BiographyThis is a selective list of resources for locating biographical information. This guide is arranged in the following sections: |
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How to Find Books About a Person
Use the ALADIN Catalog. Click on the 'Guided Keyword' tab and enter the person's name. In the 'Search In:' drop-down menu, select 'Subject'. This will return books about that person.Indexes
Biography and Geneology Master Index.
Location: ALADIN
Use this index to find citations to entries in various biographical dictionaries, covering both contemporary and historical figures.
Then use the ALADIN Catalog to see if we own that biographical dictionary.
Biography Index. 1946 - 1998.
Location: REF Index Table Z 5301 .B5
Use this index to find citations to entries in various biographical dictionaries, covering both contemporary and historical figures.
Then use the ALADIN Catalog to see if we own that biographical dictionary.
General Biographical Resources
Current Biography. 1940 to current
Location: REF CT 100 .C8
Monthly publication with biographies of important people of the day. Cummulated
and indexed annually into Current Biography and Current
Biography Yearbook, at the same call number.
Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd edition, 2000.
Location: REF CT 103 .E56 1998
Who's Who. Annual.
Location: REF DA 28 .W6
Latest edition in REF, older editions (back to 1910) in the Stacks at the
same call number. See also Who's Who In the World, at call
number REF CT 120 .W5, and International Who's Who, at call
number REF CT 120 .I5.
Who Was Who. Black, London.
Location: REF DA 28 .W65
Thirteen volumes covering 1897 to the present. Contains the biographies
of those who died during the period covered in the volume.
Encyclopaedia
Britannica Online.
Location: ALADIN
This is an excellent resource for in-depth biography. Many entries have
bibliographies that will lead you to additional resources on that person.
World
Book Online (Global Edition).
Location: ALADIN
Lexis-Nexis
Academis Universe: Reference: Biographical Information.
Location: ALADIN
Click on 'Reference' in the list on the lefthand side of the screen, under
the heading 'Academic Search Forms'. Then click on 'Biographical Information'.
A search returns the full text of journal and newspaper articles about individuals,
including obituaries.
American Biographies
American
National Biography.
Location: ALADIN
Full-text biographical articles for more than 18,300 men and women from all
eras and walks of life whose lives have shaped the United States.
Dictionary of American Biography and Supplements. New York,
Scribner's, 1928-1996.
Location: REF E 176 .D563
American National Biography. New York, Oxford University Press, 1999.
Location: REF E 176 .A62 1999
The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. New York, J.T. White, 1898-1987.
Location: REF E 176 .N28
Great Lives From History: American Series. Pasadena, Calif., Salem Press, 1987.
Location: REF CT 214 .G74 1987
Who's Who In America. Annual.
Location: REF E 663 .W56
Latest edition is in the Reference collection on the 1st floor, older editions are at the same call number in the Stacks. Gelman Library has volumes back to 1899.
African Diaspora Biography on the Internet.
Location: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/africa/cuvl/afroambiog.html
Links to various full text online biographies of African Americans. Maintained by Columbia University.
Notable Latino Americans: A Biographical Dictionary. Westport, Greenwood Press, 1997.
Location: REF E 184 .S75 M435 1997
British Biographies
Dictionary of National Biography. and Supplements. 1901-1985.
Location: REF DA 28 .D4
Who's Who in British History. London, Collins & Brown, 2000.
Location: REF CT 773 .H57 2000
Politicians and Statesmen
Dictionary of Political Biography. Oxford, New York, Oxford University Press, 1998.
Location: REF D 412 .D53 1998
Who's Who in World Politics: From 1860 to the Present Day. London, Routledge, 1996.
Location: REF D 21.3 .P35 1996
The Supreme Court Justices: A Biographical Dictionary. New York, Garland, 1994.
Location: REF KF 8744 .S859 1994
CQ.com On Congress.
Location: ALADIN
Find detailed biographies of current members of Congress here. Click on the tab labeled 'Members'.
Biographical Dictionary of the United States Congress: 1774 to the Present.
