Guide to Finding Biographies
Databases and Other Online Resources
- Biography and Genealogy Master Index. An index to millions of biographical sketches in hundreds of reference books and other sources. To use the index, 1) Look up your name. 2) Note the various titles that contain information on the person. 3) Use the Libraries' online catalog to locate the reference works. An excellent place to begin biographical research on living and deceased persons from around the world.
- Biographical Dictionary. Brief entries on "more than 28,000 notable men and women who have shaped our world from ancient times to the present day."
- Biography.com. Profiles of more than 25,000 "of the greatest lives, past and present." Maintained by the producers of the A&E television program Biography.
- Literature Resources from Gale (coverage varies by publication). Provides access to critical analyses of and biographical information on living and deceased authors from around the world.
- Oxford Reference Online Premium. A full-text collection of more than 100 reference works published by Oxford University Press, including biographical sources, dictionaries, handbooks, and more.
- RootsWeb.com. "The oldest and largest free genealogy site."
- Who2?: Find Famous People Fast!. An encyclopedia of some 3,000 "famous people, characters, and creatures." Includes links to related websites.
Print Resources
Some of these sources (and hundreds more) are indexed in the Biography and Genealogy Master Index (above). Many biographical research works are shelved in the CT section of Simpson Library's reference collection.
- American National Biography REFB CT 213 .A68 1999. Includes some 18,000 scholarly essays on deceased individuals who have influenced American history and culture.
- The Biography Book REFB CT 104 .B87 2001. A one-volume work that identifies and assesses biographies of "more than 500 of the most fascinating individuals of all time." Each entry includes a brief biographical paragraph.
- Biography Index REFB CT 100 .B5x. An index to biographical material in more than 2,000 English-language books and some 3,000 periodicals. Published from 1946 to date.
- Current Biography REFB CT 100 .C8. Since 1940 this popular reference set has striven to provide "objective, accurate, and well-documented biographical articles about living leaders in all fields of human accomplishment."
- Dictionary of World Biography REFB CT 104 .D54 1998. Each volume is devoted to a historical era, and biographical essays are divided into the sections Early Life, Life's Work, Summary, and Bibliography.
- Encyclopedia of World Biography REFB CT 103 .E56 1998. An excellent multi-volume reference set that provides biographical information on some 7,000 individuals whose "reputations stand the test of time."
- Research Guide to American Historical Biography REFB CT 214 .R47 1988. Useful for its critical commentary on principal biographical sources published up to the late 1980s.
- Research Guide to European Historical Biography. REFB CT 759 .R47. This set, like its American companion series, above, furnishes well-written overviews on major biographies of historical figures.
- St. James Guide to Biography REFB CT 101 .S24 1991. As the introduction points out, the editors do not supply biographical data on the persons included in the book, "but rather bibliographical and critical analysis of biographies already available."
Virtual Libraries
Virtual libraries contain annotated collections of high-quality Internet resources that librarians or other information specialists have carefully selected. Users can usually browse by subject or search.