Online Biographies
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American National Biography Online This link opens in a new windowBiographies of more than 19,000 men and women who have influenced American history.
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World Biographical Information System Online (WBIS) This link opens in a new window
Contains biographical profiles of people from all centuries as well as all countries and regions worldwide. Compiles biographical articles from printed reference works published from the 16th to the 20th century, and reproduces these original documents as facsimile images on the screen.
Online Dictionary
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Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
Includes the complete text of the Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. plus quarterly updates of new and revised entries. Trace the origin and history of words and their meanings in this etymological dictionary.
What Are Reference Sources?
Reference materials provide well-researched, usually concise, information—for example, facts, definitions, histories, overviews of a topic, statistics—on a large subject area (e.g., sociology or dance) or for a type of data (e.g., biographies or directories). They pack lots of information into one easy-to-find place, and support student research in a number of ways:
- Quick access to simple, reliable, factual information in sources such as dictionaries, polls, and biographies.
- General overviews and introductions to fields and terms you may not be familiar with in sources such as encyclopedias and topical guidebooks.
- Referral to additional information sources that offer more detail or lead to journal articles and other kinds of materials, such as subject-specific indexes and encyclopedias.
Many reference works are available online and are accessible through links from the library catalog and from subject or course guides, but many valuable reference resources are still available only in print. Most recent print editions may be kept in separate, non-circulating reference collections in some UCLA Library locations..
Getting Started with Reference Sources
To unlock the content of the Library's extensive reference collections, try searching the source below.
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Reference Universe This link opens in a new window
A good place to start, but note that it is an index to over 15 million articles in 11,000 subject encyclopedias and handbooks, both print and online and does not provide full-text articles. Instead, it will connect you to our catalog so you know where to find the appropriate encyclopedia, dictionary or other reference work. You will be linked to UCLA's holdings for any entries you find.
Online Reference Collections
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Gale E-Books (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) This link opens in a new window
Online encyclopedias, dictionaries, and specialized reference sources, primarily in the social sciences and humanities.
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Oxford Bibliographies Online This link opens in a new window
Annotated bibliographies for topics in multiple disciplines of the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Combines encyclopedia-style introductions with expert recommendations of the most important reference works, books, journals, and primary sources on the topic. The UC system subscribes to a selected number of subject area modules from Oxford Bibliographies.
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Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
Spans 25 different subject areas, bringing together digitized entries across Oxford University Press’s Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopedias. UC subscription allows limited simultaneous users, so if you can't connect try again later. Please note: UCLA Library has access to a selected number of Oxford reference titles, and not the entire set.
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Routledge Handbooks Online This link opens in a new windowHandbooks covering a wide range of humanities, social sciences, psychology and some science topics, published by Routledge, Ashgate and other imprints. Some CRC Press handbooks can also be accessed via this particular site.
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SAGE Knowledge This link opens in a new windowE-books and reference works in the social sciences. Includes scholarly monographs, reference works, handbooks, series, professional development titles, and more. Includes books published by both Sage and CQ Press. UCLA subscribes to only a small fraction of the books available, and not all content from Sage.
Selected Reference Sources for Asian American Studies at UCLA Library
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The Routledge Handbook of Asian American Studies
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The Routledge Handbook of Asian American Studies brings together leading scholars and scholarship to capture the state of the field of Asian American Studies, as a generation of researchers have expanded the field with new paradigms and methodological tools. Inviting readers to consider new understandings of the historical work done in the past decades and the place of Asian Americans in a larger global context, this ground-breaking volume illuminates how research in the field of Asian American Studies has progressed. Previous work in the field has focused on establishing a place for Asian Americans within American history. This volume engages more contemporary research, which draws on new archives, art, literature, film, and music, to examine how Asian Americans are redefining their national identities, and to show how race interacts with gender, sexuality, class, and the built environment, to reveal the diversity of the United States. Organized into five parts, and addressing a multitude of interdisciplinary areas of interest to Asian American scholars, it covers: * a reframing of key themes such as transnationality, postcolonialism, and critical race theory * U.S. imperialism and its impact on Asian Americans * war and displacement * the garment industry * Asian Americans and sports * race and the built environment * social change and political participation * and many more themes. Exploring people, practice, politics, and places, this cutting-edge volume brings together the best themes current in Asian American Studies today, and is a vital reference for all researchers in the field.
