Librarian
Research Assistance
Research assistance in the social sciences and humanities is available at the Charles E. Young Research Library. See Research Help for complete Library research support options.
Dictionaries
The UCLA Library has dictionaries of all kinds, ranging from the familiar look-up-a-word type like the Oxford English Dictionary or Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary to very specialized dictionaries for particular fields. You can find these dictionaries in UC Library Search. Here is a list of general dictionaries for historical research.
- Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new windowIncludes 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.
- Kings and Queens of BritainOnline dictionary of monarchs from England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland from myth and Romano-British times to the present day House of Windsor
Encyclopedias
Listed below is a selection of the most recent encyclopedias included in the Research Library Reference Reading Room. To find more sources in the same topic areas, open the catalog record by clicking on the link below. Then click on the Subject Heading(s) in the record.
Introductory Works
The Charles E. Young Research Library holds a large selection of print and electronic reference resources for historical research, including encyclopedias, historical and biographical dictionaries, bibliographies, gazeteers, and atlases.
- 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.
- Gale E-Books (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) This link opens in a new windowA collection of electronic reference sources, including historical dictionaries and encyclopedias
Biographical Information
History scholars often need reference materials related to biographical information and this information can sometimes be difficult to track down. You find some of this information in the encyclopedias and dictionaries listed on the left. Here are some other places to start when looking for these materials. Don't forget to try newspapers that are contemporary to the individual in question.
- Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon EnglandA database which aims to provide structured information relating to all the recorded inhabitants of England from the late sixth to the late eleventh century.
- Biography Index Past and Present (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new windowContains comprehensive index of biographical articles and books about major figures, from popular and scholarly sources, 1946 to present.
- 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.