Why use Specialized Encyclopedias?
Subject Encyclopedias are great for
- choosing a topic
- educating yourself quickly
- perspective on a topic
- variant spellings, vocabulary, terminology
- bibliographies of critical sources
Oxford Reference
- Oxford Bibliographies Online (OBO)Annotated bibliographies of primary and secondary sources written by top scholars in the field.
- Oxford Research Encyclopedias (OREs)Extremely high quality set of online encyclopedias covering all disciplines, time periods, global in coverage.
- Oxford Very Short Introductions Online100 page introductions (with blbliography) on topics in Arts, Humanities, Medicine, Health, Sciences, Mathematics, Social sciences, and Law.
- Oxford Handbooks Online: Scholarly Research ReviewsThe complete texts of the Oxford handbooks in Archaeology, Business and Management, Classical Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Economics and Finance, History, Law, Linguistics, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, and Religion online.
Selected American History
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.
A Companion to Los AngelesPublication Date: 2010A historical survey of Los Angeles, incorporating critical, multi-disciplinary themes and essays from a range of disciplines, including history, political science, cultural studies, and geography.
The Encyclopedia of New York CityISBN: 9780300182576Publication Date: 2010Newly updated, expanded edition. Covers an exhaustive range of information about New York City.
American immigration a very short introductionPublication Date: 2011
Oxford research encyclopedias: American historyPublication Date: 2014
- 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.
African American History Selected Encyclopedias
Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895: From the Colonial Period to the Age of Frederick Douglass by
Publication Date: 2006In nearly 700 entries, this set documents the full range of the African American experience during the period from the arrival of the first slave ship to the death of Frederick Douglass, and shows how all aspects of American culture, history, and national identity have been profoundly influenced by the experience of African Americans.Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present: From the Age of Segregation to the Twenty-first Century by
Publication Date: 2009Covering African American history in all areas of U.S. history and culture from 1896 to the present, the Encyclopedia contains approximately 1,200 fully cross-referenced entries that are all signed by leading scholars and experts, making this five-volume set the most reliable and extensive treatment to be found on African American history in the twentieth century. The set also contains 500 images and roughly 640 biographies, as well as an entry on each of the fifty states.
Superior to Wikipedia on most topics & disciplines:
Reference Sources for Latinx Writers
Oxford Encyclopedia of Latina and Latino LiteraturePublication Date: Oxford UP, 2020From Chicana/o identity to Caribbean and Central American diasporic literature, from key figures in Latina/o letters to bilingual texts and graphic novels, this encyclopedia explores a variety of issues that are central to the 21st century's American experience, such as feminism, LGBTQA groups, indigeneity, environmental justice, social movements, migration, and US-Mexico borderlands.
Routledge Companion to Latino/a LiteratureCall Number: Print copy: Olin Reference PS153.H56 R68 2013 +Publication Date: Routledge, 2012Presents over forty essays by leading and emerging international scholars of Latino/a literature.
Handbook of Hispanic Cultures in the United States by Call Number: Print copy: Olin stacks E184.S75 H23 +Publication Date: Arte Publico Press, 1994Contains comprehensive studies on U.S. Hispanic culture in the following disciplines: Literature, History, Sociology, and Anthropology.
Biographical Dictionary of Hispanic Literature in the United States by Call Number: Olin stacks PQ 7420.2 K16ISBN: 0313244650Publication Date: 1989A guide to representative Hispanic writers living and writing in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Mexican American writers are excluded. Entries are divided into three sections: biography, major themes, and survey of criticism. Each entry ends with a substantial bibliography of works by and about the author. A general bibliography on Hispanic literature and an index round out the volume.Chicano Literature: a Reference Guide
Call Number: Olin Reference PS 153 M4 C53Publication Date: Westport: Greenwood Press, 1985.Provides alphabetically arranged entries on major Chicano authors and important topics in the study of Chicano literature. The term "Chicano literature" is defined as the literary output of Mexican-Americans since 1848. Each author entry includes brief biographic information, a discussion of major works, a bibliography of the authors writings, and sources of criticism.Greenwood Encyclopedia of Latino Literature. by
Call Number: Olin Reference PS153 H56 G74 2008+Publication Date: Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2008. 3 vols."...more than 700 alphabetically arranged entries on individual Latino/a writers, genres, ethnic and national literatures, movements, historical topics and events, themes, concepts, associations and organizations, and publishers and magazines. Special attention is given to the cultural, political, social, and historical contexts in which Latino literature has developed. Entries cite works for further reading, and the encyclopedia closes with a selected, general bibliography." (publisher)Hispanic Literature of the United States: a Comprehensive Reference. by
Call Number: Olin Reference PS153 H56 K36 2003+Publication Date: Greenwood Press, 2003Provides a detailed historical overview of Hispanic literature in the United States from the Spanish colonial period to the present, as well as biographical profiles for more than 100 authors. Separate chapters discuss significant movements and themes, Hispanic drama, and publishing trends. Bibliography. Indexed.Latino and Latina Writers.
Call Number: Uris Reference PS153.H56 L39 2004 (Willis Room)Publication Date: Charles Scribner’s Sons, c2004. 2 vols."...provides in-depth biographical and critical essays on more than 50 Latino/Latina writers. Seven thematic essays consider each writer's works in relation to music, language, feminism and other key topics. Covering well-known writers, such as Sandra Cisneros and Luis J. Rodriguez, as well as lesser known but still significant authors, such as Tino Villanueva and Achy Obegas, this set gives researchers detailed coverage of the vibrant works of literature written by Cuban, Dominican, Chicano and Puerto Rican authors." [publisher]
Masterpieces of Latino Literature by Call Number: Library Annex PQ7081.A1 M41 1994Publication Date: 1994"...features critical summaries and descriptions of the greatest works of literature by Latino authors. All the important facts and dates of authorship, along with analyses of characters, settings, themes, and plots are included for works in every genre, including: autobiographies, novels, poetry, plays, essays, and short stories."
- Gale LiteratureA literature database combining biographical, bibliographical, and contextual
information on authors and their works (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, and journalism). Includes both textual and visual material from the Dictionary of Literary Biography, Contemporary Authors, and Contemporary Literary Criticism.
Primary Sources
Latino Literature: Poetry, Drama and Fiction.
Contains approximately 48 plays and 13,000 pages of prose and poetry by Chicano, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican and other Latin writers working in the United States. When complete this database will include 100,000 pages of fiction and poetry and 450 plays. The vast majority of the materials are from the Chicano Renaissance to the present. About 30% of the database is previously unpublished or rare materials.