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Biography Resources

Subject Icon Subject Specialist:Joseph Deodato
Email:joseph.deodato@csi.cuny.edu
Telephone:718-982-4008

Table of Contents:
Databases
Catalogs
Reference Sources
E-Books


Search databases and indexes to find citations and/or full text articles online.

Biography Reference Bank
Information Help Funding Source Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Find biographies of noted individuals as well as links to biographical profiles, articles, interviews, and obituaries published in books and periodicals since 1984. Includes some full text.


Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
Information Help Funding Source Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Full text encyclopedia; useful for locating world facts, topical overviews, and personal biographies.


Gale Virtual Reference Library
Information Help Funding Source Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Digital reference collection containing over 400 full text encyclopedias, almanacs, handbooks, and specialized reference books. Search all titles or browse titles by subject.


In the First Person
Information Help Funding Source Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Index to letters, diaries, oral histories, memoirs, and autobiographies of over 18,000 individuals found in archival repositories and other scholarly collections. Provides citations and in some cases links to full text, audio, and video files that are freely available on the web (access to some texts requires a subscription).


Lexis-Nexis Academic
Information Help Funding Source Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Full text access to a wide range of news, business, legal, and reference information. Click on "People" to find biographies, obituaries, and people-related news.


Literature Resources from Gale
Information Help Funding Source Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Full text database for literature research that provides author biographies, bibliographies, reviews, and literary criticism. Search by author, title, or keyword.


MasterFile Premier
Information Help Funding Source Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Multidisciplinary database which offers full text articles from popular magazines, newspapers, and some peer-reviewed journals. Also includes biographies, maps, world facts, and definitions from general reference books.


Oxford Art Online
Information Help Funding Source Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
A comprehensive art reference work covering all forms of the visual arts from prehistory to the 1990s. Great for locating artist biographies and overviews of their work and influence.


Oxford Music Online
Information Help Funding Source Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
A comprehensive music reference work covering all aspects of popular and classical music. Great for locating biographies of musicians and composers as well as overviews of their work and influence.


Oxford Reference Online
Information Help Funding Source Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Digital collection of online reference books in all fields of study including dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, and subject reference works. Search by keyword or browse titles by subject.


Search online catalogs to find books, journals, videos, and other materials in library collections.

CUNY+
Information Help Funding Source Full/Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Search CUNY+ to find books at CSI and other CUNY libraries. To search for biographies, type an individual's name -- lastname first -- (ex. Shakespeare, William) and select "Keyword in subject" as your search type. To search for biographical dictionaries and reference books, do a Guided Search using the subject "biography" and select "Reference" as your location.


WorldCat
Information Help Funding Source Full/Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Search WorldCat to locate books held by libraries beyond CUNY. To search for biographies, type an individual's name in quotations (lastname first) and select "Subject" as your search type. If an item you want is not available at CUNY simply click "Find It" to request an interlibrary loan.


Encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, and other reference works available in print or online.

African American National Biography
Information Help Funding Source Full/Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Location: 1st Fl Reference E185.96.A4466 2008


American National Biography
Information Help Funding Source Full/Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Location: 1st Fl Reference CT213.A68 1999


Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists
Information Help Funding Source Full/Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Location: 1st Fl Reference N33.C59 2003


Encyclopedia of World Biography
Information Help Funding Source Full/Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Location: 1st Fl Reference CT103.E56 1998


Great Lives from History. The 17th Century, 1601-1700
Information Help Funding Source Full/Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Location: 1st Fl Reference CT117.G74 2006


Great Lives from History. The 18th Century, 1701-1800
Information Help Funding Source Full/Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Location: 1st Fl Reference D285.G74 2006


Great Lives from History. The Ancient World, Prehistory -- 476 C.E.
Information Help Funding Source Full/Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Location: 1st Fl Reference CT113.G745 2004


Great Lives from History. The Middle Ages, 477-1453
Information Help Funding Source Full/Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Location: 1st Fl Reference CT113.G74 2005


Great Lives from History. The Renaissance and Early Modern Era, 1454-1600
Information Help Funding Source Full/Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Location: 1st Fl Reference CT115.G74 2005


International Who's Who
Information Help Funding Source Full/Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Location: 1st Fl Reference CT120.I5 2007


New Dictionary of Scientific Biography
Information Help Funding Source Full/Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Location: 1st Fl Reference Q141.N45 2008


Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History
Information Help Funding Source Full/Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Location: 1st Fl Reference HQ1121.O93 2008


Who Was Who in America
Information Help Funding Source Full/Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Location: 1st Fl Reference E176.W64 1998/2000


Who's Who in America
Information Help Funding Source Full/Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Location: 1st Fl Reference E176.W56


Who's Who in American Politics
Information Help Funding Source Full/Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Location: 1st Fl Reference E176.W6424 2001/02


Who's Who in Science and Engineering
Information Help Funding Source Full/Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Location: 1st Fl Reference Q141.W576


World Leaders of the Twentieth Century
Information Help Funding Source Full/Some Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Location: 1st Fl Reference D412.W67 2000


Full text books available online.

American Men & Women of Science
Information Help Funding Source Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Biographical entries on approximately 120,000 living scientists, providing birthdate; birthplace; field of specialty; education; honorary degrees; current position; professional and career information; awards; memberships; research information; and addresses for each entrant where available.


Biographical Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa
Information Help Funding Source Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Biographies of the most influential and controversial figures in the Middle East and North Africa who came to prominence during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Includes profiles of contemporary leaders who belong to various political, ethnic, and religious groups, as well as notable individuals associated with business, law, science, social issues, sports, entertainment, literature, and the fine and performing arts.


Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography
Information Help Funding Source Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Provides information on the history of science through articles on the professional lives of scientists. All periods of science from classical antiquity to modern times are represented.


Contemporary Hispanic Biography
Information Help Funding Source Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Provides informative biographical profiles of the important and influential persons of Latino heritage who form the international Hispanic community. Covers persons of various nationalities in a wide variety of fields, including architecture, art, business.


Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages
Information Help Funding Source Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Contains more than 20,000 brief biographical entries on women, including thousands of entries on non-U.S. figures.


Encyclopedia of World Biography [Electronic Resource]
Information Help Funding Source Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
A multicultural biographical source that covers notable individuals from every part of the world and from all time periods who have made significant contributions to human culture.


Newsmakers 2007 Cumulation
Information Help Funding Source Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Provides timely and informative profiles of the world's most interesting people.


Who's Who Among African Americans
Information Help Funding Source Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Provides biographical and career details on notable African American individuals, including leaders from sports, the arts, business, religion and other fields.


Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia
Information Help Funding Source Full Text Subscription Resource - Proxy Access CUNY Access
Covers women of historical interest worldwide, from around 3100 BCE to the modern age, from every walk of life -- artists, pirates, scientists, athletes, philanthropists, adventurers, politicians, pacifists, saints, and courtesans.


Last Modified: Sep 24 2009 12:34PM