LibGuides: FYSEM 110PS: Self-Portraiture: Background Info


Library Research Guides

Why background information?

Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference resources help you to discover basic information—names, dates, definitions, summaries, etc. These are good places to start when beginning research on an unfamiliar subject, and when choosing or narrowing a paper topic.

General reference

Encyclopedia Britannica
A good general encyclopedia covering all topics/subject areas.

Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
A database of dictionaries, language reference, and subject encyclopedias published by Oxford University Press. Search tips: Results are entries from multiple sources and tell you the title and word length for each - a good way of scanning for a definition of a term from a specific field and of substantial detail. MHC users only have access to the results/reference works that show a green open lock icon.

Authors, their lives and works

Biography in Context (aka Biography Resource Center) This link opens in a new window
Biography in Context delivers outstanding research support with 600,000+ biographical entries — on more than 528,000 individuals from all walks of life — spanning history and geography.
Dictionary of Literary Biography Complete This link opens in a new window
Biographical dictionary with essays on the lives, works, and careers of literary figures from all eras and genres.
Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
A database of dictionaries, language reference, and subject encyclopedias published by Oxford University Press. Includes multiple encyclopedias and companions to American Literature, British Literature, Twentieth-Century Literature in English, African American Literature, etc. Search tips: Results are entries from multiple sources and tell you the title and word length for each - a good way of scanning for a definition of a term from a specific field and of substantial detail. MHC users only have access to the results/reference works that show a green open lock icon.

Countries

Reading a story, memoir, or essay that's set in a country that's unfamiliar to you? Reference works can help you quickly learn enough about a country's recent (or even older) history to help you better understand the context of the text you're reading.

Encyclopedia Britannica
A good general encyclopedia covering all topics/subject areas including countries. Britannica's country entries usually include a section on history with information about the distant as well as more recent past.

Europa World Yearbook This link opens in a new window
First published in 1926, the year book is renowned as one of the world's leading reference works, covering political and economic information in more than 250 countries and territories. See each country's Profile section for information about its "Contemporary political history."

English vocabulary

Come across a word that is new to you and can't quite figure out what it means based on the context of what you're reading? It's easy to look it up! Some dictionaries and definition sources that can help:

Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
The finest and most comprehensive dictionary of the English Language. Includes extensive quotations documenting usage, searchable by author. What sets the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) apart from other dictionaries is the extent of the usage information it provides: the same word may have changed meaning over time. If you see a familiar word used in an unfamiliar way - especially in older texts - look it up in the OED to find out if there was another meaning for it in the past. Many words also come with audio files so you can hear how a word is pronounced - with a British or American accent.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus
Free, online version of Merriam-Webster dictionary and thesaurus.

Literary Terms and Concepts

Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms
Provides clear and concise definitions of literary terms.

Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism This link opens in a new window
An indispensable resource for scholars and students of literary theory and discourse. Compiled by 275 specialists from around the world, the Guide presents a comprehensive historical survey of the field's most important figures, schools, and movements and is updated annually.

How to find even more reference works

Databases A-Z List

In the library's Databases A-Z page, use the All Database Types menu to select Reference. This will display a list of links to electronic reference sources.

Discover

You can use Discover to look up print and electronic reference works in the library collection as follows:

In Discover Advanced Search, enter encyclopedias or dictionaries in the first box and use the "Select a field" menu to select SU Subject Terms.
In the second box enter terms that describe the reference topic in which you're interested (e.g., american literature).
Scroll down to the "Limit your results" section of the Advanced Search page and select the Five College Library Catalog Only box.
Click on Search.

Once you've run your search, you can use Discover's Refine Results > Library Location menu to limit the results further to Mount Holyoke and Five Colleges E-Resources only.

Library Research Guides

Interested in consulting specialized reference works for other subject areas? See the library's Research Guides. There's one for every subject taught at Mount Holyoke and most of the guides have a Background Info page listing subject-specific reference works.