Macdonald-Kelce Library: Introduction to Library Research: Reference: Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

What is Reference?

Reference sources are books that provide summaries, definitions of terms, quick facts, data, and bibliographies. They are a perfect place to start when you need an overview of a topic or are required to cite a definition of a term. Many reference materials have moved from print format to digitized databases since the information in them can rapidly change.

Reference includes: Dictionaries, Thesauri, Atlases, Encyclopedias, Bibliographies, Yearbooks, Timelines, Quotations, Handbooks, and Manuals

In a nutshell, start with a reference source when you need a quick easy look-up of factual information.

--> A note on Wikipedia: While Wikipedia can be a fountain of excellent information, it remains an open-source encyclopedia that is not necessarily vetted for accuracy in every article. Use Wikipedia to get some good background information, collect terminology and important names, and seek out the works cited at the end of the entry.

Dictionaries

In the databases:

Brittanica Academic This link opens in a new window
Offers the complete Encyclopedia Britannica online as well as Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus.
Dictionary of Literary Biography (Gale Literature) This link opens in a new window
Contains biographical and critical essays on the lives, works and careers of the world's most influential literary figures.
Music Online : Reference This link opens in a new window
Brings together a variety of essential music reference materials, spanning the entire history of Western classical music, in a unified online database.
Included are the authoritative reference titles The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Baker’s Dictionary of Music, Baker’s Bibliographical Dictionary of Musicians, and Baker’s Student Encyclopedia of Music. Also includes African American Music Reference and Classical Music Reference Library.
Oxford Art Online This link opens in a new window
An authoritative and encyclopedic reference resource on art, architecture, and design.
Provides bibliographies, exhibition histories, auction records, as well as images of art, structures, plans, and artist signatures. Includes the Benezit Dictionary of Artists, the Grove Dictionary of Art, the Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, The Oxford Companion to Western Art, and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms.

Oxford Art Online offers access to the most authoritative, inclusive, and easily searchable online art resources available today. Through a single gateway, users can access and cross-search Oxford’s acclaimed, regularly updated art reference works: the Grove Dictionary of Art and the Benezit Dictionary of Artists. Grove Art is the foremost scholarly art encyclopedia, offering global coverage of visual culture, composed and expanded in collaboration with thousands of scholars and specialists around the world. Benezit offers unique information about the sale and collection of artists’ work, and it is one of the most comprehensive and definitive resources of artists’ biographies available. In addition, users can search and access Oxford art reference titles including the Encyclopedia of Aesthetics (2nd edition), The Oxford Companion to Western Art, and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms.
Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
An authoritative resource on the evolution of the English language, word meanings, history, and pronunciation.
Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window
An encyclopedia covering music, musicians, music-making, and music scholarship. Provides access to The Oxford Dictionary of Music and The Oxford Companion to Music.
Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
Access all Oxford's dictionaries, companions, and encyclopedias in one place.
Oxford Reference is a multi-disciplinary database that features a range of short entries, timelines,quotations, and lengthy in-depth reference articles on all topics. Browse by subject or enter a keyword in the search box.

In print:

Find print Dictionaries in the catalog by searching "dictionaries" and then clicking "Physical Books in the Library Catalog" on the left hand side. Add a language (i.e. "Spanish") or other key word to find a specific dictionary you need. Handbooks, thesauri, and manuals may appear in your search.

Here are some examples -

The Oxford Greek Dictionary by Niki Watts; Oxford University Press Staff
Call Number: PA1139.E5 O94 2000, REFERENCE
ISBN: 9780425176009
Publication Date: 2000-07-01
With English-to-Greek and Greek-to-English sections, this dictionary covers the essential modern Greek vocabulary with more than 45,000 entries and thousands of up-to-date examples of idioms illustrating real language in use.
The Redbook: a manual on legal style by Bryan Garner
Call Number: KF250 .G375 2018, Reserve Desk
ISBN: 9781642421002
Publication Date: 2018-06-27
Since first appearing in 2002, Bryan Garner's The Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style has established itself as the go-to source for all questions of legal style (apart from citation form). The book is a one-of-a-kind resource--the legal writer's equivalent of The AP Stylebook or The Chicago Manual of Style. The brand-new fourth edition has lots of new material, including an especially helpful new chapter on handling quotations. The two exhaustive indexes (word and subject), plus the detailed table of contents, make it easy to find authoritative guidance within seconds, whatever the question might be. The author, Bryan Garner, is now the most frequently cited author in opinions of the U.S. Supreme Court. It's true: last term, four of his books were cited a total of 14 times (in the somewhat fewer than 90 cases decided). This term the count is on a similar pace. In American appellate decisions generally, Garner is at the top end of sources relied on. You can rely on him, too, in the most comprehensive, nitty-gritty resource available for legal writers: The Redbook. Don't leave home without it.

