Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
Reference Works
Reference works such as dictionaries and encyclopedias provide background information. These resources are useful when you:
- Want to quickly learn about a topic.
- Are having trouble selecting a topic for an assignment.
- Don’t know what search terms to use.
- Need to find facts and figures.
Virtual Reference
Digital Reference Texts
Full-text resources in Gale eBooks include:
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Contains biographical sketches on figures in North American Indian history, extending from the arrival of European colonists on North American shores to the early twenty-first century.
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Provides a detailed analysis of the most common archetypes or motifs found in the folklore of selected communities around the world.
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Contains descriptions of characters in great literary works from the United States, Britain, and around the world.
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Focuses on 26 pressing issues of the early republic. Each issue is presented with an introductory essay and multiple primary documents from the newspapers of the day, illustrating both sides of the debate.
Encyclopedias & Handbooks
The following is a sample from our reference collection.
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American Authors, – by
Call Number: Ref. 928 K96amISBN: 0824200012Publication Date:Concise biographies of almost 1,300 authors of major and minor significance in American history.
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Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia of American Literature by
Call Number: 810.9003 B4357ISBN: 0062700278Publication Date:The entries explore all aspects of literature from around the world: biographies of poets and playwrights, novelists and belletrists; plot synopses and character sketches from important works; historical data on literary schools, movements, terms and awards; myths and legends; and more.
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Bibliography of American Literature by
Call Number: Ref. 016.81 B597bISBN: 9780300038392Publication Date:The Bibliography of American Literature is a necessary reference set that took almost a half-century to complete. Coming back into print with the permission of the Bibliographical Society of America, this exciting new printing is sure to find the shelves of any scholar of American literature. In the chronicle of American annotated bibliography, this tremendous work has stood well the test of time as well as scholarship.
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The Cambridge History of American Literature by
Call Number: Ref. 810.9 C144ISBN: 052130105XPublication Date:The Cambridge History of American Literature addresses the spectrum of new and established directions in American writing. An interdisciplinary distillation of American literary history, it weds the voice of traditional criticism with the diversity of interests that characterize contemporary literary studies.
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The Oxford Companion to American Literature by
Call Number: 810.9 H2515ISBN: 9780195065480Publication Date:For more than half a century, James D. Hart’s The Oxford Companion to American Literature has been an unparalleled guide to America’s literary culture, providing one of the finest resources to this country’s rich history of great writers.
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The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature by
Call Number: Ref. 810.3 Ox25ISBN: 9780195167276Publication Date:This four-volume set covers American literature, from the European discovery of America to the present, with entries in alphabetical order. It includes 350 substantive critical and interpretive essays on the most-studied American authors, literary masterworks, and genres or movements.
Reference Databases
These research databases contain full-text reference works.
Their content includes encyclopedias and specialized dictionaries but may also include journal articles and other sources.
General Reference
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For students and adults alike, the Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia database indexes over 25,000 records, covering an array of topics.
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Gale eBooks is a database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research.
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The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words—past and present—from across the English-speaking world.
Legal & Business Information
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In addition to 225 full-text journals, this database features full-text legal reference books from the organization Nolo.
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This databases contains over 450 reference books related to business.
English & Literature
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In addition to full-text short stories, plays, poems, and articles on literature, the Gale Literature Resource Center offers access to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and Merriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature.
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In addition to full-text stories and poems as well as critical essays, this database contains articles from reference works on poetry and literature.
Health & Psychology
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This ebook reference collection offers a rich selection of eBook titles covering a broad range of general health topics including cancer and diabetes; weight management and exercise; allergies; senior care; social–emotional health; developmental disorders; and natural health.
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Produced by the Buros Center for Testing at the University of Nebraska, the Mental Measurements Yearbook (MMY) provides users with a comprehensive guide to thousands of contemporary testing instruments.
Home & Craft
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Intended for public libraries, this database dedicated to home improvement and repair includes full-text reference works.
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Intended for public libraries, this database dedicated to home improvement and repair includes full-text reference works.
Schools & Public Libraries
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Although designed for high schools, MAS Complete includes the contents of 440 full-text reference books that may be useful for beginning research or quick overviews of subjects.
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This eBook reference collection offers a rich selection of eBook titles covering a broad range of general reference subjects for high-school students.
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Designed for public libraries, MasterFILE Premier includes the full text of 500 reference books that may be useful for general information or beginning research.
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This eBook reference collection offers a rich selection of eBook titles covering a broad range of general reference subjects.
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This eBook reference collection offers a rich selection of eBook titles covering a broad range of general reference subjects for middle-school students. Topics include social studies, math, history, language arts, technology, geography, culture, and science.
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This eBook reference collection offers a rich selection of eBook titles covering a broad range of general reference subjects for primary-school students. Topics include social studies, history, language arts, geography, culture, math, and science.