Encyclopedia 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.
Biographical information on people from throughout world history; from encyclopedias and news articles. For encyclopedia articles, look for "REFERENCE."
A wealth of reference information about all fifty U.S. states. Includes information about demographics, crime, the economy, history, maps and more. (NVCC)
A 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:
Defineimportant vocabulary words related to your topic,
Finda basic overview and main issues related to your topic,
Findreferences to additional resources, and
Discoverimportant 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.