ISBN: 9781317813910Date: 2016 -
The Oxford Handbook of Asian American History
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The Oxford Handbook of Asian American History brings together 27 essays that engage the state of the field with historiographically informed but creative approaches to this diverse and vibrant area. The chapters trace Asian American history from the beginning of the migration flows toward the Pacific Islands and the American continent to Japanese American incarceration and Asian American participation in World War II, from the experience of exclusion, violence, and racism to the social and political activism of the late twentieth century. The authors explore many of the key aspects of the Asian American experience, including politics, economy, intellectual life, the arts, education, religion, labor, gender, family, urban development, and legal history.
ISBN: 9780199860470Date: 2016 -
Asian American History Day by Day
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For student research, this reference highlights the importance of Asian Americans in U.S. history, the impact of specific individuals, and this ethnic group as a whole across time; documenting evolving policies, issues, and feelings concerning this particular American population. Asian American History Day by Day: A Reference Guide to Events provides a uniquely interesting way to learn about events in Asian American history that span several hundred years (and the contributions of Asian Americans to U.S. culture in that time). The book is organized in the form of a calendar, with each day of the year corresponding with an entry about an important event, person, or innovation that span several hundred years of Asian American history and references to books and websites that can provide more information about that event. Readers will also have access to primary source document excerpts that accompany the daily entries and serve as additional resources that help bring history to life. With this guide in hand, teachers will be able to more easily incorporate Asian American history into their classes, and students will find the book an easy-to-use guide to the Asian American past and an ideal "jumping-off point" for more targeted research.
ISBN: 9780313399282Date: 2018 -
Asian Americans: An Encyclopedia of Social, Cultural, Economic, and Political History
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This is the most comprehensive and up-to-date reference work on Asian Americans, comprising three volumes that address a broad range of topics on various Asian and Pacific Islander American groups from 1848 to the present day.
ISBN: 9798400615214Date: 2013 -
Asian American Society
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Asian Americans are a growing, minority population in the United States. After a 46 percent population growth between 2000 and 2010 according to the 2010 Census, there are 17.3 million Asian Americans today. Yet Asian Americans as a category are a diverse set of peoples from over 30 distinctive Asian-origin subgroups that defy simplistic descriptions or generalizations. They face a wide range of issues and problems within the larger American social universe despite the persistence of common stereotypes that label them as a "model minority" for the generalized attributes offered uncritically in many media depictions. Asian American Society: An Encyclopedia provides a thorough introduction to the wide-ranging and fast-developing field of Asian American studies. Published with the Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS), two volumes of the four-volume encyclopedia feature more than 300 A-to-Z articles authored by AAAS members and experts in the field who examine the social, cultural, psychological, economic, and political dimensions of the Asian American experience. The next two volumes of this work contain approximately 200 annotated primary documents, organized chronologically, that detail the impact American society has had on reshaping Asian American identities and social structures over time. Features: More than 300 articles authored by experts in the field, organized in A-to-Z format, help students understand Asian American influences on American life, as well as the impact of American society on reshaping Asian American identities and social structures over time. A core collection of primary documents and key demographic and social science data provide historical context and key information. A Reader′s Guide groups related entries by broad topic areas and themes; a Glossary defines key terms; and a Resource Guide provides lists of books, academic journals, websites and cross references. The multimedia digital edition is enhanced with 75 video clips and features strong search-and-browse capabilities through the electronic Reader's Guide, detailed index, and cross references. Available in both print and online formats, this collection of essays is a must-have resource for general and research libraries, Asian American/ethnic studies libraries, and social science libraries.
