Biographical Information
Below are some basic places to start when looking for biographical information. Don't forget to try newspapers that are contemporary to the individual in question, and to search for print encyclopedias and biographies in the Library Catalog.
- American National Biography Online This link opens in a new windowBiographies of more than 19,000 men and women who have influenced American history.
- Oxford Dictionary of National BiographyBiographies of British individuals throughout history.
- Biography IndexIndexes biographies in periodicals and some reference books, published 1984-present.
Online Reference Tools
Use these reference books to provide an overview of your topic, define terms, and list recommended readings. If connecting from home, make sure your computer is configured for off-campus access.
- Gale E-Books (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) This link opens in a new windowFull text online of several interdisciplinary reference books that are cross-searchable
- 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.
- Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new windowOxford Handbooks, now a part of Oxford Academic, provide review articles which summarize and analyze current research and trends in a given discipline. UCLA subscribes to most Oxford Handbooks Online, excluding a few individual titles.
- SAGE Knowledge This link opens in a new windowCollection of full-text reference works, including the Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Violence, the Encyclopedia of Gender and Society, the Encyclopedia of Global Health, and the Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society.
- Encyclopedia of Women & Islamic CulturesOnline edition of this major multi-volume work on numerous aspects of religion and culture, encompassing many geographic regions.
- International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral SciencesMajor online social science encyclopedia, including many entries relevant to the study of gender and sexuality. Includes entry on "Gender and Feminist Studies in History," among others.
- Oxford Reference This link opens in a new windowContains several searchable interdisciplinary reference works from Oxford.
- Historical Statistics of the United States-Millennial Edition Online This link opens in a new windowSearchable updated source of historical data on government statistics, including population, work and welfare, economics, and more.
- Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical EncyclopediaFreely available online encyclopedia from the Jewish Women's Archive, including thousands of entries and bibliographies.
- Daily Life through History (Academic) This link opens in a new windowIncludes reference books, images, time lines and primary documents on a range of topics related to world history, folklore, and culture depicting essential activities of daily life across the globe and throughout history.
- Popular Culture UniverseDigital library of reference entries, images, and other introductory materials covering arts and visual culture, film, fashion, gender and ethnicity, youth culture, and more.
- 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.
- Black Studies Center This link opens in a new windowHistorical and current material for researching the past, present and future of African-Americans, the wider African Diaspora, and Africa itself. It is comprised of several cross-searchable component databases, including International Index to Black Periodicals, Black Literature Index and Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience (interdisciplinary essays written by leading scholars on the Black Experience).
- African American Experience This link opens in a new window
Reference books, monographs, primary documents, manuscripts, speeches, court cases, quotations, advertisements, and statistics concerning African American history and culture. Contains over 4,000 interviews with former slaves; 67 Negro University Press texts from the late 1700s to the early 1970s.
- Latino American Experience This link opens in a new window
Focuses on the history and culture of Latinos living in the United States. Its content spans from the pre-Columbian indigenous civilizations of the Americas, through the Spanish and Mexican settlement of much of what is now the United States.
- American Indian Experience This link opens in a new windowA full-text digital collection exploring the histories and contemporary cultures of the indigenous peoples of the United States. Contains more than 150 volumes of scholarship and reference content, hundreds of primary documents, and thousands of images from pre-contact to the present day.
Print Reference Tools
Many useful reference books are only available in print format. Below are catalog links to relevant books in the UCLA libraries.
Dictionaries
UCLA Library has dictionaries of all kinds, ranging from basic to very specialized dictionaries for particular fields. Below are some of the many examples available.
- 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.