Information Services

A selective list of printed and electronic sources in the Charles E. Shain Library. 

PRINT SOURCES:  

GENERAL:  

Almanac of Famous People (2v.) (5th ed.) 

REF DESK Z 5301 B491 

Biographical Sources: A Guide to Dictionaries and Reference Works

REF DESK Z 5301.C58 1986

Cambridge Biographical Dictionary 

REF CT 103 C4 1990 

Current Biography Yearbook

REF CT 100 C8 (covers 1940-1999)

 

UNITED STATES: 

American National Biography (24v.)

REF CT 213 A68 1999

Concise Dictionary of American Biography

REF E176 D564 1964

Dictionary of American Biography (20v. to 1936, supps. - 1980) 

REF E 176 D56 

National Cyclopedia of American Biography (multivolume) 

REF E 176 N28 

Who Was Who in America (covers 1607-1998) 

REF E 176 W64 

Who's Who Among Asian Americans

REF E 184 O6 W53 1994/95

Who's Who Among Black Americans (8th ed.) 

REF E 185.96 W52 1994/95 

Who's Who Among Hispanic Americans

REF E184 S75 W5 1994/95

Who's Who in America (Current edition in Reference, previous years in stacks)

REF E 176 W63

Who's Who in the East (Current edition in Reference, previous years in stacks)

REF E 747 W59

Who's Who of American Women (21st ed.) 1999/2000 

REF CT 3260 W5 

 

INTERNATIONAL: 

Modern English Biography (6v.) (1965) 

REF CT 773 B6 

Who's Who in History (British) (covers 55BC-1837) 

REF DA 28 W618 

Who's Who in the People's Republic of China (1981) 

REF DS 778 A1 B33 

Who Was Who in the USSR (1972) 

REF CT 1212 I57 

Who's Who in Mexico Today 

REF CT 552 C36 1988 

Who's Who in the World (12th ed.) 

REF CT 120 W5 1995 

Who Was Who (8v.) (covers 1897-1990) (British)

REF DA 28 W65 

Who's Who (151st ed.) (British)

REF DA 28 W64 1999 

 

SPECIALIZED: 

Biographical Dictionary of Scientists 

REF Q141 B528 1994

Contemporary Artists 

REF N 6490 C6567 1996 

Contemporary Authors (v.1 - ) 

REF PN 771 C6 

Facts About the Presidents (6th ed.) 

REF E 176.1 K3 1993 

The International Who's Who of Women 

REF CT 3202 I58 1992 

National Faculty Directory (29th ed.) (3v.) 

REF L 901.N34 1999

New York Times Obituary Index (1858-1978)

REF CT 120 A56

Nobel Prize Winners

REF AS 911 N9 N59 1987 

Notable Twentieth Century Scientists (4v.)

REF Q141 N73 1995

The Supreme Court Justices : Illustrated Biographies, 1789-1995. 

REF KF 8744 S86 1995

Who's Who in American Politics 

REF E 176 W6424 13th ed. 1991/92

Women in Particular

REF DESK HQ1412.H47 1984

Print: 

• Christian Science Monitor Index (1960-present) 
• New York Times Index (1913-present) 
• New York Times Obituary Index (1858-1978)
• (London) Times Index (1851-present) (separate name index) 
• Wall Street Journal Index (1958-present) 

• National Newspaper Index (1988-present)  
• Newsbank (Titles are arranged by state. Starting dates vary by paper)
• Lexis-Nexis (Updated daily, provides full text access to roughly 6,000 newspapers, periodicals and reference sources. Full text coverage back to 1980)

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES: 

Indexes: 

Biographical information can also be found in many of the research databases available in the library.  Try searching for the person in the subject field.  Listed below are just a few of the indexes that might be useful.

• Bibliography of the History of Art  (1973-Present)
• Historical Abstracts (1982-Present)
• MLA Bibliography (1963-Present)

• Biography Find

http://www.biography.com/search/index.html 
 
• Biographical Dictionary

http://www.s9.com/biography/ 
 
• Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress (1774-present)

http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp 
 
• Distinguished Women of Past and Present

http://www.DistinguishedWomen.com/alphabet/alphabet.com
 
• Nobel Prize Archive

http://nobelprizes.com/nobel.html 
 
• Pulitzer Prizes

http://www.pulitzer.org/navigation/index.html 
 
• U.Penn Library - Biography

http://www.library.upenn.edu/resources/reference/general/biography.html