Location: http://bioguide.congress.gov/
POTUS: Presidents of the United States.
Location: http://www.ipl.org/div/potus/
For each President there are links to election results, cabinet members, notable events, online biographies,
online historical documents, media resources, other online resources, and "Points of Interest". Good site.
Scientists and Mathematicians
Dictionary of Scientific Biography. New York, Scribner.
Location: REF Q 141 .D5 1981
American Men & Women of Science. New York, Bowker.
Location: Gale Virtual Reference Library (ALADIN); also REF Q 141 .A47
Notable Twentieth-Century Scientists. Gale Group, 1995.
Location: REF Q 141 .N73 1995
See also Notable Scientists: From 1900 to the Present., at
call number REF Q 141 .N73 1995.
History
of Mathematics: Indexes of Biographies.
Location: http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/history/BiogIndex.html
Detailed biographies of mathematicians, from ancient times to the present.
Maintained by the School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St.
Andrews, Scotland.
Biographies
of Women Mathematicians.
Location: http://www.agnesscott.edu/lriddle/women/women.htm
Created and maintained by the Department of Mathematics at Agnes Scott College.
Nobel e-Museum.
Location: http://www.nobel.se/
The official web site of the Nobel Foundation. Biographies of all prize winners.
George Washington University Mathematicians: Biographical Package.
University Archives, George Washington University.
Location: University Archives, Room 702.
University Archives has compiled a print packet of biographical information
on selected mathematicians who have been faculty members at GW.
Writers and Artists
Dictionary of Literary Biography. Gale Group.
Location: REF PS21 .D52
Organized thematically. There is a parallel series entitled Dictionary
of Literary Biography Yearbook.Use the Cumulative Index in the most
recent volume of either series.
Contemporary Authors. Gale Group.
Location: REF PS 129 .C63
Use the Cumulative Index in the most recent volume.
Gale
Literature Resource.
Location: ALADIN
Online full text access to Dictionary of Literary Biography, Contemporary
Authors, and Contemporary Literary Criticism.
Art
Research Guide: Biography. Gelman Library.
Location: http://www.gwu.edu/gelman/guides/arts/art.html#section2
Biographies of artists in biographical dictionaries and encyclopedias located
here in Gelman Library.
Other Specialized Resources
To find other specialized biographical dictionaries, use the 'Guided Keyword' search in the ALADIN Catalog. Search the two words 'biography' and 'dictionaries' along with the subject area, in the 'Subject'. For example, a search using 'africa biography dictionaries' returns six biographical dictionaries, among them is An African Biographical Dictionary.
Who Was Who in Native American History: Indians and Non-Indians from Early Contacts through 1900. New York, Facts on File, 1990.
Location: REF E 89 .W35 1990
National Inventors' Hall of Fame.
Location: http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/1_1_search.asp
Search by inventor, by invention, or by decade.
Business People in the Company
Information Research Guide: Biographical Information.
Location: http://www.gwu.edu/gelman/guides/business/company.html
Biographies of business people worldwide. Go to the Guide
and scroll down to the heading Biographical Information.
Biographical Dictionary of Psychology. London, Routledge Reference, 1997.
Location: REF BF 109 .A1 B56 1997
Directory of American Scholars. Lancaster, Science Press.
Location: REF LA 2311 .C32
Latest edition is in the Reference collection and older issues are at the same call number in the Stacks.
Music Research Guide: Biography. Gelman Library.
Location: http://www.gwu.edu/gelman/guides/arts/music.html#section3
Biographies of musicians and composers in biographical dictionaries and encyclopedias located in Gelman Library.
Womens' Studies: Biographical Information. Gelman Library.
Location: http://www.gwu.edu/gelman/guides/social/womnst.html#Biog
Biographies of notable women in biographical dictionaries and encyclopedias located here in Gelman Library.
For more information, call the Reference Desk at 202-994-6048 or use the Ask A Librarian e-mail reference form. This page is maintained by Janet Olsen.
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