General Reference (Dictionaries, Encyclopedias...)

Alex Catalogue of Electronic Texts is a searchable collection of digital documents collected in the subject areas of English literature, American literature, and Western philosophy. 

The American Historical Association's Guide to Historical Literature. Ed. Mary Beth Norton, Pamela Gerardi. 3rd ed.  (New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1995). 2 vols.  SML Main Reading Room Z6201 A55 1995 (LC).  Also in CCL, Reference Z6201 A55 1995 (LC) 

America: History and Life (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC Clio, v. 0- 1964- .) 
SML, Main Reading Room, Z1236 +A43 (LC).   
America: History and Life is the primary index to the literature of American and Canadian History, covering over 2,000 journals in 45
     languages. The print volumes are issued in four parts: 
     Part A. Article abstracts and citations 
     Part B. Index to book reviews
     Part C. American History bibliography, books, articles and dissertations
     Part D. Annual Index 
     Volume 0 covers 1954-1963. The CD-ROM covers 1964 to the present. 

American National Biography
Portraits of men and women from all eras and walks of life.

Biography Index: A Cumulative Index to Biographical Material in Books and Magazines. (New York: H.W. Wilson, 1946-.)
Cumulative index to biographical information in books and magazines. The print volumes cover 1946- present, and the online version goes back to 1984.  SML, Main Reference Room Z5301 B56 (LC) 

Biography Resource Center contains biographical information throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines and subject areas.

Britannica Online
SML, Main Reading Room E176 D5 (LC) 
Britannica Online includes Britannica Online and Book of the Year articles of various lengths, which address more than 65,000 subjects with historical treatments and current-events coverage. It also includes the Index to Britannica Online, with more than 400,000 references linked to articles for easy navigation, and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition. Britannica Internet Guide is a search engine for locating World Wide Web information. 
Dictionary of American Biography. (New York: Scribner's, 1928 -.)

Dictionary of American History

Directory of American Scholars

Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy

Encyclopedia of American History. Ed. Richard B. Morris, 7th ed. (New York: Harper Collins, 1996).  SML Main Reading Room E174.5 M6 1996 (LC) 

Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History

Eureka offers access to an array of databases, including the Research Library Group's RLIN bibliographic database of more than 22 million titles. Eureka provides catalog records for books, journals, maps, sound recordings, musical scores, films, archives, and computer files held in research, corporate, and public libraries, as well as museums, archives and historical societies.  The Eureka CitaDel files, Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals, and Anthropological Literature provide online access to journal citations in these and related fields. Searches can be printed, downloaded, or e-mailed to the user. Use Eureka to locate materials outside of Yale. 

Five Colleges Archives Digital Access Project provides access to digitized versions of archival records and manuscript collections relating primarily to women's history -- particularly  women's education at the Five College Consortium of western Massachusetts. 

Gale Literary Databases Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, and Dictionary of Literary Biography

Gale's Ready Reference Shelf includes:

Encyclopedia of Associations: National Associations
Encyclopedia of Associations: International Associations
Encyclopedia of Associations: Regional, State, and Local Associations
Encyclopedia of Governmental Advisory Organizations
Publishers Directory
Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media
Directories in Print
Newsletters in Print
Gale Directory of Databases
Gale Guide to Internet Databases
Directory of Special Libraries and Information Centers
Research Centers Directory
Government Research Centers Directory
International Research Centers Directory
Encyclopedia of American Religion

H-Net Humanities and Social Sciences Online
SML Main Reading Room E174 J64 (LC).  Also in CCL Reference, E174 J64 (LC) and Andrews Study E174 J64 (LC) 
H-Net is an interdisciplinary organization of scholars dedicated to developing the educational potential of the Internet.  The site provides access to discussion networks, reviews, teaching resources, academic announcements, and a job guide. 

Johnson, Thomas E. Oxford Companion to American History. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1966). 

