MMC NOTEBOOK - NOTE #25: Everything you ever wanted to know about FINDING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Biographical information on contemporary or historical persons can be found in a wide variety of sources. These include:
- biographies and autobiographies in books
- biographical dictionaries and reference book series
- newspaper and periodical stories.
Three basic pieces of information often assist in locating biographical information. Knowing one or more of these answers may guide you to a source of information about the person. They are:
- Is the person living or when did s/he live
- What is the person’s nationality or where is his/her home
- What is/was the person’s occupation or has the person done something noteworthy?
Some sources specialize in particular countries, occupations or time periods.
A collection of biographical information sites on the WWW are found on our Webliography: Biographical Resources.
BIOGRAPHIES
Many famous persons are the subject of full length biographies and/or autobiographies in books. Check HORIZON (the Busse Library Catalog) for books we may own on the person. Do a SUBJECT SEARCH to find books about a person. Also do an AUTHOR search to see if we own any books by the person.
There are books about groups which may include the person. Some are by occupation, race, historical period, etc. Use KEYWORD searches to locate these books. The keyword biographical is useful in locating these books on HORIZON.
DICTIONARIES AND SERIES
Biographical dictionaries and series are useful. Use several because they include varying amounts of information. Check HORIZON for others as well as:
American men and women of science. Q 141
.A478 Ref.
American nursing: a biographical dictionary. RT 34 .A44 1988 Ref.
Biography almanac. CT 104 .B5 Ref.
Biography index. Index Tables
Chamber's biographical dictionary. CT 103 .C4 1969 Ref.
Congressional directory. JK 1011 Ref.
Contemporary artists. N 6490 .C6567 Ref.
Contemporary authors. Z 1224 .C6 Ref.
Current biography. CT 100 .C8 Ref.
Dictionary of American biography. E 176 .D56 Ref.
Dictionary of American nursing biography. RT 34 D53 1988 Ref.
Dictionary of international biography. CT 101 .D5 Ref.
Dictionary of national biography. DA 28 .D48 Ref.
Dictionary of scientific biography. Q 141 .D5 Ref.
Directory of American scholars. LA 2311 C32 Ref.
Groves dictionary of music and musicians. ML 100 G8863 Ref.
International. dictionary of women's biography. C R 3202 .I57 Ref.
The International who's who. CT 120 .I5 Ref.
Iowa official register. JK 6331 Ref.
The new Grove dictionary of American music. ML 101 .U6 N48 1986 Ref.
Notable American women dictionary. CT 3260 .N57 Ref.
Research guide to biography and criticism. PN 1721 .R4x
Webster’s biographical dictionary. CT 103 .W4 1980 Ref.
Who's who in the Socialist countries. 1978. CT 120 .L44 Ref.
Who's who of American women. CT3260 .W5 Ref.
Who's who. DA 28 .W6 Ref.
Who's who in America. E176 .W6422 Ref.
Who's who in American politics. E176 .W6424 Ref.
The American Catholic who's who. E184.C3 A6
Who's who among Black Americans. E185.96 .W52 Ref.
Who was who in America. E663 .W54 Ref.
Who's who in the Midwest. E747 .W63 Ref.
Who's who in Congress. JK 1010 .W48
Who's who in the federal executive branch. JK 501 .W8x
Who's who in American education. LA2311 .W47 Ref.
Who's who in American art. N6536 .W5 Ref.
Who's who in children's books. c1975. PN1009.A1 F575 Ref.
Who's who in twentieth-century literature. PN451 .S4 1976c Ref.
World authors. PN 451 W3 Ref.
PERIODICALS
The various periodical indexes (both paper and electronic) will have references to magazine, newspaper and journal articles about many notable people. Subject and keyword searches of the various databases will sometimes yield factual information about a person.
See the Periodical Indexes and Other Databases webpage and Note # for a list of print periodical indexes available in Busse Library.
Every effort is made to keep the links to the Busse Library Webpage current and relevant to the library's mission. It is your responsibility to evaluate the quality of information found. Some may be outdated, inaccurate or personally offensive. Parents are advised to monitor their children's use of these resources. US Copyright Law applies to materials published and accessed. It is illegal in Iowa to download or purvey child pornography and to commit fraudulent acts over the Internet.
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updated 03 October 2001