Olin Reference Collection
Subject Encyclopedias are great for
- choosing a topic
- educating yourself quickly
- perspective on a topic
- variant spellings, vocabulary, terminology
- bibliographies of critical sources
American Social & Cultural History
The list is only a selection. Browse the shelves adjacent to a given title for more.
Online encyclopedias
- Encyclopedia of American StudiesCovers the history, philosophy, arts, and cultures of the United States in relation to the world, from pre-colonial days to the present, from various perspectives and the global American Studies movement. With over 800 online, searchable articles and accompanying bibliographies, related websites, illustrations, and supplemental material, the Encyclopedia of American Studies is the leading reference work for American Studies.
- Encyclopedia of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history in AmericaAlso available in print. Call number: Olin Library Reference, HQ76.3.U5 E53x 2004
- International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral SciencesContains review articles spanning concepts across the social sciences.
- St. James Encyclopedia of Popular CultureDetroit : St. James Press, c2000. 5 volumes
Also available in print: Call number: Olin Library Reference, E169.1 S764x 2000 + - Encyclopedia of U.S. labor and working-class historyAlso available in print. Location and call number: ILR Library Reference, HD8066 .A78 2006
In Print, only
American Countercultures by Call Number: Olin Library Reference, HM647 .A44 2009 +Publication Date: 2009Armonk, N.Y. : Sharpe Reference, 3 volumes.
Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual HistoryCall Number: Olin Library Reference, E169.1 .E624x 2001 +Publication Date: 2001New York : Charles Scribner’s Sons, 3 volumes.
Encyclopedia of American Social History by Call Number: Olin Library Reference, HN57 .E56 1992 +Publication Date: 1992New York : Charles Scribner’s Sons, 3 volumes.
Encyclopedia of American Social Movements by Call Number: Olin Library Reference, HN57 .E594 2004 +Publication Date: 2004Armonk, NY : Sharpe Reference, c2004. 4 volumes- Encyclopedia of the United States in the 19th Century by Call Number: Olin Library Reference, E169.1 .E626x 2001 +Publication Date: 1999New York : Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2001. 3 volumes
- Violence in America by Call Number: Olin Library Reference, HN90.V5 V5474x 1999 +Publication Date: 1999New York : Charles Scribner’s Sons, c1999. 3 volumes
Regional Culture and History
The list is only a selection. Browse the shelves adjacent to a given title for more. The Reference collection also contains encyclopedias devoted to individual states and major cities.
The American Midwest by Publication Date: 2006Also available in print. Call Number: Olin Library Reference, F351 .A534 2007
Encyclopedia of Appalachia by Call Number: Olin Library Reference, F106 .E53 2006Publication Date: 2006
The Encyclopedia of New England by Call Number: F4 .E53 2005 +Publication Date: 2005
Encyclopedia of the Great Plains by Call Number: Olin Library Reference, F591 .E4856 2004 +Publication Date: 2004
The Encyclopedia of New York City by Call Number: Olin Library Reference, F128.3 .E75 2010Publication Date: 2010
New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, 24 Vol Set by Call Number: Olin Library Reference, F209 N47 2006Publication Date: 2013
The New Encyclopedia of the American West by Call Number: Olin Library Reference, F591 .N46x 1998Publication Date: 1998
Some Basic Research Tools
Use authoritative dictionaries and reference sources.
Wikipedia might be a handy tool in some cases, but it's not what your professors would call a reliable or authoritative reference source. The library resources listed below provide access to scholarly information on a range of subjects. Use the Library Subject Guides to find many more.
- Oxford Reference OnlineSearchable database of 100 language and subject dictionaries and reference works of Oxford University Press. Each topical division contains searchable versions of the latest editions of published dictionaries and encyclopedias.Covers general reference, language, science and medicine, humanities and social sciences, business and professional subjects.
- Oxford Bibliographies OnlineOffers peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on specific topics in a growing range of subject areas. There are at least 50 specific topical bibliographies in each subject area. Each of these features an introduction to the topic. Bibliographies are browsable by subject area and keyword searchable.
- Sage Reference OnlineA database of reference books published by SAGE, including such areas as African American studies, aging & anthropology, business and management, communication and media studies, counseling and psychotherapy, criminology and criminal justice, economics, education, environment, family studies, gender & sexuality studies, geography, health and social welfare, history, politics and international relations, psychology, research methods and evaluation, science, philosophy, and theology, sociology, and urban studies and planning
Race and Ethnicity
The list is only a selection. Browse the shelves adjacent to a given title for more.
For American Indian history, see the Reference Sources page of the American Indian Studies guide.
- Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History byCall Number: Olin Library Reference, E185 .E54 2006Publication Date: 2005Detroit, Mich. : Macmillan Reference USA, 2006. 6 volumes.
Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity by Call Number: Olin Library Reference, HV6322.7 .E532 2005 +Publication Date: 2004Detroit : Macmillan Reference, c2005. 3 volumes
Encyclopedia of Muslim-American HistoryCall Number: Olin Library Reference, E184.M88 E876 2010 +Publication Date: 2010New York : Facts on File, c2010. 2 volumes.
Encyclopedia of Race and Racism by Call Number: Olin Library Reference, E184.A1 E584 2013Publication Date: 2013Detroit : Macmillan Reference USA/Thomson Gale, c2008. 3 volumes
Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society by Call Number: Online, onlyPublication Date: 2008[Los Angeles] : SAGE Publications, [2008]
Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America by Call Number: Olin Library Reference, E184.A1 G14x 1999Publication Date: 1999Detroit : Gale Group, 1999. 3 volumes
The Gale Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes by Call Number: Olin Library Reference, E77 .N3518x 1998Publication Date: 1998Detroit : Gale Research, 1998. 4 volumes- Handbook of North American IndiansCall Number: Olin Library Reference, E76.2 .H23 +Publication Date: 1978 - .Washington : Smithsonian Institution, 1978-date. 15 volumes
See the catalog record for additional locations. 
Macmillan Encyclopedia of World SlaveryCall Number: Olin Library Reference, HT861 .M24 1998Publication Date: 1998
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States by Call Number: Olin Library Reference, E184.S75 O97 2005Publication Date: 2005
Cambridge Histories
- Cambridge Histories OnlineProvides full text online access to the complete 300-plus volumes of Cambridge Histories reference series. Provides political, economic and social history, philosophy and literature of selected countries and subjects.
Encyclopedias of United States History
- Oxford encyclopedia of American history"The clear, compelling mission of the ORE of American History is simple: to create a comprehensive, innovative, and scholarly online resource in American history available to everyone in the world with internet access. The ORE of American History will change as it progresses, keeping up with new scholarship and expanding yearly with new essays on topics of previously unrealized importance. Authors will be able to modify and enlarge essays as new sources and methods change the way history can be written. In short, the ORE of American History intends to be a dynamic encyclopedia reflecting how the best scholarship and research — as much in history as in the sciences and social sciences — profits through new methods and new modes of inquiry, enlarging our understanding of past and present alike." Editor Jon Butler