General reference sources can be a great place to go when you're starting your research and need to gather initial information about a topic or get a rough overview of a subject so you can decide what area you want to research further. Reference books and online tools are also excellent for looking up a quick fact, definition, or date!
If none of the recommendations below are quite what you're looking for, try a search in the library catalog for the subject you're researching and "reference", "handbook", "guide", or "companion" to see what reference materials we might have on the subject. Remember that you can always reach out to a librarian for help if your search doesn't turn up promising results!.