Research Guides: Research Tips: Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

General Reference Databases

Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window
Brings together 100 language and subject dictionaries and reference works into a single cross-searchable resource.
Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window
Offers over 200 encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources.
Biography in Context This link opens in a new window
Find the full-text of biographies, biographical entries, and articles from Gale Group sources, The Complete Marquis Who's Who, periodicals, and the world wide web.

Oxford English Dictionary
The OED is the classic historical dictionary. The web version includes the 20 volumes of the 1989 edition plus supplements and draft entries for the next print edition.
World Fact Book
Get profiles of every nation, including information on the geography, people, government, economy, military, and more. Produced by the CIA.

Specialized Reference Sources

Ancestry Library This link opens in a new window
Wide-ranging collections of information for conducting genealogical and local history research. Includes: digitized images of the United States Federal Census from 1790 forward; the American Genealogical Biographical Index; Passenger and Immigration Lists Index; United Kingdom and United States Directories 1680-1830; court, land, and probate records; and many other resources.
Oxford Art Online This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive encyclopedia of art. Includes many images. Cross-search several art encyclopedias and dictionaries including Grove Art Online, The Oxford, Companion to Western Art and Encyclopedia of Aesthetics.
Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window
Cross-search several music encyclopedias and dictionaries including The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, The Oxford Companion to Music (2002), and The Oxford Dictionary of Music. Our online subscription does not include content from The Encyclopedia of Popular Music.
Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy This link opens in a new window
Find full-text encyclopedia articles written by international scholars across the discipline of philosophy.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
An open-access resource for high-quality, scholarly introductions to topics across the discipline of philosophy.

Print Reference Sources

Oxy Libraries also have reference works in the print collection, like the examples below. Reference books are on the entry level floor of the library, near the Center for Digital Liberal Arts offices. In the OASys catalog use Advanced search to limit by Location to "Ref Stacks".

Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture by Jonathan M. Bloom and Sheila S. Blair (Editors)
ISBN: 019530991X
Date: 2009
The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture is the most comprehensive reference work in this complex and diverse area of art history.
Atlas of the World by National Geographic Maps
ISBN: 0792275438
Date: 2005
American Environmental Leaders by Anne Becher; Joseph Richey
ISBN: 1592371191
Henderson's dictionary of biology by Eleanor Lawrence
Call Number: QH302.5 .H45 2008