Harvard Guide to American History. Ed. Frank Freidel. Rev. ed. Cambridge; Harvard University Press, 1974. 2 vols.  SML Main Reading Room Z1236 H37 1974 (LC).  Also in CCL, Stacks Z1236 H37 1974 (LC) and SML, Andrews Study Z1236 H37 1974B (LC) 

Historical Abstracts (Santa Monica: ABC-Clio, 1955- )
SML, Main Reading Room, Index Cases D1 +H48 (LC) / D1 +H482 (LC).  
Abstracts of articles from over 2,000 U.S. and foreign periodicals, and Festscriften, covering world history and culture (not U.S. and Canada). It also includes citations of dissertations and selected book, film, and video reviews. The print volumes go back to 1955.  In 1971, Historical Abstracts split into two sections:
     Historical Abstracts. Part A: Modern History Abstracts, 1450-1914
     Historical Abstracts. Part B: Twentieth Century Abstracts, 1914- 

Humanities Index. New York: H.W. Wilson, 1974-. 
SML Main Reading Room Index Cases A11 H84 (LC)
An author and subject index to journal articles and book reviews from 400 English language periodicals covering "archaeology and classical studies, area studies, folklore, history, language and literature, performing arts, philosophy, religion and theology, and related subjects" (Prefatory Note).  Book reviews listed separately under name of author. 

19th Century Index includes indexes such as the Nineteenth Century Short Title Catalogue, The Wellesley Index, Periodicals Index Online, Periodicals Index Online and American Periodicals Series.

Nineteenth Century Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature, 1890-1899. New York: H.W. Wilson, 1944. 2 vols. 
SML, Main Reading Room Index Cases AI3 R43 (LC)
An author, subject, and illustrator index to articles and reviews appearing in 51 periodicals published in the U.S. and U.K. between 1890 and 1899. "Fourteen titles were indexed beyond 1899 in order to make the indexing of each title complete from the year 1890 to the time it was added to the list of one of the current Wilson indexes" (Preface).  Broad subject coverage. Book reviews are listed under author only. 

Poole's Index to Periodical Literature, 1802-1907.
Rev. ed. Gloucester: P. Smith, 1963. 7 vols. 
SML, Main Reading Room Index Cases AI3 P656 1963 (LC)
An index to articles covering a wide-range of subjects and reviews appearing in 479 periodicals published in America and the United Kingdom between 1802 and 1907. Arranged alphabetically by subject of article only. Names of writers of articles are indexed in Cumulative Author Index for Poole's Index to Periodical Literature, 1802-1906, which is shelved next to this title. 

Readers Companion to American History. Ed. Eric Foner, John Garraty. (Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1991).  SML Main Reading Room E174 R43 1991 (LC). 

Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature Index/ Abstracts/ Full Text
Readers' Guide Retrospective

Readers' Guide Full Text and Readers' Guide Retrospective together offer comprehensive indexing and abstracting of some 375 of the most popular general interest periodicals published in the United States and Canada since 1890, plus the full text of over 120 of those periodicals from 1994 - present. They cover news, current events, and all subject areas, including business, fashion, politics, crafts, food, education, sports, history, and science. The abstracts average 125 words in length. Two types of abstracts are included. Informative abstracts convey the content, scope, and complexity of the source article, and are the predominant form used. Indicative abstracts describe the subject of the source article and are reserved for how to articles, humorous essays, personal accounts, and recipes. Full-text coverage begins in January 1994 for most titles.

Writings on American History, 1902-1989/1990. Washington: American Historical Association, 1908-1990. 
SML, Main Reading Room Z1236 W75 (LC).  Also in SML, Andrews Study Z1236 W75 (LC) 
A classified listing of journal articles and dissertations on American history followed by an author index. Citations selected primarily from Recently Published Articles, published by the American Historical Association. No bibliographies published for 1904-05, 1941-47.  Volumes to 1935 include books and articles on the history of the U.S., Canada, Latin America and the Pacific Islands; from 1935 coverage includes only U.S. and its possessions. Inclusion of book citations was discontinued beginning with the volumes covering 1962-73. There is a cumulative author and subject index for 1902-1940. This title serves as the only significant indexing source in the field of American history prior to the publication of Historical Abstracts in 1955. The majority of journals indexed by Writings on American History are also indexed by Historical Abstracts and America: History and Life.

HOME | RESOURCES