As a non teacher-librarian I found it difficult to tell other TL's and aspiring TL's as to which encyclopedia I would purchase. I am no expert on reference materials, especially encyclopedias. While I have used a couple and seen students use a couple, I really only know about Britannica and World Book.
As I stated in the discussion post, I would worry about using Britannica due to the noted flaws that have been found in the past. This makes me question the credibility and accuracy of the Britannica. This is something that Riedling would also worry about! Despite this flaw, the Britannica does offer a lot of really valuable information and is used in many libraries. While it is a good encyclopedia, if I had to suggest a print version it would be the World Book. I have always found it easy to use and have even added the 2005 edition to my classroom for the use of myself and students (so they don't have to go to the library for quick searches).
While I am not a TL, or an encyclopedia expert, I would use my limited funds for purchasing print reference materials and spend it on the World Book! That being said, I think the way of the future online encyclopedias. So the decision of what to buy really might be a moot point.
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