Biographical Resources  

Use the databases and other resources on this page to locate biographical information on people from a wide variety of fields and time periods.

• AccessScience
  Full access to 7100+ articles, 115,000 dictionary terms, and hundreds of Research Updates in all areas of science and technology updated daily. Also includes over 2000 biographies of leading scientists, weekly updates of breakthroughs and discoveries in science and technology, a science dictionary, and links to related websites.
  


• African American Newspapers: 19th c
  This collection of newspapers contains a wealth of information about the cultural life and history during the 1800s, with first-hand reports of the major events and issues of the day, including the Mexican War, Presidential and congressional addresses, Congressional abstracts, business and commodity markets, the humanities, world travel and religion. They also contain large numbers of early biographies, vital statistics, essays and editorials, poetry and prose, and advertisements all of which embody the African-American experience.


• American National Biography
  Biographical dictionary of about 17,500 notable American men and women from all eras of American history who are no longer alive. Includes illustrations and hypertext links to other web resources.


• Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
  Photographs, biographies, archival information, and bibliographies about current and former senators, congresspersons, vice presidents, territorial delegates, resident commissioners and delegates to the Continental congress. Covers 1774-present.


• Biographies from PBS History Programs
  Browse the PBS archives or search by title.


• Biographies Plus Illustrated
  Full-text articles from biographical reference books published by H. W. Wilson, including all volumes of Current Biography, the World Author Series, Nobel Prize Winners, World Artists, World Film Directors, American Reformers, and biographical books on musicians and composers from throughout history.
  


• Biography and Genealogy Master Index
  Indexes current, readily available reference sources, as well as the most important retrospective works that cover individuals, both living and deceased, from every field of activity and from all areas of the world. The total number of biographical sketches indexed by BGMI is now more than 13.3 million.  
  


• Biography Index
  Index to biographical articles from periodicals and books, including autobiographies, bibliographies, biographies, critical studies, fiction and drama, pictorial works, poetry, juvenile literature, obituaries, journals, collections of letters, book review
  


• Civil War: A Newspaper Perspective
  Full-text of over 11,000 articles gleaned from over 2500 issues of newspapers published between Nov. 1, 1860 and Apr. 15, 1865. The text begins with the events preceding the outbreak of war at Fort Sumter, continues through the surrender at Appomattox, and concludes with the assassination and funeral of Abraham Lincoln. Included are descriptive news articles, eye-witness accounts and official reports of battles and events, editorials, advertisements and biographies.
  


• Collected Biographies (Librarian's Index to the Internet)
  Impressive meta-site for many biographical sources: directories, databases, and specific sources.
  


• Contemporary Literary Criticism Select
  Critical and biographical essays on authors currently living or who died after 1959. Initial release features 50 authors derived from CLC print volumes 95-99 and 50 retrospective entries. Updates of 10-12 new authors will be added about 6 times a year as print volumes are published and 10-20 retrospective entries will be added each time. CLC Select may be searched separately or simultaneously with Contemporary Authors and the Dictionary of Literary Biography.
  


• D&B's Million Dollar Database
  D&B's North American Million Dollar Database provides the information professional, marketer and sales executive with information on approximately 1,600,000 U.S. and Canadian leading public and private businesses. Company information includes industry information with up to 24 individual 8-digit SICs, size criteria (employees and annual sales), type of ownership, principal executives and biographies.
  
  
• Dictionary of Irish Biography
  The Dictionary of Irish Biography, a collaborative project between Cambridge University Press and the Royal Irish Academy, is the most comprehensive and authoritative biographical dictionary yet published for Ireland. Over 9,000 signed biographical articles describe and assess the careers of subjects in all fields of endeavour, including politics, law, religion, literature, journalism, architecture, painting, music, the stage, science, medicine, engineering, entertainment and sport.


• Dictionary of Literary Biography
  Essays outlining the lives and careers of authors from all eras and genres, and summarizes the critical response to their work.
  


• Distinguished Women of Past and Present
  Searchable by field of activity or by name.
  


• Eighteenth century journals: a portal to newspapers and periodicals, c1685-1815
  Portal to newspapers and periodicals c1685-1815 offers integrated access to the Hope Collection at the Bodleian Library, Oxford (Eighteenth Century Journals I), the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center University of Texas (Eighteenth Century Journals II) and the British Newspaper Library at Colindale, London and the Cambridge University Library (Eighteenth Century Journals III). It brings together rare journals printed between c1685 and 1815, illuminating all aspects of eighteenth-century social, political and literary life. Topics include: the writings of Sir Isaac Newton; the French Revolution; reviews of literature, the theater, and fashion throughout Europe; the origins and rise of Romanticism; political debates; gender, religion, influence of the press, and coffee house gossip and discussion.