ISBN: 9781452281896Date: 2014 -
Asian American Culture
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Providing comprehensive coverage of a variety of Asian American cultural forms, including folk tradition, literature, religion, education, politics, sports, and popular culture, this two-volume work is an ideal resource for students and general readers that reveals the historical, regional, and ethnic diversity within specific traditions.An invaluable reference for school and public libraries as well as academic libraries at colleges and universities, this two-volume encyclopedia provides comprehensive coverage of a variety of Asian American cultural forms that enables readers to understand the history, complexity, and contemporary practices in Asian American culture. The contributed entries address the diversity of a group comprising people with geographically discrete origins in the Far East, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent, identifying the rich variations across the category of Asian American culture that are key to understanding specific cultural expressions while also pointing out some commonalities.Entries are organized alphabetically and cover topics in the arts; education and politics; family and community; gender and sexuality; history and immigration; holidays, festivals, and folk tradition; literature and culture; media, sports, and popular culture; and religion, belief, and spirituality. Entries also broadly cover Asian American origins and history, regional practices and traditions, contemporary culture, and art and other forms of shared expression. Accompanying sidebars throughout serve to highlight key individuals, major events, and significant artifacts and allow readers to better appreciate the Asian American experience.
ISBN: 9781440829215Date: 2016 -
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Asian American Literature and Culture
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This project offers the largest and most comprehensive collection of scholarship on Asian American literature and culture to date. More than one hundred original and in-depth articles survey the historical foundations of this rich field, showing the exciting and profound new directions that currently drive the study of Asian American literary and cultural traditions. Along with literary works from the late-19th century to the 21st century, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Asian American Literature and Culture covers a wide-ranging selection of Asian American theatre, dance, music, visual arts, film, television, and media.
ISBN: 9780190866440Date: 2020 -
Historical dictionary of Asian American Literature and Theater
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Contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 700 cross-referenced entries on genres, major terms, and authors
ISBN: 9781538157329Date: 2022 -
The Routledge Companion to Asian American Media
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The Routledge Companion to Asian American Media offers readers a comprehensive examination of the way that Asian Americans have engaged with media, from the long history of Asian American actors and stories that have been featured in mainstream film and television, to the birth and development of a distinctly Asian American cinema, to the ever-shifting frontiers of Asian American digital media. Contributor essays focus on new approaches to the study of Asian American media including explorations of transnational and diasporic media, studies of intersectional identities encompassed by queer or mixed race Asian Americans, and examinations of new media practices that challenge notions of representation, participation, and community. Expertly organized to represent work across disciplines, this companion is an essential reference for the study of Asian American media and cultural studies.
ISBN: 9781317540847Date: 2017 -
Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife
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As the global and transnational relationship between Asia and America grow, so too are Asian American traditions, including folklore and folklife, becoming increasingly important to all Americans. Whether expressed in a Pakistani folk dance, a Mongolian religious story, or a song by Japanese American rapper Mike Shinoda, expressions of Asian American folklife are an important part of cultural life in America today.
ISBN: 9798400615092Date: 2010 -
The SAGE Encyclopedia of Filipina/x/o American Studies
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Filipino Americans are one of the three largest Asian American groups in the United States and the second largest immigrant population in the country. Yet within the field of Asian American Studies, Filipino American history and culture have received comparatively less attention than have other ethnic groups. Over the past twenty years, however, Filipino American scholars across various disciplines have published numerous books and research articles, as a way of addressing their unique concerns and experiences as an ethnic group. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Filipina/x/o American Studies, the first on the topic of Filipino American Studies, offers a comprehensive survey of an emerging field, focusing on the Filipino diaspora in the United States as well as highlighting issues facing immigrant groups in general. It covers a broad range of topics and disciplines including activism and education, arts and humanities, health, history and historical figures, immigration, psychology, regional trends, and sociology and social issues.
