Librarian
How are encyclopedias and dictionaries useful?
They are great places to locate:
- The meaning of an unfamiliar term
- Background information on a concept or topic
Where can I search for encyclopedias and dictionaries?
Below is a selected list of resources in which you can search for information in encyclopedias and dictionaries:
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Contains 270+ reference titles on virtually every subject. Includes such titles as: Chambers Dictionary of World History, Encyclopedia of African History, Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History, Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society & Culture, Encyclopedia of the American Civil War, Encyclopedia of Women Social Reformers, Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World, New Encyclopedia of the American West, and Reader's Companion to American History
- Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window
Provides access to a number of online, subject specific encyclopedias such as: American Decades, Ancient Greece and Rome, Encyclopedia of American Immigration, Encyclopedia of India, and Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture
- Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
Published by Oxford University Press. A fully-indexed, cross-searchable database of about 100 dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works. Includes such titles as: Dictionary of World History, Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment, Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages, Oxford Companion to United States History, Oxford Companion to World War II, Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages, Oxford Dictionary of the Renaissance, Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States, and Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation
- Britannica Online This link opens in a new window
Online version of the well-known and respected encyclopedia. Browse by categories such as "Subjects", "Biographies", or "Quotations"; or search by keyword.
Selected American History Titles
Below are examples of encyclopedias containing concise information about American history:
American Decades (Vol. 1-10)Cross-disciplinary source for documenting and analyzing periods of contemporary American social history (Vol. 1: 1900-1909; Vol. 2: 1910-1919; Vol. 3: 1920-1929; Vol. 4: 1930-1939: Vol. 5: 1940-1949; Vol. 6: 1950-1959; Vol. 7: 1960-1969; Vol. 8: 1970-1979; Vol. 9: 1980-1989; Vol. 10: 1990-1999)- American Eras: Primary Sources - Early American Civilizations and Exploration to 1600Includes essays on events, publications, lifestyles and individuals important to the era of early American civilizations and exploration before 1600.
- American Eras: Primary Sources - Revolutionary Era (1754-1783)Includes essays on events, publications, lifestyles and individuals important to the Revolutionary Era in U.S. history.
- American Eras: Primary Sources - Development of a Nation (1783-1815)Includes primary sources documenting events, publications, lifestyles, and individuals important to the early Republic period in U.S. History.
American Eras: Primary Sources: Westward Expansion (1800-1860)Includes essays on events, publications, lifestyles and individuals important to the Westward Expansion Era in U.S. history.- American Eras: Primary Sources - Reform Era (1815-1850)Includes essays on events, publications, lifestyles and individuals important to the Reform Era and eastern United States development in U.S. history.
American Eras: Primary Sources: Civil War and Reconstruction (1860-1877)Includes essays on events, publications, lifestyles and individuals important to the Civil War and Reconstruction Era in U.S. history.
American Eras: Primary Sources: Development of the Industrial United States (1878-1899)Includes essays on events, publications, lifestyles and individuals important to the era of industrial development in U.S. history.
- Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and HistoryCovers all aspects of the African-American experience from 1619 to the present day.
Encyclopedia of American Social HistoryCall Number: Reference 973.03 E56a
Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military HistoryCall Number: Reference 973.7 E5647 2000
Encyclopedia of the Romantic Era 1760-1850Call Number: Reference 700.4145 E5647 2004
Working AmericansCall Number: 305.5 D433w (Vols. 1-6)A look at what kind of work Americans did, the homes they lived in, the goods they bought, the entertainment they sought, and the society and history that shaped their world.
