The reference question concerning Balzac's birth and death dates reveals that a number of standard, respected sources contained inaccuracies and discrepancies concerning the simplest type of factual data. The lack of accuracy can cause a variety of problems, of varying degrees of seriousness. Librarians should be alert to inaccuracies and point them out to publishers. For the vast majority of our patrons, however, the year of Balzac's birth or death will provide information sufficient for their needs. Given that supposedly reliable reference books may contain errors from time to time, the reference interview thus becomes more important than ever. And if absolute accuracy is needed, consultation of more than one source may be on occasion necessary.
