Subject specialist librarians and archivists are eager to assist you with your research, and in most cases can save you a lot of time, especially if you meet with them early in order to plan out your research strategy. Please feel free to contact us directly, via email:
For assistance using the University Archives, contact our archivists at illiarch@illinois.edu.
Please check the list of Subject Specialists to find out who specializes in other areas related to your project.
By now, you are familiar with the potential shortcomings of Wikipedia. Use published reference works like encyclopedias and bibliographies to find more consistently reliable background information and suggestions for further reading, offered by acknowledged experts.
In addition to the collections of reference works listed below, you can find more specific resources in our Online Reference Collection.