Research Guides: Law, History & Culture: Finding Encyclopedia & Background Sources

Reference Sources defined

Reference sources (also referred to as tertiary or background sources) are extremely useful for providing authoritative overviews and background information on a topic. They will give you the terminology and the key names, dates and concepts that can be used when conducting online searches for scholarly articles, books, as well as for searching for primary sources and historical newspapers. Many reference sources also provide extensive bibliographies that list the important and influential scholarship on a given topic.

Selection of Online Reference Collections

Oxford Bibliographies Online This link opens in a new window
Developed cooperatively with scholars and librarians worldwide, Oxford Bibliographies offers exclusive, authoritative research guides.
Combining the best features of an annotated bibliography and a high-level encyclopedia, this cutting-edge resource guides researchers to the best available scholarship across a wide variety of subjects.
Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Multidisciplinary collection of encyclopedias and reference sources within the Gale eBooks platform

Selection of Print Reference Sources

The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Political and Legal History
VKC Library, JK9 .O94 2012, 2 volumes
Encyclopedia of United States Indian Policy and Law
Doheny Library, KF8205 .E525 2009, 2 volumes
Encyclopedia of Religion and the Law in America
VKC Library, Reference, KF4865.A68 A54 2009
The Oxford International Encyclopedia of Legal History
Doheny Library, Reference, K50 .O96 2009, 6 volumes

Biographies

American National Biography Online This link opens in a new window
The landmark American National Biography offers portraits of more than 17,400 men and women -- from all eras and walks of life -- whose lives have shaped the nation.
More than a decade in preparation, the American National Biography is the first biographical resource of this scope to be published in more than sixty years.
Biography In Context This link opens in a new window
This database provides biographical information for over 500,000 people.
Search for current or historic figures based on name, nationality, ethnicity, birth/death dates or places, or occupation, as well as by broad subject categories (e.g., the Obama administration, criminals, inventors, etc.), keyword and full text. A sidebar on the home page includes current articles on prominent individuals. Searches can be limited to full-text and/or peer-reviewed articles.Results may include images, video, audio, podcasts, websites.Content comes from over 170 Gale reference works, as well as full-text articles from over 325 newspapers and journals. See Resources for video tutorials and other tips.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography This link opens in a new window
Subtitled "The people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond," the Oxford DNB covers noteworthy people in any walk of life who were connected with the British Isles and British history worldwide (e.g.,/Benjamin Franklin Empress Eugenie of France, Mahatma Gandhi).
Access to the database is limited to 3 users.
Contains signed, scholarly articles, many with extensive bibliographies, of 57,000 individuals, 6,000 of whom are women, who died in 2005 or earlier. Includes thematic interactive maps (e.g., British gardeners) and over 450 theme articles (reference lists, groups, and feature essays). Updated 3 times/year.