Major Reference Sources by Subject
Below are descriptions of core reference works. We have provided the LC call number we use for them at the UIS Library.
All the hyperlinks will require you to use your NetworkID/password to access the database, unless it is free to everyone.
General/All Subjects
- New Encyclopedia Britannica [REF AE5 .E363 2002] -- considered the most scholarly of the general encyclopedias. Broken into 2 sections, Micropaedia for shorter entries on more topics, and Macropaedia, longer entries on fewer topics. You need to look subjects up in the index to figure out which set your topic is in. Their website offers short teaser entries, then wants you to subscribe. (We will be adding it to our database collection by fall.) Encyclopedia Americana is a good, all-purpose encyclopedia. World Book is a bit simpler, but has the best pictures of the three. We have Funk & Wagnall's Encyclopedia available online, which is similar to World Book in size, scope, and quality.
- World Almanac and Book of Facts [REF AY67.N5 W7] -- annual publication with lots of facts at your fingertips, though difficult to browse. (In the print version I can never find anything without looking in the index or table of contents first.) Available as one of the FirstSearch databases, thus making it keyword searchable, which may or may not eliminate the need to consult the index/table of contents, depending on how common your term is.
Art
- Dictionary of Art [REF N31 .D5 1996] -- 34 volume set published in 1996. Some of the entries are almost book-length for topics like Chinese art. Only shortcoming are the reproductions of the art themselves in the print set aren't that great. But the text and analysis is first rate.
Biography
- American National Biography [print version REF CT213 .A68] -- offers 1-5 page signed entries on over 18,000 famous Americans including portraits, background, accomplishments, etc. The entries are mainly written by academics and include a bibliography at the end, with suggested readings. However, only people who are deceased are included. The database is quite easy to use -- just type in the name of the person in the blue Search Now! box. There are hyperlinks to related entries.
- Biographies Plus -- offers full text biographical information for over 111,000 famous people from all over the world from several sets of reference books, including Current Biography, World Authors, and Nobel Prize Winners. (Also offers information about books and articles about the person.)
- Contemporary Authors [print version REF PN771 .5813] -- is very useful for any person who's written books, fiction or nonfiction. It offers full text biographical information on over 120,000 authors.
- Biography & Genealogy Master Index is an online database that indexes around 1500 different reference works, for a total of over 15.7 million citations, and it also will tell you if your person is discussed in an article cited in an index called Biography Index (but not the citations to the articles themselves). This is a great resource when looking for someone obscure -- saves you hunting in each encyclopedia or dictionary one by one.
Business
- Hoover's Handbook of American Business (in LexisNexis Academic database) [REF HG4057 .A28622, also available online in LexisNexis Academic: click on Business, then Company Profiles] -- offers 1 page analysis of publicly owned companies. Can quickly find information on their finances, major competitors, and outlook.
- International Directory of Company Histories [REF HD2721 .I63] -- offers 4-5 page entries on the history of major companies. Very useful for overview of the company. To find a particular company, check the index of the last volume in the set.
- Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys [database in the library on 3 dedicated computers] -- quarterly publication that offers an analysis of the state of a particular industry, with financial data on major corporations within that industry.
Careers
Criminal Justice
- Encyclopedia of Crime & Justice -- e-book version of this 2nd edition (2002) four-volume set, with around 250 signed, lengthy articles with suggested readings and pertinent legal cases, aimed at law enforcement professionals
- Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment [REF HV 6017 .E524 2002, 4 volumes] -- around 440 signed entries on all issues relating to criminal justice, ranging from 2-10 pages
- Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics [print version DOC J 29.9/6:1974-present] -- From the Bureau of Justice Statistics, crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government. See also FBI's Uniform Crime Reports and State Police's Crime in Illinois
Education
- Encyclopedia of Education, 2nd Ed. [REF LB15 .E47 2003] -- 8 volume set, with multi-page, signed entries
- National Faculty Directory [REF L901 .N34] -- annual 3 volume set with names and addresses of U.S. faculty members
- Patterson's American Education [REF L901 .P3] -- annual directory to all educational institutions, K-12 and higher education, arranged geographically
Films
- Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever [REF PN1992.95 .V554] -- while there are lots of movie review books, this one has amazing indexing, with the standard awards, cast, and director indexes, but also writer, cinematographer, and composer. But the really impressive indexing is by genre, and they clearly had fun putting together their categories, e.g. alien beings - benign, alien beings - vicious, and aliens are people too. Updated annually.
Geography
- Columbia Gazetteer of the World [REF G103.5 .C645 1998] -- 3 volume set, updated in 1998.
- World Factbook [DOC. PREX3.15] -- publication from the CIA offering a summary of countries and statistics.
- See also the range of atlases in the REF G's.
