarians, reference librarians and catalogers. Public Library Core Collection: Nonfiction is a reliable guide to building and maintaining a well-rounded collection of essential and recommended nonfiction books for adults.

The Core Collection is intended to serve the needs of public and undergraduate libraries and stand as a basic or “opening day” collection. The newer titles help in identifying areas that can be updated or strengthened. Retention of useful material from the previous edition enables the librarian to make informed decisions about weeding a collection.

Easy-to-use Arrangement

Arranged for ease-of-use by Dewey Decimal Classification, this helpful guide provides immediate access to over 11,000 highly recommended nonfiction titles. All areas of reference and nonfiction are covered.

1. Science, Technology & Computer Science
2. Health & Medicine
3. Religion & Philosophy
4. Political Science, Economics & Law
5. Literature & Language
6. History, Travel & Biography
7. Arts & Architecture and so much more

Created for Librarians, by Librarians

Books included in this edition were selected by experienced librarians representing public library systems and academic libraries across the United States. With their helpful guidance, librarians nationwide rely on Core Collections for:

1. Collection Development
2. Weeding their collection
3. Curriculum Support
4. General Reference
5. Title Selection & Purchasing
6. Readers’ Advisory
7. Librarian Instruction

Information-packed Entries

In these pages, librarians can collect much-needed data on over 11,000 recommended titles. Entries include:

1. Complete Bibliographic & Cataloging Information
2. Price, ISBN & Publisher to aid in purchasing
3. Subject Headings and Dewey Classification
4. Content Descriptions and Excerpts from Select Reviews provide helpful information when evaluating books for selection and in determining which of several books on the same subject is best suited for the individual reader
5. Additional notes highlight sequels and companion volumes, editions available, awards, and publication history, plus information on electronic editions

Starred Enteries

Essential titles, our highest recommendation level in a subject area, are easily identified with a starred listing throughout the text. The stars are included in the index too, so readers can easily identify essential titles by author or by subject area.

In-depth Indexing

A highly-detailed Author, Title, Series and Subject Index provides easy navigation through the hundreds of subject areas and thousands of authors and titles in this informative resource.

The Public Library Core Collection: Nonfiction is an essential resource for library and media specialists looking to enhance and enrich their collection with the most important and highly recommended titles currently available.