Combining Functions
Above we have discussed separately the three functions of a text: storing
information, providing a means to find the information, and providing a means
to interpret the information. Some parts of a book, however, may perform
more than one of these functions. Two examples are a table of legislation and
a bibliography. These have already been considered in discussion above but it
will emphasise the point to revisit them briefly:
(1)
A table of legislation in a textbook indicates where the text discusses a
statute and its sections. However, the table has another function, because a
reader may look at the table of legislation in a textbook just to find the names
of the statutes which deal with a particular topic.
(2)
A bibliography indicates to the reader the sources which the author
consulted before writing the text. A bibliography serves a second function as a
list of references on the topic. Hence, a person may look at a bibliography just
to guide their further reading on a topic.
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