ISBN: 9781071829011Date: 2022 -
Handbook of Asian American Health
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Asian Americans encounter a range of health issues often unknown to the American public, policy makers, researchers and even clinicians. National research often combines Asian Americans into a single category, not taking into account the differences and complexity among Asian ethnic subgroups. The definition of Asian American derives from the U.S. Census Bureau s definition of Asian, which includes peoples from all the vast territories of the Far East, Southeast Asia and the South Asian Subcontinent. While Census classifications determine demographic measurements that affect equal opportunity programs, the broad rubric Asian-American can never describe accurately the more than 50 distinct Asian American subgroups, who together comprise multifaceted diversity across cultural ethnicities, socio-economic status, languages, religions and generations. This volume rectifies that situation by exploring the unique needs and health concerns of particular subgroups within the Asian American community. It consolidates a wide range of knowledge on various health issues impacting Asian Americans while also providing a discussion into the cultural, social, and structural forces impacting morbidity, mortality and quality of life. The volume is designed to advance the understanding of Asian American health by explaining key challenges and identifying emerging trends faced in specific ethnic groups and diseases/illnesses, innovative community-based interventions and the future needed areas of research."
ISBN: 1283697033Date: 2013
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Asian American History and Culture: An Encyclopedia
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With overview essays and more than 400 A-Z entries, this exhaustive encyclopedia documents the history of Asians in America from earliest contact to the present day. Organized topically by group, with an in-depth overview essay on each group, the encyclopedia examines the myriad ethnic groups and histories that make up the Asian American population in the United States. "Asian American History and Culture" covers the political, social, and cultural history of immigrants from East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Pacific Islands, and their descendants, as well as the social and cultural issues faced by Asian American communities, families, and individuals in contemporary society. In addition to entries on various groups and cultures, the encyclopedia also includes articles on general topics such as parenting and child rearing, assimilation and acculturation, business, education, and literature. More than 100 images round out the set.
Call Number: YRL Reference Reading Room: E184.A75 A8287 2010ISBN: 9780765680778Date: 2010 -
Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (3 vol.)
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Covers prominent individuals from colonial times through the present, offering a fascinating perspective on Asian and Pacific Islander American history in the United States. Great Lives from History: Asian & Pacific Islander Americans features 567 essays on people from the late eighteenth through the early twenty-first centuries. The vast majority of the figures included in this set have never been covered in any Great Lives series before. Many of them are household names, famous for their work in such fields as entertainment, sports, civil rights, politics, and literature. Others have received less attention but made important contributions in such fields as education, journalism, business, and science. Their subjects are Asian and Pacific Islander Americans who have undertaken a wide range of endeavors from late colonial times into the twenty-first century-coverage that is essential in any liberal arts curriculum.
Call Number: YRL Reference Reading Room: E184.A75 A85 2013ISBN: 9781587658600Date: 2013 -
Keywords for Asian American Studies
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Introduces key terms, research frameworks, debates, and histories for Asian American Studies Born out of the Civil Rights and Third World Liberation movements of the 1960s and 1970s, Asian American Studies has grown significantly over the past four decades, both as a distinct field of inquiry and as a potent site of critique. Characterized by transnational, trans-Pacific, and trans-hemispheric considerations of race, ethnicity, migration, immigration, gender, sexuality, and class, this multidisciplinary field engages with a set of concepts profoundly shaped by past and present histories of racialization and social formation. The keywords included in this collection are central to social sciences, humanities, and cultural studies and reflect the ways in which Asian American Studies has transformed scholarly discourses, research agendas, and pedagogical frameworks. Spanning multiple histories, numerous migrations, and diverse populations, Keywords for Asian American Studies reconsiders and recalibrates the ever-shifting borders of Asian American studies as a distinctly interdisciplinary field. Visit keywords.nyupress.org for online essays, teaching resources, and more.
Call Number: Powell Library: E184.A75 K49 2015; YRL: E184.A75 K49 2015ISBN: 9781479874538Date: 2015 -
Asian American Leadership: A Reference Guide
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An authoritative, up-to-date reference guide organized in A to Z fashion covering all the major inter-disciplinary themes related to individual and group leadership in the Asian American communities and beyond. Key themes include Asian American academic, business, political, scientific and sports leadership. Appropriate for academic, public and high school libraries.
Call Number: YRL: E184.A75 A841442 2015ISBN: 9780990730040Date: 2015
