LibGuides: History Research: Using Reference Books

Reference Books

Why use Reference Books?

Locating background information in general and subject specific encyclopedias and dictionaries and other reference resources will help you put information in context.

Consulting reference materials will help you:

Get an overview of the subject.
Note key concepts/developments.
Identify significant authors.
See a chronology/timeline.
Discern connections/interrelationships with other developments.
Develop a list of search terms.
Obtain primary sources.
Use the bibliographies to locate other information on your topic.

Below are some suggested resources to get you started. Use Library Search to find titles of interest or Ask a Librarian who can recommend resources for your specific topic:

Encyclopedia Britannica This link opens in a new window
Encyclopedia Britannica is an authoritative general-knowledge database of thousands of articles written by field experts, a World Atlas, and the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Also included: primary source material, multimedia sources, biographies, journal and magazine articles, and Web sites selected by Britannica editors.
Gale EBooks This link opens in a new window
Gale EBooks provides digital reference books on topics such as business, the environment, history, literature, geography, science, sociology, and technology. Search the database, or browse by collection or title.
Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) provides the authoritative spellings, etymology and definitions for more than 500,000 words. The OED also traces word usage from first recorded occurrence to the modern period with more than 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of language sources. Search and browse by subject, part of speech, language of origin, region, and more.
Salem Press History This link opens in a new window
Salem Press History provides online access to historical information with an emphasis on, but not limited to, American events. Electronic books include encyclopedias on immigration, economic history, and American history by decade, as well as U.S. and world primary source documents.
U.S. History in Context This link opens in a new window
U.S. History in Context combines primary and secondary sources with multimedia to provide comprehensive coverage of frequently-studied topics in United States history.
World History in Context This link opens in a new window
World History in Context chronicles nearly 5,000 years of the rise and fall of cultures and societies across all continents and eras. Combines primary sources with reliable references.

Chronology of world history by H.E.L. Mellersh, Ed.
Call Number: REF D11 .M39 1999
Europe 1789 to 1914 by John Merriman and Jay Winter, editors in chief.
Call Number: REF D299 .E735 2006 (Available Online through Gale Ebooks)
Europe Since 1914 by John Merriman and Jay Winter, editors in chief.
Call Number: REF D424 .E94 2006 (Available Online through Gale Ebooks)
Finding History by Christine Bombaro
Call Number: REF D16 .B693 2012
Immigrants in American History
Call Number: REF JV6450 .I5536 2013 (Available Online through Gale Ebooks)
International Directory of Company Histories
Call Number: REF HD 2306 .A2 I55
Print multi-volume set. Look in last volume's comprehensive index to find the most current entry on a particular company. Updated. Some of the content is available online through Business Insights: Essentials database.
New Dictionary of the History of Ideas
Call Number: REF CB9 .N49 2005 (Available Online through World History in Context))
Publication Date: 2004-12-03
The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Business, Labor, and Economic History
Call Number: REF HF3021 .O94 2013
Popular Controversies in World History
Call Number: REF D24 .P67 2011
Contents: Prehistory and early civilizations -- The ancient world to the early Middle Ages -- The high Middle Ages to the modern world -- The twentieth century to the present.
Workers in America
Call Number: REF HD8066 .H57 2013( Available Online through Gale Ebooks)