Reference Resources

     Indexes & Abstracts   |   Dictionaries, Encyclopedias and Handbooks  |   Statistics

Search Orbis by Subject Heading:

• American literature Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 Bio-bibliography
• Constitutional history United States Bibliography
• United States Politics and government Bibliography
• United States Social conditions Bibliography
• Women United States History Bibliography

Air University Library Index to Military Periodicals (Maxwell AFB, AL: Air University Library, 1949- .)   
SML, Main Reading Room Z6723 +A57 (LC).   
Connect to Air University
A subject index to articles, book reviews, and editorials from English language military and aeronautical periodicals.  
        
America: History and Life (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC Clio, v. 0- 1964- .)  
SML, Main Reading Room, Z1236 +A43 (LC). 
Connect to America: History and Life
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.  
        
Arts & Humanities Citation Index (Philadelphia: Institute for Scientific Information, 1975- .) 
SML, Main Reading Room Z5937 +A795 (LC) 
Connect to Arts & Humanities Search online (via FirstSearch)  
An international interdisciplinary index to the literature of the arts and humanities, indexing the contents of journals.

Biography Index: A Cumulative Index to Biographical Material in Books and Magazines (New York: H.W. Wilson, 1946- .) 
SML, Main Reading Room Z5301 B56 (LC)  
Connect to Biography Index  

Biography Resource Center
Connect to Biography Resource Center
Biographical information on people throughout history, across all disciplines and subject areas.  It combines biographies from sources such as Contemporary Authors, Encyclopedia of World Biography, Contemporary Theatre, Film, and Television, Contemporary Musicians, Historic World Leaders, Notable Twentieth-Century Scientists, Contemporary Black Biography, Religious Leaders of America, International Dictionary of Art and Artists, and the Writer's Directory.  It also includes full-text articles from nearly 250 periodicals.

Digital Dissertations
Connect to Digital Dissertations
Digital Dissertations contains entries with information about doctoral dissertations and master's theses. It is the same database as Dissertation Abstracts, but with the significant advantage that titles published since 1997 are available in PDF digital format and have 24 page previews available.

Dissertation Abstracts International (Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms International, 1861-.)  
SML, Reference Z5055 +U49 +D57 (LC).  Note:  Volumes in Subj. Bib. are Sections A and C.  Section B is in the SML stacks at the same call number.    
Lists Dissertations accepted for the Ph.D. and other doctoral degrees by American and Canadian degree-granting institutions. Dates of coverage 1861 to the present. Issued in three parts after 1969:  
     * Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences (1969-present)  
     * Section B: Sciences and Engineering (1969-present)  
     * Section C: European Abstracts (1976-1988); Worldwide (1989-present)  
See also American Doctoral Dissertations at Z5055 +U49 A62 (LC). 
        
ESTC (English Short Title Catalogue)  
Connect to ESTC (via Eureka, type CHO ESTC to connect)  
Contains records for works printed in any language in England or its dependencies from 1473 through 1800, as well as works printed in English anywhere else in the world during that period. Subject headings appear in records for items published in 1700 or earlier.    

Continues:  Pollard, Alfred W. and Redgrave, G. W.  Short Title Catalogue of books printed in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and of English books printed abroad, 1475-1640 (London: Bibliographical Society, 1976-1991) 
SML, Bibliography Z2002 +P65 (LC).  Also located at Beinecke Reference, British Art Center Reference, and Divinity, Trowbridge Reading Room.  Wing, Donald.  

-----.  Short Title Catalogue of books printed in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and British America, and of English books printed in other countries, 1641-1700 (New York: Index Committee of the Modern Language Association of America, 1972-1988) 
SML, Bibliography Z2002 +W55 (LC), also located at Beinecke Reference, British Art Center Reference, Divinity Stack Reference, and Medical/Historical Reference.  
        
Hispanic American Periodicals Index (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center Publications, University of California,1970- )  
SML, Main Reading Room Z6953.8 +H36 (LC)  
Connect to HAPI online (via CitaDel)  
HAPI is the largest index of journal information from and about Central and South America, Mexico, the Caribbean basin, the United States-Mexico border region, and Hispanics in the United States. From analyses of current political, economic, and social issues to unique coverage of Latin American arts and letters, HAPI contains complete bibliographic citations to articles, book reviews, documents, original literary works, and other materials. The printed volumes and the online version of HAPI cover from 1970 to the present.  

Historical Abstracts (Sanda Monica: ABC-Clio, 1955- ) 
SML, Main Reading Room, Index Cases D1 +H48 (LC) / D1 +H482 (LC).  Also in SML, CD-ROM Reference Center  
Connect to Historical Abstracts
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 CD-ROM covers 1975 to the present. 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- 

19th Century Masterfile (formerly Poole's Plus Index to Periodical Literature)
Connect to 19th Century Masterfile
A single electronic search across a merged file covering six printed editions, including date information added to each citation, an author index that enables full searching and linking by author's names, and expanded title information of the titles in Poole's.

Statistics

Search the E-Resource database:

Search Orbis by Subject Heading:

• Cities and towns United States Statistics
• United States Commerce Statistics
• United States Statistics

American FactFinder

American Religion Data Archive (ARDA) includes quantitative data on American religion and allows comparisons across data files: churches and church membership, religious professionals, and religious groups (individuals, congregations and denominations).

Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)

County & city data book US Census Bureau

Demographic Profiles US Census Bureau

FedStats

Historical Statistics of the United States Colonial Times to 1970

LexisNexis Statistical Searches, at the table level, U.S. Federal Government (1974-present), international intergovernmental (1983-present), state government and privately published documents (1981-present) that contain statistics.

MapStats: United States

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

National Center for Health Statistics - FASTATS

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development US Statistics

Population Reference Bureau

Social Statistics

StatCat: Social Science Data Search
Information about numeric datasets in the Yale Social Science Data Archive, as well as datasets available in the Yale University Library and on the Internet. Subject coverage includes: public opinion surveys, census data, health data, economic and social indicators, surveys of electoral behavior. Data are available for the United States and foreign countries; datasets may cover a single country or multiple countries. Historical and contemporary data are included.

Statistical Abstract of the United States Summary of statistics on the social, political and economic organization of the United States.

STAT-USA (U.S. Bureau of the Census) Economic, business, and international trade information produced by the U.S. Federal government.

US Statistics Infoplease

General Reference (Dictionaries, Encyclopedias...)

Search Orbis by Subject Heading for Print Resources:

• United States History Encyclopedias
• United States History Revolution, 1775-1783 Encyclopedia
• United States History Civil War, 1861-1865 Encyclopedias
• United States History Dictionaries

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 Bass, 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 contains 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-.)
Biography Index online
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

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 DirectoryGale 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 Bass 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 Bass, Stacks Z1236 H37 1974 (LC) and SML, Andrews Study Z1236 H37 1974B (LC) 

Historical Abstracts (Sanda 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. "Fou February 28, 2008 ng 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. 

19th Century Masterfile.
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 and Readers' Guide Retrospective together offer comprehensive indexing and abstracting of some 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.