Information Sources in Biographies

I. Books and Audiovisuals II Periodical Resources A. Electronic Indexes and Full-Text Collections B. Print Indexes and Bibliographies III. Reference Materials A. Dictionaries B. Encyclopedias C. Other Reference Sources IV. Government Publications V. Web Resources VI. Course Information VII. Help from the Library I. Books & Audiovisuals Use the Library Catalog . To find books about individuals, use the person's name as subject, last name first. Example: Roosevelt, Franklin. Biographies about individuals often may be found within books. These can be found by using a broader subject search term (women authors biography) or a subject keyword search ( women biography). There may be a contents list of individuals included on the catalog record. If not, the only resource is to examine the book itself. If the individual's name is listed in a contents field on the catalog record, the book may be discovered by using the individual's name in a keyword search (Example: jane addams). Copy the call number from the catalog record to find the book. (See How to Find Books.) netLibrary [UM Only] A collection of over 55,000 electronic books in various disciplines. Some of these items may be available in print as well as electronically. II. Periodical Resources A. Electronic Indexes and Full-Text Collections Use an electronic database. These are recommended. Other periodical databases are listed on Periodical Databases by Adademic Area. For help finding articles try How to Find Articles in Periodicals and refer to How to find Print Periodicals for help locating the articles you've found. If the periodical is available electronically, you will find a link to it from the electronic journals list. ABI/Inform (business journals, 1970-) [UM Only] Business and management database providing extensive coverage of North America and the world. Research on advertising, marketing, economics, human resources, finance, taxation, computers, plus information on 60,000+ companies. Includes full text documents and dissertations. Coverage: 1971-. AHSearch (journals, 1980-) [UM Only] Records referencing many of the world's leading arts and humanities journals. ERIC (education journals, documents, 1966-) [UM Only] Includes abstracts of journal articles, books, curriculi, conference papers, theses and dissertations. Humanities Full Text (citations, abstracts, full text).[UM Only] Indexes periodicals in archaeology, art, classics, film, folklore, journalism, linguistics, music, the performing arts, philosophy, religion, world history, and world literature. Coverage: citations & abstracts, 1984- ; full text, 1995- In the First Person: An Index to Letters, Diaries, Oral Histories, and Personal Narratives [Open Access] Provides citations to oral histories, letters, diaries, autobiographies, and other personal narratives. Project Muse (Full-text) [UM Only] Provides electronic full text of more than 200 scholarly journals in arts and humanities, social sciences, and mathematics. Sociological Abstracts [UM Only] Provides access to the latest research in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. Indexing began 1963; abstracting began 1974. Other Databases: These databases provide coverage on a wide range of subjects and may be useful in your research. Electronic Journals Service (EJS) [UM Only] Electronic journals service available through a common interface for online journal subscriptions. Search, browse, and identify journals and articles available online in either full-text or table-of-content format. Hyperlinks are provided to more than 1,300 electronic journals worldwide. Expanded Academic Index (1980-) [UM Only] Indexes about 1,900 magazines, journals, and the NY Times newspaper. Most have abstracts, and about 900 are full text. IngentaConnect [Open Access] Formerly Uncover. Browse the publication list or search tables of contents to over 17,000 periodicals; period of coverage varies. Provides document delivery service. JSTOR [UM Only] The JSTOR database consists of complete backfiles of core scholarly journals which have been digitized, starting with the very first issues. Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe [UM Only] Provides full text of many magazines and newspapers, including The Commercial Appeal since 1990. Oxford Reference Online [UM Only] The Oxford Reference Online Premium collection is an online collection of dictionaries and encyclopedias in many fields including: art & architecture, bilingual dictionaries, biological science, classics, computing, earth & environmental sciences, economics & business, English dictionaries and thesauruses, English language reference, food & drink, history, law, literature, maps & illustrations, military history, mythology & folklore, names & places, performing arts, physical sciences & mathematics, politics & social sciences, quotations, religion & philosophy, and science. PowerSearch [UM Only] Searches the 16 InfoTrac databases simultaneously. Web of Knowledge Search platform for Current Contents Connect®;ISI Essential Science Indicators; ISI Proceedings; Science and Technology; Social Sciences and Humanities; Journal Citation Reports® on the Web (Science Edition and Social Sciences Edition; Web of Science (Science Citation Index, Social Sciences Citation Index, Arts & Humanities Citation Index). Use the CrossSearch option to search these resources simultaneously with open access resources such as the AIAA Meeting Papers American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; Agricola; arXiv Computer Science; arXiv Mathematics; All arXiv ePrint Archives; arXiv Nonlinear Sciences; arXiv Physics; arXiv Quantitative Biology; Civil Engineering Database; The Educator's Reference Desk ERIC Database; NTIS Library Documents published since 1990; NASA Astrophysics Data System; Popline Reproductive Health Literature; and PubMed. For instructions on aspects of using WoK, such as searching, setting up alerts, using the search history, see ISI Web of Knowledge Recorded Training. Wilson Omnifile Mega Full Text [UM Only] Provides access to eleven databases: Education , General Science , Humanities , Readers' Guide , Social Sciences, Wilson