• Empire Online
  Over 60,000 images of original manuscripts and printed material from 1492 to 1969. Includes historical essays and biographies.


• Godey's Lady's Book
  In addition to extensive fashion descriptions and plates, the early issues included biographical sketches, articles about mineralogy, handcrafts, female costume, the dance, equestrienne procedures, health & hygiene, recipes & remedies, etc. Each issue also contained two pages of sheet music, written essentially for the piano forte. Gradually the periodical matured into an important literary magazine and contained extensive book reviews and works by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Edgar Allen Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and many other celebrated 19th century authors who regularly furnished the magazine with essays, poetry and short stories.
  


• In the First Person
  Provides in-depth indexing collections of oral history in English from around the world. With future releases, the index will broaden to identify other first-person content, including letters, diaries, memoirs, and autobiographies, and other personal narratives. Includes full-text content when available.  
  


• International Index to the Performing Arts Full Text
  Full-text of scholarly and popular performing arts periodicals, biographical profiles, conference papers, obituaries, interviews, discographies, reviews and events. Covers a broad spectrum of the arts and entertainment industry-including dance, film, television, drama, theater, stagecraft, musical theater, broadcast arts, circus performance, comedy, storytelling, opera, pantomime, puppetry, magic and more.
  


• KLGonline
  The "Kritische Lexikon zur deutschsprachigen Gegenwartsliteratur" (KLG), or "Critical Encyclopedia to Contemporary German Literature," provides bio-bibliographical information on hundreds of writers of German literature after 1945. Each entry consists of a short biography; a list of prizes won; a bibliography of the author's works, including translations by author, as well as works for theater, film, radio, multimedia projects; interviews; and a list of secondary resources.
  


• Literary Databases (Gale Literary databases)
  Combined search of Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism Select and Dictionary of Literary Biography. These databases contain in-depth information on the lives and writings of nearly 100,000 authors along with critical reaction to their works. Includes integrated indexes to both the DLB and CLC print series.
  


• Nobel Prize
  Every year since 1901 the Nobel Prize has been awarded for achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and for peace. The Nobel Prize is an international award administered by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank established The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prize. Each prize consists of a medal, personal diploma, and a cash award.
  


• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
  Complete text of the 60-volume biographical encyclopedia including 50,000 biographies and 10,000 portrait illustrations.
  


• Oxford Islamic Studies Online
  A growing collection of content, including more than 3,000 reference articles and chapters by leading scholars and specialists in their fields, and much more. Qur'anic studies resources, including two Oxford World's Classics translations of the Qur'an, linked to the first online version of A Concordance of the Qur'an by Hanna Kassis. Primary source documents with editorial introductions. Timelines covering major events in the Islamic world and corresponding events in general world history for context. Images provide useful visual perspectives on Islam. Users can refine the rich array of content to search and browse by era, topic, and geographic region, filter to view a specific type of content, and make use of a variety of search forms to set criteria for locating biographical entries, bibliographic references, primary sources, terms in the Qur'an and Concordance, and much more.
  


• Pulitzer Prizes
  Pulitzer Prizes The prizes and fellowships are awarded by Columbia University by the will of the first Joseph Pulitzer. Prizes are awarded in Journalism, Letters, Drama and Music.
  


• RIBA British Architectural Library Catalogue Online
  Index to over 300 architectural periodicals held in the RIBA Library, a catalog of the books, audio visual materials, photographs, manuscripts and a biographical database of architects.
  


• Studies on Women and Gender Abstracts
  Coverage includes education, employment, women in the family and community, medicine and health, female sex and gender role socialization, social policy, the social psychology of women, female culture, media treatment of women, biography, literary criticism and historical studies. Where possible, abstracts are linked to full text. Covers 1995 - present.
  


• Times Literary Supplement Centenary Archive
  Full-text of the Times Literary Supplement with coverage from 1902 to 1990. From the Article search screen, users may move quickly to reviews in the image format and full-page context in which they were originally published, illuminating how the key writings of our century were received on first publication. The Archive includes the names of contributors and a biographical sketch of each reviewer.