What Are Reference Sources?
Libraries collect and preserve the graphic records of human experience.1 Not every experience is documented, and not every documented experience is collected and preserved. How, then, can you know what part of the historical record remains for you to study? Reference sources are your map to the graphic records of human experience.
Even if every human experience hasn't been documented, and every document hasn't been preserved, there remains a plethora of sources available for the historian to study. Here at the University of Illinois Library, you have access to over 14 million printed books, 9 million microforms, 120,000 periodicals, 148,000 sound recordings, 1 million audiovisual resources, 280,000 e-books, 29,000 cubic feet of archival records, 3 terabytes of electronic records, and 650,000 maps—that's over 24 million potential primary sources for your research. Reference sources are your map to the Library's collections.
Half of one aisle at the University Library's remote storage facility on Oak Street.
Use reference sources for factual information like the date the Defense of Marriage Act was signed into law, or where in the United States Statutes at Large to find it. You can also use them to find more complex information, like marriage law in Islam. They often include bibliographies, making them profitable places to begin a research project.
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
Encyclopedias attempt to summarize the state of knowledge in a field of inquiry. A good encyclopedia can be a valuable starting point for your research. They contain factual information, like the Statutes at Large citation for the Chinese Exclusion Act, but you can also use them to find answers to more general questions, like who were the Daughters of the American Revolution? They often include bibliographies, making them profitable places to begin a research project.
Two online reference collections that students often find useful are:
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new windowA very extensive collection of useful reference works published by Gale and affiliated publishers, including major general and subject-specific encyclopedias.
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowCredo Reference provides access to a large collection of encyclopedias and dictionaries published by major publishers. It includes important reference works in History, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and related fields.
There are also many subject encyclopedias, that treat a narrower field of inquiry in more depth. Some subject encyclopedias that might be useful for this class are:
- Encyclopedia of American Social History byCall Number: 301.0973 EN19ISBN: 0684192462Publication Date: 19933 vols.
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Social History byCall Number: 973 | 306 ONLINEISBN: 0199743363Publication Date: 2012Online version of 2 volume original. Signed entries with bibliographies. Some bibliographies annotated. Includes a "Topical Outline of Entries".
- Encyclopedia of North American Immigration byCall Number: Q. 304.87003 P871eISBN: 0816046581Publication Date: 2005
- Encyclopedia of American Immigration byCall Number: Q. 304.87303 En193ISBN: 0765680289Publication Date: 20014 vols.
- Encyclopedia of American Immigration byCall Number: 304.873 ONLINEISBN: 9781587656033Publication Date: 2010Online version of the 1 vol. original.
- Dictionary of American Immigration History byCall Number: 325.7303 D561ISBN: 0810822415Publication Date: 1994
- U.S. Immigration and Migration Reference Library byCall Number: 342.73082 ONLINEISBN: 0787675652Publication Date: 2004Online version of the 6 volume original.
- Encyclopedia of Immigration and Migration in the American West byCall Number: 978 | 304.878 ONLINEISBN: 1412905508Publication Date: 2006Online version of the 2 volume original. Signed entries with bibliographies ("Suggested Reading"). Bibliographies not annotated. Includes a "Reader's Guide" that arranges the entries by broad topics, a subject index, and several research guides related to the subject of the encyclopedia.
- Immigration in America Today: An Encyclopedia byCall Number: 304.873 ONLINEISBN: 0313312141Publication Date: 2006
- Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures Around the World byCall Number: 304.8 ONLINEISBN: 0306483211Publication Date: 2004Online version of the 2 vol. original.
- Immigration and the Law: A Dictionary byCall Number: 342.7308203 H59iISBN: 1576071200Publication Date: 2000
- American Immigrant Cultures: Builders of a Nation byCall Number: Q. 305.800973 AM354ISBN: 0028972082Publication Date: 19972 vols.
- Immigration and Asylum: From 1900 to the Present byCall Number: 325.0904 ONLINEISBN: 1576077969Publication Date: 2005Online version of the 3 volume original.
- Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups byCall Number: 973.0403 H261ISBN: 0674375122Publication Date: 1980
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States byCall Number: 973.0468 ONLINEISBN: 0195156005Publication Date: 2005Online version of the 4 volume original.
- Latino America: A State-by-State Encyclopedia byCall Number: 973.0468003 L3492ISBN: 0313341168Publication Date: 20082 vols. See also: Latino Chronology: Chronologies of the American Mosaic.
- The Mexican American Experience: An Encyclopedia byCall Number: 973.046872 M475mISBN: 0313316430Publication Date: 2003
- The Borderlands: An Encyclopedia of Culture and Politics on the U.S.-Mexico Divide byCall Number: 972.1003 B644ISBN: 0313339961Publication Date: 2008
- Asian American Encyclopedia byCall Number: E184.O6 A827 1995ISBN: 1854356771Publication Date: 1995Six volumes.
- Encyclopedia of Japanese American History: An A-to-Z Reference from 1868 to the Present byCall Number: Q. 973.04956 J2712000ISBN: 0816040931Publication Date: 2000
- Encyclopedia of Japanese Descendants in the Americas: An Illustrated History of the Nikkei byCall Number: Q. 970.004956 En19ISBN: 0759101507Publication Date: 2002
- Asian American History and Culture: An Encyclopedia byCall Number: Q. 973.0495 As4214ISBN: 9780765680778Publication Date: 20102 vols.
- Asian American Society: An Encyclopedia byCall Number: 973.0495 ONLINEISBN: 9781452281889Publication Date: 2014
- Asian Americans: An Encyclopedia of Social, Cultural, Economic, and Political History byCall Number: E184.A75 A842648 2014ISBN: 9781598842395Publication Date: 2013-11-263 vols.
- Immigrants in American History: Arrival, Adaptation, and Integration: An Encyclopedia byCall Number: 305.9 ONLINEISBN: 9781598842203Publication Date: 2012Online version of the 4 vol. original.
Handbooks and Guides
- United States Immigration: A Reference Handbook byCall Number: 304.873 M613UISBN: 0874368456Publication Date: 1996
- U.S. Immigration: A Reference Handbook byCall Number: 325.73 L541uISBN: 1851095438Publication Date: 2003
- A Nation of Peoples: A Sourcebook on America’s Multicultural Heritage byCall Number: 305.800973 N213ISBN: 0313299617Publication Date: 1999
- Daily Life in Immigrant America, 1820-1870 byCall Number: 305.9 B458dISBN: 0313336989Publication Date: 2007Continued by Daily Life in Immigrant America, 1870-1920.
- Daily Life in Immigrant America, 1870-1920 byCall Number: 305.906912 Al27dISBN: 9780313335624Publication Date: 2007Continues: Daily Life in Immigrant America, 1820-1870.
- Illegal Immigration in America: A Reference Handbook byCall Number: 325.73 IL6ISBN: 031330436XPublication Date: 1999
- Refugees in the United States: A Reference Handbook byCall Number: 305.800973 R259ISBN: 031324068XPublication Date: 1985Continued by :Refugees in America in the 1990s: A Reference Handbook.
- Refugees in America in the 1990s: A Reference Handbook byCall Number: 362.870973 R259ISBN: 0313293449Publication Date: 1996Continues: Refugees in the United States: A Reference Handbook.
- Multiculturalism in the United States: A Comparative Guide to Acculturation and Ethnicity byCall Number: 305.800973 M9192005ISBN: 0313324042Publication Date: 2005
- West Indian Americans: A Research Guide byCall Number: 016.97304 W528wISBN: 0313297924Publication Date: 2001See also West Indian Americans by Holger Henke.
- Puerto Ricans in the United States byCall Number: 973.04687295 P415pISBN: 0313297487Publication Date: 2000
- Black Immigration and Ethnicity in the United States: An Annotated Bibliography byCall Number: 016.305896073 B561ISBN: 0313243662Publication Date: 1985
- Jewish Americans: Guide to Library Resources byPublication Date: 2009Part of the library's "Jewish Studies" guide.
