Search Tip
When searching for reference sources in OneSearch, consider using terms such as bibliography, biographical, dictionary, encyclopedia, cyclopedia, companion and handbook as search terms.
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OneSearch This link opens in a new window
The library's search tool for discovering materials both on the shelves and online. It also includes millions of full-text articles and citation records sourced from publishers, open access repositories, and most of the library’s licensed databases. To explore content that is not fully searchable in OneSearch, click here to view a list of databases with limited or no coverage.
General Reference Sources
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Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Continuously updated full text collection of over 1,300 general and subject specific titles from 121 publishers with particular emphasis on encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, and reference handbooks.
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Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
Complete text of the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary, including current definitions as well as the historical development of individual words and the English language.
Dictionaries, Encyclopedias and Biographies
Dictionaries
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Dictionary of British History (Ebook)This dictionary describes the people and events that have shaped and defined domestic, political, social, and cultural life in Britain since 55 B.C.
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Middle English CompendiumMiddle English Dictionary, a HyperBibliography of Middle English prose and verse, and a Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse
Encyclopedias
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Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowLarge collection of specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries across disciplines.
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Cambridge Histories Online This link opens in a new window
Access the full text of over 300 reference volumes from the Cambridge History series, with a focus on political and cultural history, literature, philosophy, religious studies, music, and the arts. Note: the library’s collection includes only titles published through 2016.
Biographies
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American National Biography Online This link opens in a new windowThis is a biographical dictionary of notable American men and women.
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Dictionary of Irish Biography This link opens in a new window
Full text biographical essays of over 11,000 notable Irish men and women who made a significant contribution in Ireland and abroad, from earliest times to 2013. Moved to an open access database in 2021.
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Oxford Dictionary of National Biography This link opens in a new windowAn illustrated collection of more than 57,000 specially written biographies of the men and women from around the world who shaped all aspects of Britain's past.