History: Biographical Sources

Northwestern Community only (available only to Northwestern faculty, students, and staff)

• African American Biographical Database
  Corresponds to the printed resource entitled Black Biographical Dictionaries. Users may search by a person's name, date or place of birth, occupation, religion, or gender. In addition, users may also search the full text of the included volumes. Records include short sketches and longer biographical essays, as well as numerous illustrations and photographs.
  
  
• American National Biography
  Over 17,000 biographies, this is the online edition of the 1999 24-volume ANB.  Online edition is illustrated, and includes hyperlinked cross-reference and other links.
  Biography and Genealogy Master Index.  Indexes over 150 biographical sources.  Updated annually.
  
  
• Biography Resource Center
  Comprehensive database of biographical information on nearly 275,000 people.
  Combines over 400,000 biographies from more than 700 volumes of over 90 sources such as Contemporary Authors, Encyclopedia of World Biography, Newsmakers, 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, Writers Directory, and many more. It also includes full-text biographical articles from more than 250 magazines including American History, The Christian Century, Saturday Night, and U.S. News & World Report.
  
  
• Chambers Biographical Dictionary
  Variety of entries span areas such as sport, radio, television, film, and politics.
  
  
• Current Biography Illustrated
  Over 15,000 biographical sketches and obituaries.  Includes illustrations and photographs.
  
  
• Japan Knowledge
  Includes dictionaries (Japanese, English-Japanese, Japanese-English and English-English); a full text 30 vol. encyclopedia; two dictionaries of current words: a dictionary of scientific terms; a biographical dictionary; the JK Who’s Who; the Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan; a news database (NNA) that covers Asia and the European Union; a full-text journal; chronologies (world history, Japan by period, Japan by prefecture, science, culture, society, daily life, social movements, economics and for individuals); a database of video (TV, news) recordings from 1908 to 2005; database of dissertations from the humanities departments of six universities in Japan; URL database; books in print database; sound library; music library, etc.  In Japanese and English.
  
  
• The Macmillan Dictionary of Women’s Biography
  Includes writers, politicians, scientists, dancers, judges, doctors, missionaries.  Ancient times to the present.
  
  
• Marquis Who’s Who on the Web
  Available segments include Who's Who in American History. Who's Who in American Art; and Who's Who in American Politics.  Also available is Who's Who in the World and Who Was Who in America
  NOTE:  Access to each of these resources is limited to one concurrent user.  Please log off when finished searching. 
  
  
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
  56,000 biographies of people who shaped the history of the British Isles, including some illustrations.  Includes the complete text of the original DNB and its supplements. Online edition is updated three times a year.
  
  
• The Penguin Biographical Dictionary of Women
  Historical and current coverage.
  
  
• World Biographical Information System
  Over 3.6 million short biographical entries for eminent individuals who lived in North and South America, Africa and Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania. Citations to all original reference works in which information on the individual appears, and the location of the source work in the companion biographical archive microfiche collection. NOTE:  Access to this resource is limited to one concurrent user.  Please log off when finished searching.
  

For further information, contact:

Harriet Lightman
Head, Academic Liaison Services
Subject Librarian for History, Economics, and Philosophy
Northwestern University Library
1970 Campus Drive
Evanston, IL 60208-2300
h-lightman@northwestern.edu
(847) 491-2920
Office Location: Room 2622, 2nd Floor, East Tower, Main Library