Business , Art, Applied Science & Technology, Index to Legal Periodicals, Library Literature & Information Science, Biological & Agricultural. Search databases individually, in selected groups, or all at once. WorldCat [UM Only] Records of any type of material cataloged by OCLC member libraries, including books, periodicals, audiovisual materials, and websites. Contains manuscripts written as early as the 12th century. B. Print Indexes and Bibliographies Biography Index (articles in periodicals and books, 1946 - ) [Reference Index Tables] Biography and Genealogy Master Index (basic set, 1980; supplemental volumes: 1981-85;86-90;91-95) [Reference Index Tables] - This master index is a good place to begin looking for biographical information since it covers all the major biographical reference works. It even includes the Biography Index beginning with the 81-85 cumulation.To be comprehensive, search all the cumulative sets. Be alert for variations in name entries as the names (with birth and death dates) are listed as they appear in the original biographical source. New York Times Biographical Service (1970-1996 ) [Reference Newspaper Indexes] - Reprints of articles appearing in the newspaper. Cumulative annual and semi-annual volumes include name indexes. New York Times Name Index (1851-) [Reference Newspaper Indexes] Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature (1890-200) [Reference Index Tables] III. Reference Materials A. Dictionaries Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: Baseball [UM Only] Over 1,450 entries providing access to biographical data, career records, photographs and more. The Biographical Dictionary of Scientists, 2nd ed. [Ref Q141.B526 1994] The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science (2 vols.)[Ref Q141.B5285 2000] Dictionary of American Biography (DAB) (20 vols., 10 suppl.)[Ref E176.D56] - Contains biographical essays on important Americans of the past. Comprehensive index volume through supplement 8. Dictionary of Literary Biography (DLB) [Ref PS21.D53x] - Multivolume set containing biographical and critical essays, including primary and secondary bibliographies, photographs. cumulative index in the last volume of the set. Dictionary of Scientific Biography [Ref Q141.D5] Dictionary of World Biography (10 vols.) [Ref CT104.D54 1998] Larousse Dictionary of Women [Ref HQ1115.L37 1996] B. Encyclopedias General Encyclopedias [Reference, between shelves 5 and 6] - Current editions of major encyclopedias are available in print. Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences [Ref H41.I63] The McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Biography (12 vols.)[Ref CT103.M27] The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives (SEAL) (5 vols.) [Ref CT213.S37 1998] - Includes photographs with substantive articles. A cumulative alphabetical list of subjects and occupations index is at end of the last volume. The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture C. Other American Men and Women of Science (7 vols.)[Ref Q141.A47] American Military Leaders from Colonial Times to the Present (2 vols.) [Ref E181.F84 1999] American National Biography (24 vols.) [Ref CT213 .A68 1999] Available online. Contemporary Authors [Ref Z1224.C6] Separate author index on shelf nearby. Current Biography (1940 - ) Cumulative index 1940-85. [Ref Index Tables] - Long articles about well-known persons in all walks of life. Includes photograph and short bibliography. Also includes pronunciations for unusual or difficult names. Directory of American Scholars [Ref LA2311.C32] Fifty Southern Writers Before 1900: A Bio-Bibliographical Sourcebook [Ref PS261.F543] Fifty Southern Writers After 1900: A Bio-Bibliographical Sourcebook [Ref PS261.F54] International Who's Who [Ref CT120.I5] The Nobel Peace Prize and the Laureates: An Illustrated Biographical History, 1901-2001 [Ref JZ5540.A27 2001] Notable Black American Women (2 vols.)[Ref E185.96 N68 1996] Notable Twentieth Century Scientists (4 vols.)[Ref Q 141.N73] Stage Deaths (2 vols.) [Ref PN2205.S72x 1991] Tennessee Women, Past and Present [Ref HQ1438.R2 T44] Who's Who in America (WWA) (1920 -) [Ref E663.W5612] - WWA contains concise data on notable Americans living at the time of publication. Annual publications in two volumes with a third index volume containing geographic, professional, retiree and necrology indexes. Who Was Who in America with World Notables (WWWA) [Ref E663.W541] - A companion work to WWA, WWWA includes sketches removed from WWA when the biographee has died. It includes date of death and often interment location. Index volumes cover WWWA volumes I-IX and the historical volume (1607-1993). Women of Congress: A Twentieth-Century Odyssey [Ref E747.K37 1996] IV. Government Publications Information published by the federal government and the state of Tennessee is available in the Government Publications Department, located on the first floor of McWherter Library, or at http://exlibris.memphis.edu/resource/unclesam.html. Staff in the Department will help you find and use materials on your topic. V. Web Resources You may want to explore web sites using various internet resources or, if you have them, specific URLs. [See Robert Harris's Internet Search Tips and Strategies ] The web sites listed below are examples of the various types of information available via the Internet. Biography (A & E Television network) Biography Center Biographical Dictionary Distinguished Women of Past and Present The Faces of Science: African-Americans in the Sciences 4000 Years of Women in Science Obituary Daily Times Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia Wikiquote Quotes available in every language Dead People Server Birth and death dates for notorious individuals VI. Course Information Guide to research in McWherter Library VII. Help from the Library Still can't find what you're looking for? Try Ask A Librarian For additional assistance, you may contact the liaison librarian for History: Ed Frank Phone: 901.678.8242 Email: efrank@memphis.edu Top of Page | Research Resources | Instruction | Reference Department | University Libraries | The University of Memphis Updated December 8, 2004