- The Soviet Jewish Americans byCall Number: 973.04924047 Or5sISBN: 0313300747Publication Date: 1999Appendix includes biographical information and extensive bibliography. See the Journal of American History review by Jenna Weissman Joselit, the Contemporary Sociology review by Rita J. Simon, the Journal of American Ethnic History review by Steven J. Gold, the Choice review by J. D. Sarna, and the American Jewish History review by Yelena Luckert.
- Research Guide to the Turner Movement in the United States byCall Number: 016.79606 P969RISBN: 0313297630Publication Date: 1996
- Ethnic Chicago: A Multicultural Portrait byCall Number: 305.800977311 ET35 1995ISBN: 0802870538Publication Date: 1995
- The American Settlement Movement: A Bibliography byCall Number: 016.362557 B234aISBN: 0313307563Publication Date: 1999Documents from the Settlement House Movement, of which Jane Addams's Hull House was probably the most famous.
- A Bibliography of Ship Passenger Lists, 1538-1825: Being a Guide to Published Lists of Early Immigrants to North America byCall Number: 016.32573 ONLINEPublication Date: 19633rd ed.
- Passenger and Immigration Lists Index: A Guide to Published Arrival Records of about 500,000 Passengers Who Came to the United States and Canada in the Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth Centuries byCall Number: 929.373 P2662Publication Date: 1981With supplements.
- American Ethnic Groups, the European Heritage: A Bibliography of Doctoral Dissertations Completed at American Universities byCall Number: 016.97304 C811AISBN: 0810814056Publication Date: 1981
- Gypsies and Travelers in North America: An Annotated Bibliography byCall Number: 016.97000491 L814gISBN: 0961710756Publication Date: 1994
- European Immigration and Ethnicity in the United States and Canada: A Historical Bibliography byCall Number: 016.3058 EU74ISBN: 087436258XPublication Date: 1983
- Immigrants and Their Children in the United States: A Bibliography of Doctoral Dissertations, 1885-1982 byCall Number: 016.305906 H679IISBN: 0824087488Publication Date: 1986
- Immigrant Women in the United States: A Selectively Annotated Multidisciplinary Bibliography byCall Number: 016.32573082 G11IISBN: 031326452XPublication Date: 1989
- Italian Immigrants Abroad: A Bibliography on the Italian Experience Outside Italy in Europe, the Americas, Australia, and Africa = Emigrazione e lavoro italiano all'estero: Repertorio bibliografico byCall Number: 016.305851 B7602IISBN: 0879170697Publication Date: 1979
- The Portuguese in the United States: A Bibliography byCall Number: 016.973 P19pISBN: 0913256218Publication Date: 1976
- A List of Books (with References to Periodicals) on Immigration byCall Number: 016.32573 ONLINEPublication Date: 19073rd ed.
- List of References on Slavs in America (Supplementary to List of Books ... on Immigration, 1907) byCall Number: 016.32573 ONLINEPublication Date: 1907
- A Report on World Population Migrations as Related to the United States of America: An Exploratory Survey of Past Studies and Researches on World Population Migration with the View of Evaluating Areas Already Covered and Outlining Areas which Warrant Deve byCall Number: 016.32573 G29rPublication Date: 1956
Biographies
Four good, general sources for biographical information are:
- Biography and Genealogy Master Index This link opens in a new windowIdentifies biographical entries in hundreds of reference sources, many available only in print.
- Biography In Context This link opens in a new windowFull text collection of over 300,000 biographies, from throughout history, and across the globe.
- American National Biography This link opens in a new windowStandard reference work for American biography. This is the online version of the 24 volume original plus updates. Biographies of men and women, deceased at least five years, who made especially important contributions to American history and culture. Only includes deceased Americans deemed historically significant by editorial board.
- World Biographical Information System This link opens in a new windowIncludes American Biographical Archive, which contains biographical entries from 626 reference works (in 933 volumes), originally published between 1702 and 1998, containing often-difficult-to-locate biographical information.
