Tertiary sources, such as subject encyclopedias and textbooks, are excellent starting points in your research.  Use them to find:

• Helpful overviews of key facts:  who? what? when?
• Bibliographies of especially key scholarly works.
• Identification of important primary sources.
• Brief descriptions of main scholarly arguments:  how? why?

At Collins Library, you can access subject encyclopedias in a variety of formats: print, ebook, or via larger digital collections.

Print encyclopedias are located on the first floor of the library, across from the Learning Commons. An example:

Online encyclopedias can be accessed via PRIMO, the library's discovery platform.  An example:

Large digital collections of subject encyclopedias can be accessed via several publisher-based platforms: