LibGuides: Biography: Resources

Top Recommended Resources for Biography

UMGC E-Books Collections
Search the UMGC E-Books collections using a search strategy like this: biography AND thomas jefferson

Gale eBooks
Encyclopedias and other background reading in a variety of subject areas.
Biography in Context
Contextual information on the world's most influential people.

Biography Journal
A scholarly journal on the genre of biography. Indexed in several Library databases, including Academic Search Ultimate.
Biography (A&E)
Website of the Arts & Entertainment Network's Biography channel.
Encyclopedia of World Biography
This website offers lengthy biographies of thousands of people from around the world, with an emphasis on famous people of the 20th century.

Recommended Databases

Biography in Context
Contextual information on the world's most influential people.
America: History and Life
Articles about U.S. and Canadian history from the prehistoric era onwards, in journals published from 1964 - present.
Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia entries in many subject areas.
Gale eBooks
Encyclopedias and other background reading in a variety of subject areas.
JSTOR
Articles and books from many subject areas (anthropology, art, business, education, history, literature, science, etc.) from the 1900s - present.
Nexis Uni (formerly LexisNexis Academic)
International, national, and local news articles, as well as legal information (federal and state cases, statutes, regulations, etc.) and company information. FREQUENT USERS: To take advantage of additional features, such as creating alerts, folders, and annotations, you can click the Sign In | Register link and then click the link to Create a profile.
LION: Literature Online
Full-text English and American poetry, drama, and prose, as well as literary criticism and author biographies.
Literary Index
Citations to biographical information and literary criticism for major international authors and individual works.
MasterFILE Premier
Full-text articles, reference book entries, primary source documents, and more, in a variety of subject areas, from 1975 - present.
New York Times
Coverage from 1851-present.
Oxford Reference
Subject, language, and quotations dictionaries, as well as in-depth subject encyclopedias and other reference books.
News & Newspapers (ProQuest)
News from multiple sources, including the Baltimore Sun, Christian Science Monitor, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. Coverage dates vary by title. Includes older articles from the Baltimore Afro-American.
Washington Post
Coverage from 1877-present.

Background Information

American Ethnic Writers
Explores the rich tradition of American ethnic writers and the ways in which they have expressed their sense of identity through literature, both fiction and nonfiction.
American Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide, 2nd ed.
Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice
Comprehensive overview of the field.
Encyclopedia of African American Society
Approaches the field from a street level perspective.
Notable African American Writers
Compiles essays on great novelists, poets, playwrights, short-story writers, and writers of nonfiction from colonial America to today. Includes overviews of each author's biography and literary career as well as ready-reference listings of their major works in all genres.
Notable American Novelists
Presents biographical sketches and analytical overviews of some of the best-known American and Canadian writers of long fiction from the 19th and 20th centuries. Surveys the novelists whose works are included in core curricula of high school and undergraduate literature studies.
Notable Latino Writers
Compiles essays on great novelists, poets, playwrights, and short-story writers of the Western Hemisphere who are considered "Latino" in the broad sense of the term.
Nobel Prize Winners
Nobel Prize winners, by date or category; full biographies.

Websites

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Biographical information of all members of Congress, including the Continental Congresses and Congress during the Articles of Confederation, by name, position, state, party, year, and Congress number.
Biography (A&E)
Website of the Arts & Entertainment Network's Biography channel.
Internet Movie Database (IMDB)
Lists biographical feature films.
Library Spot Biographies
A list of websites that offer biographies.
American President
In-depth biographies of all US presidents

Additional Library Resources

Articles

UMGC Library OneSearch
Simultaneously searches multiple Library research databases. Note: Does not include all databases.
Databases by Title (A-Z)
Alphabetized list of research databases.

E-Books

UMGC E-Book Collection
Searches approximately 90% of the Library’s e-book collection. E-books can be read online, and in some cases, downloaded.
Additional E-Book Collections
Access to additional Library e-book collections.

Print Books

Library Catalog
Searches the 17 University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI).

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Open Educational Resources

See the OER LibGuide for a comprehensive list of OERs.