Library Guides: AFAM 100N: Black Freedom Struggles: Get Background Information

Encyclopedias and other Reference Sources

Reference sources like encyclopedias and specialized dictionaries can provide background information and a general overview of your topic.

Catalog (Penn State University Libraries catalog) This link opens in a new window
Use The CAT to find reference sources such as encyclopedias and specialized dictionaries related to your topic.
This is the online catalog of materials owned by Penn State Libraries. All formats (books, journals, audiovisuals, maps, recordings, etc.) are included. Circulation status for individual items is also provided. Coverage: Presently contains about 7 million records. Updates: Continuous up-to-the-minute as new records are added.

Simply add the word encyclopedia or dictionary to your search term to find them.

For example: civil rights AND dictionary | african american AND encyclopedia

LionSearch This link opens in a new window
an integrated search of books, e-books, research articles, newspaper articles, and other publications.

Some online encyclopedias that may be helpful for finding background information about your topic:

Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) This link opens in a new window
includes many encyclopedias covering African and African American Studies
A collection of over 2000 reference resources.

Choose Multicultural Studies from the right-hand menu to search these resources.

Oxford African-American Studies Center This link opens in a new window
Full-text reference sources for information about African American and African history and culture.
The African American Studies Center features the three-volume Encyclopedia of African American History 1619-1895, published by Oxford in 2006; the three-volume Black Women in America, Second Edition, edited by Darlene Clark Hine in 2005, the highly acclaimed five volume Africana: the encyclopedia of the African and African American experience. The Center also includes content from much-anticipated forthcoming print publications including the African American National Biography project (estimated at 8 volumes), edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., scheduled for publication in 2008; and the Encyclopedia of African American Art and Architecture, due for publication 2007. In addition to these major reference works, AASC offers other key resources from Oxford's reference program, including the Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature and selected articles from other reference works.
American National Biography Online This link opens in a new window
Find biographical information about African Americans who have helped to shape United States history.
Use the Research Packs section to help you get started. Two helpful categories:
Black History
Civil Rights Movement
The American National Biography Online offers portraits of more than 17,000 men and women -- from all eras and walks of life -- whose lives have shaped the nation. The online version reproduces the full-text of the original 24 volume set published in 1999, with new and updated entries added regularly. The online edition features thousands of illustrations, hyperlinked cross-references, links to select web sites, and powerful search capabilities.