Encyclopedias

In the databases:

AccessScience This link opens in a new window
Multimedia encyclopedia encompassing all major scientific disciplines.
Brittanica Academic This link opens in a new window
Offers the complete Encyclopedia Britannica online as well as Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus.
CQ Press This link opens in a new window
CQ Press focuses on political science and current affairs. Topics range from social and teen issues to environment, health, education, science and technology, as well as resources covering American government, history, and public policy.
Daily Life through History This link opens in a new window
Presents the daily life and customs of peoples throughout history and modern times with reference articles, images, maps and primary documents.
Dictionary of Literary Biography (Gale Literature) This link opens in a new window
Contains biographical and critical essays on the lives, works and careers of the world's most influential literary figures.
Europa World Plus This link opens in a new window
This is the online version of the Europa World Year Book. Covers political and economic information on most countries and territories.
Literature This link opens in a new window
Search Gale Literature for a good collection of digitized literature (novels), literary criticism, interviews, biographies, poetry, plays, speeches, and more.
Music Online : Reference This link opens in a new window
Brings together a variety of essential music reference materials, spanning the entire history of Western classical music, in a unified online database.
Included are the authoritative reference titles The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Baker’s Dictionary of Music, Baker’s Bibliographical Dictionary of Musicians, and Baker’s Student Encyclopedia of Music. Also includes African American Music Reference and Classical Music Reference Library.
Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window
An encyclopedia covering music, musicians, music-making, and music scholarship. Provides access to The Oxford Dictionary of Music and The Oxford Companion to Music.
Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy This link opens in a new window
Provides articles by experts on all matters of philosophy including Anglo-America, ethical and political, cross-cultural, interdisciplinary, continental, and contemporary issues.

In print:

Find print Encyclopedias in the catalog by searching "encyclopedia" and then clicking "Physical Books in the Library Catalog" on the left hand side.

Here are some examples -

The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia by Rick Pender
Call Number: ML410.S6872 P46 2021, REFERENCE
ISBN: 9781538115862
Publication Date: 2021-04-15
The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia is a wonderfully detailed and comprehensive reference devoted to musical theater's most prolific and admired composer and lyricist. Entries cover Sondheim's numerous collaborators--from composers and directors to designers and orchestras--key songs--such as his Academy Award winner "Sooner or Later" (Dick Tracy)--and major works--including Assassins, Company, Follies, Sweeney Todd, and West Side Story. The encyclopedia also contains information about Sondheim's mentoring by Oscar Hammerstein II and his early collaboration with Leonard Bernstein, and profiles the actors who originated roles and sang Sondheim's songs for the first time, including Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Mandy Patinkin, and Bernadette Peters. Featuring a detailed biographical entry for Sondheim, a chronology of his career, a listing of his many awards, and discussions of his opinions on movies, opera, and more, this comprehensive resource will attract musical theater enthusiasts again and again.
Encyclopedia of Artificial Intelligence by Michael Joseph Klein; Philip L. Frana
Call Number: Q334.2 .E64 2021, MAIN (2ND FLOOR)
ISBN: 9781440853265
Publication Date: 2021-04-07
This authoritative reference work will provide readers with a complete overview of artificial intelligence (AI), including its historic development and current status, existing and projected AI applications, and present and potential future impact on the United States and the world. Some people believe that artificial intelligence (AI) will revolutionize modern life in ways that improve human existence. Others say that the promise of AI is overblown. Still others contend that AI applications could pose a grave threat to the economic security of millions of people by taking their jobs and otherwise rendering them "obsolete"--or, even worse, that AI could actually spell the end of the human race. This volume will help users understand the reasons AI development has both spirited defenders and alarmed critics; explain theories and innovations like Moore's Law, mindcloning, and Technological Singularity that drive AI research and debate; and give readers the information they need to make their own informed judgment about the promise and peril of this technology. All of this coverage is presented using language and terminology accessible to a lay audience. Introduction explaining the historical evolution of AI Chronology of important AI-related events Authoritative entries on leading pioneers, entrepreneurs, and thinkers; AI concepts and theories; AI's potential impact on different facets of society; and major movies and other cultural touchstones exploring AI technology