Undergraduate Research Guide: Biographies
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Scope
College Library provides many resources and materials useful to biographical research. Below is a sample of reference books, databases, and Internet sites which offer biographies of people and their accomplishments. Furthermore, suggested searches for finding books using MadCat and journal articles using journal databases are included.
Overview
Facts & Biographical Essays
American Icons
College Library Reference Collection: E 169.1 A472155 2006 V.1-3
Black Women In American
College Library Reference Collection: E 185.86 B542 1993 V. 1-2
Dictionary of Hispanic Biography
College Library Reference Collection: CT 1343 D53 1996
Newsmakers
College Library Reference Collection: CT 120 C664
Notable American Women
College Library Reference Collection: CT 3260 N57 V.1-3
Notable American Women- Completing the Twentieth Century A-Z
College Library Reference Collection: CT 3260 N 5725 2004
Notable American Women- The Modern Period A-Z
College Library Reference Collection: CT 3260 N573 Z
Analysis of Accomplishments
Encyclopedia of Philosophy
College Library Reference Collection: B 41 E5
Encyclopedia of the Republican Party
College Library Reference Collection: JK 2352 K87 1997 V. 1-4
Encyclopedia of Rock Stars
College Library Reference Collection: ML 102 R6 R44 1996
Encyclopedia of Third Parties in America
College Library Reference Collection: JK 2261 E474 2000 V. 1-3
Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music
College Library Reference Collection: ML 102 P66 G84
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology
College Library Reference Collection: Q 121 M3
Oxford Dictionary of Art
College Library Reference Collection: N 33093 2004
World Artists 1950-1980
College Library Reference Collection: N 6489 M34 1984
World Artists 1980-1990
College Library Reference Collection: N 6489 W67 1991
Reference Databases
African American Biographical Database 1790 - 1950 (updated bimonthly)
The AABD contains biographical profiles for African Americans taken from a series of Black Biographical Dictionaries published by Chadwyck-Healey. Most profiles are for people living between 1790 and 1950, although some newer people are included. Searches may be by name, state, occupation, religion, etc. The database is provided through BadgerLink by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. BadgerLink's information resources are available to all public, academic and special libraries, PK-12 schools, institutions of higher education and individual Wisconsin citizens with Internet access.
Biography and Genealogy Master Index 1976 - to date (updated annually)
Citations to more than 4 million current and historical persons are included in the Biography & Genealogy Master Index. Sources include more than 1000 English-language "who's who" type publications, including biographical dictionaries, handbooks, and directories. Name, birth and death dates, and source information are included for persons in all fields. Basic instructions for Biography and Genealogy Master Index
Contemporary Authors 1960 - to date (updated semiannually)
Contemporary Authors offers biographical and bibliographical information on nearly 100,000 modern authors, including novelists, poets, screenwriters, journalists and other nonfiction writers. The database contains the full-text of the following series: Contemporary Authors Vol. 1-140, Contemporary Authors New Revision Series Vol. 1-41, and Contemporary Authors Permanent Series Vol. 1-2. Basic instructions for Contemporary Authors
Current Biography 1940 - to date (updated bimonthly)
Current Biography contains the full text of the biographies and obituaries on the more than 15,000 people that have appeared in Current Biography Yearbook since 1940. Numerous undated biographies and articles that have not appeared in print editions are also available. Current Biography includes artists, politicians, business people, journalists, actors, writers, sports figures, scientists, and other people prominent in the news. In addition, the articles are supplemented with recent citations from Biography Index. The profiles and obituaries are searchable by name, profession, place of origin, gender, race/ethnicity, date of birth or death, and keyword. Basic Instructions for Current Biography
Encyclopaedia Britannica Online 1992 (updated daily)
Britannica Online is a searchable collection of authoritative references, including Britannica's latest encyclopedia articles. Basic instructions for Encyclopædia Britannica Online
Masterplots Complete is only available in campus libraries. It contains full-text essays on works of fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry from Salem Press reference series, such as Masterplots and Masterplots, American Fiction Series. Basic instructions for MasterPlots Complete
Stanford Encyclopedia Of Philosophy 1997 - to date (updated and archived quarterly)
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is an ongoing scholarly reference work. It is a "dynamic" encyclopedia, because each entry is maintained and kept up to date by an expert or group of experts in the field. Fixed editions are made and archived on a quarterly basis. The entries and subsequent updates are refereed by an editorial board before they are put online. See the Unabridged Table of Contents for the complete list of projected and assigned entries.
