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For individual research help, schedule an appointment to meet with a librarian.
Online Encyclopedias
- U.S. History (Gale In Context) This link opens in a new windowFind encyclopedia articles in the REFERENCE category.
- Oxford African American Studies Center This link opens in a new windowEncyclopedia articles by top scholars which focus on the lives and events which have shaped African American history and culture. Includes images, primary sources, and maps.
- Biography (Gale In Context) This link opens in a new windowBiographical information on people from throughout world history; from encyclopedias and news articles. For encyclopedia articles, look for "REFERENCE."
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowA collection of over 500 reference books on a variety of topics. (NVCC)
- Britannica Academic This link opens in a new windowFully-searchable collection of authoritative encyclopedia articles. (NVCC)
- AtoZ: The USA This link opens in a new windowA wealth of reference information about all fifty U.S. states. Includes information about demographics, crime, the economy, history, maps and more. (NVCC)
- Daily Life through History This link opens in a new windowA comprehensive, cross-disciplinary resource of social history from ancient times to the present including books, articles, images, maps, primary documents, and more; exploring how others lived and live their lives, and how their lives shaped ours. Full-text. (NVCC)
Why to Use Reference Books
An encyclopedia is a type of reference book. Use a reference book to:
- Define important vocabulary words related to your topic,
- Find a basic overview and main issues related to your topic,
- Find references to additional resources, and
- Discover important background information related to your topic.
You will typically not use a reference book or encyclopedia as a source in your research. The information in these sources is for your own background knowledge.