Research Guides: Online Reference Shelf: Biographies

Biography Resources

American National Biography
The landmark American National Biography offers portraits of more than 17¸400 men and women -- from all eras and walks of life -- whose lives have shaped the nation. More than a decade in preparation¸ the American National Biography is the first biographical resource of this scope to be published in more than sixty years. (from the Web site).
Gale in Context - Biography
Biography in Context provides research support with nearly a million biographical entries spanning history and geography. It is a curriculum-aligned resource that offers media-rich content in context that is updated daily to meet the needs of today's user. It includes: 600¸000+ biographies covering more than 525¸000 individuals¸ 50¸000 new or updated bios added annually in addition to daily updates to account for awards and events¸ integrated reference material¸ periodical information and multimedia content¸ plus hundreds of hand-crafted topic pages covering the highest-interest features.
Biography Reference Bank
The database combines the complete content of Wilson Biographies Plus Illustrated with the complete and enhanced content of Biography Index Plus. Wilson Biographies Plus Illustrated contains more than 95,000 biographies and obituaries and more than 26,000 photographs of the subjects. Many of the biographies are enhanced with full text, abstracts, and citations from H. W. Wilson databases. Biography Index Plus is a bibliographic database that cites biographical material appearing in periodicals indexed in other Wilson Company databases and additional selected periodicals, current books of individual and collective biography, and incidental biographical material in otherwise non-biographical books.
Literature Resource Center - LRC
Includes Gales Contemporary Authors Online (biographical coverage of more than 109¸000 writer); Contemporary Literary Criticism Select¸ (entries on all authors appearing in CLC since vol. 95 of the print series and complete profiles of 266 most studied authors from editions prior to vol. 95); and Dictionary of Literary Biography Online (more than 10¸000 biocritical essays on authors and their works written by academic scholars). The database also includes selected full-text¸ excerpted¸ and commissioned critical material from Gale's respected Literature Criticism and For Students Series.
Oxford African American Studies Center
Comprehensive collection of scholarship focused on the lives and events which have shaped African American and African history and culture¸ coupled with precise search and browse capabilities. Features over 7¸500 articles from Oxford's reference works¸ approximately 100 primary sources with specially written commentaries¸ over 1¸000 images¸ over 100 maps¸ over 200 charts and tables¸ timelines to guide researchers through the history of African Americans and over 6¸000 biographies. The core content includes: Africana¸ which presents an account of the African and African American experience in five volumes ; the Encyclopedia of African American history ; Black women in America¸ 2nd ed ; and the African American national biography
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (DNB)
The Oxford DNB aims to provide full¸ accurate¸ concise¸ and readable articles¸ based on current scholarship¸ on noteworthy people from all walks of life who have left their mark on British history. No living person is included in the dictionary. In September 2004 the Oxford DNB comprised 50¸113 substantive articles telling the life stories of 54¸922 individuals from the earliest times to the end of the year 2000.

Biographical Iinformation in Disciplines

Complete Dictionary of Scientific Bography

Some of our online research guides include links to subject-specific biography resources; for example:

Architecture & Interior Design