Government/Political Science
- Almanac of American Politics [REF JK1012 .B3X] -- annual almanac, with lots of factual information about Congressional members
- Congressional Directory [REF JK1011 .U6X] -- official directory for the U.S. House of Representatives & Senate, published every Congressional year from the Joint Committee on Printing.
- International Year Book & Statesman's Who's Who [REF JA51. I57] -- annual British publication, with brief summaries of countries and economic/political statistics
- see also FirstGov, portal to U.S. government websites, and www.illinois.gov for State of Illinois. For historical information about what a particular agency did, who was in charge, etc., see the U.S. Government Manual [DOC AE 1.108/2: year; 1995-present online at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/index.html] or the Illinois Blue Book [DOC.IL A 1: year; 1900-present digitized copies at http://eli.sls.lib.il.us/cgi-bin/ida/briefidarecord.pl?record=2691].
History/Chronologies
- Chase's Calendar of Events [REF D11.5 .C4802] -- annual book & CD telling you when International Accordian Awareness Month is, along with virtually every other special holiday or day/week/month observance. Browse by date, or check the index to find out when a particular holiday is.
- Chronology of World History [REF D 11 .M39 1999] -- 4 volume set, offering timelines of history and what happened on a particular date.
- Dictionary of American History, 3rd Ed. [REF E 174 .D52 2003] -- 10 volume set, with 1-5 page signed entries
- Also have multi-volume sets on Asia, Middle East, etc. in the REF D's.
Language & Literature
- Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry [REF PN1022 .G7] -- guide to figuring out where a particular poem is published, good indexing by poet, name of poem, and first line. Also have a Short Story Index [REF PN3321 .C62] that serves the same purpose.
- Familiar Quotations: A Collection of Passages, Phrases, and Proverbs Traced to Their Sources in Ancient and Modern Literature [REF PN6081 .B27 1992] -- a.k.a. Bartlett's, best known quotation book now in it's 16th edition. The 10th edition (1919) is available for free at Bartleby.com.
- Oxford English Dictionary (a.k.a. OED) [REF PE1625 .O87 1989] -- not your standard dictionary, this 20 volume set attempts to trace the history of usage of English words with quotes and references.
Law
- Black's Law Dictionary [REF KF156 .B53 1999] -- best known legal dictionary
- West's Encyclopedia of American Law [REF KF154 .W47 1998] -- 12 volume encyclopedia aimed at a general audience with entries about legal points of law and famous court cases.
Medicine
- Merck Manual of Diagnosis & Therapy [REF RC55 .M4] -- standard work on diseases and illnesses; a hypochondriac's dream reference book
- There are also numerous medical dictionaries -- Mosby's, Stedman's, Taber's, etc. usually around REF R121. Stedman's is available online as part of EBSCOhost's Health Source: Nursing/Academic. (Click on the button Medical Dictionary on the top of the page.)
Music
- Garland Encyclopedia of World Music [REF ML100 .G16 1998] -- unique 10 volume set, with lengthy entries about indigenous music around the world, and accompanied by CD-ROMs with samples of the music.
- New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians [REF ML100 .N48 2001] -- 29 volume work, updating the standard encyclopedia for music.
Sciences (General)
- CRC Handbook of Chemistry & Physics [REF QD65 .H301]-- published annually, offers a wealth of quick, factual scientific information on a variety of "hard" science topics.
- Encyclopedia of Life Sciences [REF QH302.5 .E525 2002] -- encyclopedia with multi-page entries aimed at the general public and experts.
- Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia [REF QL3 .G7813] -- 16 volume work with lots of color photographs. netLibrary E-book version is broken up by type of animal: Lower Metazoans and Lesser Deuterostomes, Protostomes, Insects, Fishes, Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals.
- McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology [REF Q121 .M3 2002] -- 20 volume set, aimed at an academic audience.
- Also have multi-volume sets on physics, chemistry, etc.
Statistics
- Statistical Abstract of the United States [latest print version at Information Desk] -- the first place to look for statistical information. Gives a source for all tables, so if you don't find exactly what you are looking for, you can at least determine what federal agency is likely to have collected that data. Note that the numbers in the index are table numbers, not page numbers.
- For the most requested federal statistics (unemployment, income, crime rate, etc.), see the White House's Briefing Rooms.
- For population and demographic data, see the Census Bureau. They offer extensive online access to their data, from State, County & City QuickFacts, to the more complex American FactFinder. They also produce analytical reports from their data on population, social, and economic issues, such as Poverty in the United States or Educational Attainment in the United States.
- For links to major statistical compilations by subject, see Find Federal Statistics or Find State of Illinois Statistics. Also try FedStats, a federal government portal to government statistics. I have more luck with the A-Z Topic list than the search feature though.
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