Finding Journal and News Articles
Below are links to databases that cover this subject area. The truncation symbol for all of them is an asterisk (*) unless otherwise noted.
- Sample searches for databases:
-
Malcolm X and civil rights
Frida Kahlo and art*
Louise Brooks
Recommended Databases:
Academic Search 1984 - to date (updated daily)
This library database indexes approximately 3,100 popular magazines and academic journals and provides the full-text articles from approximately 1,000 journals. Basic instructions for Academic Search
A full-text collection of more than 200 newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press. Basic instructions for Ethnic Newswatch
GenderWatch 1980 - to date (updated quarterly)
A women's and gender issues database with full-text coverage of most journals. Basic instructions for GenderWatch
Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe Dates Vary (updated daily)
Contains the full-text articles from U.S. and international newspapers (including the New York Times, June 1980 - to date), as well as some news and business magazines and trade journals. The truncation symbol is an exclamation point (!). Basic instructions for Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe
ProQuest Research Library 1988 - to date (updated daily)
Indexes over 2,000 general-interest and academic journals. Nearly 1,000 periodicals are full-text. Dates vary, but many full-text journals go back to 1988. Basic instructions for ProQuest Research Library
Readers' Guide Full Text and Retrospective 1890 - to date (updated monthly)
Indexes 240 popular magazines in a wide range of subject areas. Full-text coverage of 131 titles begins with 1994. Basic instructions for Readers' Guide Full Text
Finding Books
MadCat
Books on people and their accomplishments can be found in MadCat, the UW-Madison library catalog.
- Sample keyword searches:
-
"Tony Blair" and biography
"Toni Morrison" and writ?
"Ingrid Bergman"All of these searches can be limited to College Library to see available titles.
Internet Sites
Biographical Search Engines
Yahoo! Directory: People
http://dir.yahoo.com/society_and_culture/people/
A directory primarily organized by profession, Yahoo provides links to a variety of biographical Web sites concerning anything from magicians to economists.
Freeality Biographies
http://www.freeality.com/biograph.htm
Freeality not only offers links to various biographical Internet resources, but also provides a search box for each site; while the sites listed are not necessarily as comprehensive as those found in Yahoo, there are some unique finds like the "Dead People Server."
General Biography
Biography.com
http://www.biography.com/
From A&E Television, this site includes short biographies of over 25,000 people. Entries also give links to related people and related Web sites.
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage - Biographies
http://www.galegroup.com/free_resources/chh/bio/index.htm
This site offers very thorough biographies of notable, contemporary Hispanic people, like Edward James Olmos and Jennifer Lopez; each biography provides links to further resources.
Distinguished Women of Past and Present
http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/
A valuable resource for biographies of women, this site can be browsed by subject or name. Many women -- representing various time periods, countries, and accomplishments -- are featured, with each name often linked to two or more Internet references. This site also offers an exhaustive list of links to related sites.
Encyclopaedia of USA History
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USA.htm
This site, which can be browsed by topics like "Woman's Suffrage" and "Trade Unions," gives comprehensive biographies of the figures instrumental to the history of the United States.
Infoplease.com: Biography
http://www.infoplease.com/people.html
A good first stop when researching biographies, Infoplease.com offers concise biographies of notable public figures. The site can be searched by name and browsed by topics like "American Indians" and "Supreme Court Justices."
Librarians' Internet Index: People
http://lii.org/pub/topic/people
The Index lists biography sites in several categories. Click on Notable People.
Voices from the Gaps
http://voices.cla.umn.edu/
A comprehensive site offering biographies of underrepresented women writers of color. It can be browsed by an author's name, birthplace, racial/ethnic background, or significant dates. By no means complete, the site is a work-in-progress, with new authors added periodically. Of particular interest are the links to related sites.
Political Biography
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp
A very user-friendly site, it offers biographical information on political figures from 1774 to the present; it can be searched by name, or browsed by position and/or state.
First Ladies' Gallery
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/
Featuring comprehensive biographies of the women behind the presidency, this site can be browsed by name and time period.
POTUS: Presidents of the United States
http://www.potus.com/
A valuable resource for researching presidents past and present, this site lists biographies of the presidents in chronological order of term. Each biography provides links to that president's historical documents, election results, and cabinet members, to name a few. Furthermore, the site can be browsed by subject or significant historical events like "Bay of Pigs."