Collins Memorial Library: HISTORY: SUBJECT GUIDE: Getting Started

Online Reference Collections

Not sure where to look? Each of these online collections will introduce you to a wealth of dictionaries and encyclopedias.

ABC CLIO eBooks This link opens in a new window
This eBook Collection contains encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, and guides from ABC-CLIO, Greenwood Press, Libraries Unlimited, and Praeger.
Gale eBooks
Provides full text online access to Gale electronic books, including encyclopedias and other reference resources.
Oxford Reference
Includes over 100 specialized Oxford dictionaries, encyclopedias, and handbooks.
SAGE Knowledge
Selection of subject encyclopedias published by Sage; especially strong in the social sciences.

Biographical Reference

American National Biography by John A. Garraty (Editor); Mark C. Carnes (Editor)
Call Number: CT213 .A68 1999 (v. 1-24) Print reference
ISBN: 9780195206357
Publication Date: 1999
Contains over 17,500 profiles on historical figures written by an expert in the field and completed with a bibliography.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography by H. C. G. Matthew (Editor); Brian Harrison (Editor)
Call Number: DA28 .O95 2004 (v. 1-61), Print reference
ISBN: 9780198614111
Publication Date: 2004
The ODNB is a collection of 50,000 specially written biographies of men and women who have shaped all aspects of the British past, from the earliest times to the end of the year 2000.

Also try the Biography Reference Center, an online database that offers entries on nearly half a million persons.

Reference Resources for History

The subject encyclopedias listed on this page have a very broad focus, but Collins Library also has hundreds of even more specialized history reference resources, both print and online, that focus on specific regions, eras, or themes. Please search Primo to identify additional encyclopedias and dictionaries or ask a librarian for suggestions.

Subject Encyclopedias: General History

Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History, 2nd ed. by William Hardy McNeill (Editor)
Call Number: Click on title above for online access.
ISBN: 9781933782652
Publication Date: 2010
Provides an integrated view of the history of our global community from a 21st-century perspective, with a focus on environmental and social issues. Examines connections and interactions made over time (and across cultures and locales) through trade, warfare, migration, religion, and diplomacy.
New Dictionary of the History of Ideas by Maryanne Cline Horowitz (editor)
Call Number: Click on title above for online access
ISBN: 9780684313771
Publication Date: 2004
Provides extensive entries on key concepts in intellectual history, ranging from aesthetics and authenticity to virtue ethics and yoga.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History by Bonnie G. Smith (Editor)
Call Number: Click on title above for online access.
ISBN: 9780195148909
Publication Date: 2008
This reference work comprehensively covers the role women have played throughout world history with over 650 biographies of influential women and over 600 topical articles covering topics such as geography and history, culture and society, organizations, movements, and gender studies.

Subject Encyclopedias: Region- or Country Focus

Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture by Jay Kinsbruner
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access.
Publication Date: 2008
Provides a comprehensive, multidisciplinary view of Latin American history and culture from prehistoric times to the present. Covers cultural issues and includes numerous biographical profiles of important figures in politics, letters and the arts.
Encyclopedia of Modern Asia by David Levinson; Karen Christensen
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access.
Publication Date: 2002
The Encyclopedia's comparative, cross-cultural approach examines the similarities and differences among Asian nations and religions. The work focuses on Asia in the modern world and contemporary issues are given full and authoritative treatment.
Encyclopedia of Africa by Henry Louis Gates (Editor); Kwame Anthony Appiah (Editor)
Call Number: Click on title above for online access.
ISBN: 9780195337709
Publication Date: 2010
The articles cover prominent individuals, events, trends, places, political movements, art forms, business and trade, religions, ethnic groups, organizations, and countries throughout Africa.
Dictionary of American History, 3rd ed. by Stanley I. Kutler
Call Number: Click on title above for online access.
ISBN: 9780684805337
Publication Date: 2003
Standard reference work for U.S. history.

What's a tertiary source?

Tertiary sources are excellent starting points! They consist of information synthesized from primary and secondary sources. Examples include:

Almanacs
Chronologies
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Directories
Fact books
Guidebooks
Indexes, abstracts, bibliographies used to locate primary and secondary sources
Manuals
Textbooks

These resources give you succinct overviews of your topic, explain scholarly arguments, point out interesting questions, and refer you to especially key sources.