Other biographical reference works:
- Asian American Biography byCall Number: 920.00929507 As42ISBN: 0810396874Publication Date: 19952 vols.
- Biographical Dictionary of Hispanic Americans byCall Number: 920.009268 M575b 2001ISBN: 0816043302Publication Date: 2001
- Notable Latino Americans: A Biographical Dictionary byCall Number: 920.009268 M475NISBN: 0313291055Publication Date: 1997
- Shapers of the Great Debate on Immigration: A Biographical Dictionary byCall Number: 325.73 B814sISBN: 0313303398Publication Date: 1999
- Biographisches Handbuch der deutschsprachigen Emigration nach 1933 byCall Number: Q. 325.2430922 B52ISBN: 3598100876Publication Date: 1980-1983Vol. 1 in German; vols. 2 and 3 in English.
- European Immigrant Women in the United States: A Biographical Dictionary byCall Number: 920.720869 L715EISBN: 0824053060Publication Date: 1994
- The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633 byCall Number: 929.374 AN24GISBN: 088082042xPublication Date: 1996
Atlases & Factbooks
- We the People: An Atlas of America’s Ethnic Diversity byCall Number: F. 305.800973 AL53WISBN: 0029014204
- An Atlas of International Migration byCall Number: Q. 304.80223 SE37AISBN: 1873836309Publication Date: 1993
- Atlas of American Diversity byCall Number: Q. 305.800973 Sh63aISBN: 0761991271Publication Date: 1998
- Atlas of American Migration byCall Number: Q. 304.80973022 F613aISBN: 0816031584Publication Date: 1998
- Atlas of Asian-American History byCall Number: Q. 973.0495 Av12aISBN: 0816036993Publication Date: 2002
- Atlas of Hispanic-American History byCall Number: Q. 973.0468 Oc34aISBN: 0816041296Publication Date: 2009
- The Settling of North America: The Atlas of the Great Migrations into North America from the Ice Age to the Present byCall Number: Q. 304.8097022 SE78ISBN: 0026162725Publication Date: 1995
Guides to Newspapers and Periodicals
- Carpatho-Ruthenian Microfilm Project: A Guide to Newspapers and Periodicals: Immigration of Carpatho-Ruthanians to America byCall Number: 011.35 R29GPublication Date: 1979
- Union List of Serials in Libraries of the United States and Canada byCall Number: Q. 016.05 UN331965Publication Date: 1965
- New Serial Titles: A Union List of Serials Commencing Publication after Dec. 31, 1949 byCall Number: 016.05 N47ISBN: 0028-6680Publication Date: 1950-1983
- American Newspapers, 1821-1936: A Union List of Files Available in the United States and Canada byCall Number: Q. 016.071 AM351967APublication Date: 1937Intended as a continuation of Clarence Brigham's History and Bibliography of American newspapers, 1690-1820.
- American Labor Union Periodicals: A Guide to their Location byCall Number: 016.33187 N11APublication Date: 1956
- Anarchist Periodicals in English Published in the United States, 1833-1955: An Annotated Guide byCall Number: 016.3358305 L855aISBN: 0810872544Publication Date: 2010
- Hispanic Periodicals in the United States, Origins to 1960: A Brief History and Comprehensive Bibliography byCall Number: 015.73034 K131hPublication Date: 2000
- Newspapers in Microform byCall Number: 016.07 UN322NEMPublication Date: 1948-1983Arranged by state and city of publication, with reported holding locations.
Also available online: http://www.loc.gov/rr/news/news_research_tools/newspapersinmf.html - The Immigrant Labor Press in North America, 1840s-1970s: An Annotated Bibliography byCall Number: 016.0704 H671IISBN: 0313246386Publication Date: 19873 vols.
- Radical Periodicals in America, 1890-1950: A Bibliography with Brief Notes byCall Number: 016.33505 G58R1966Publication Date: 1966Includes a very useful guide to the major radical parties and movements during this time period, as well as information on their relationship to each other (presented as a genealogical chart).
- The Ethnic Press in the United States: A Historical Analysis and Handbook byCall Number: 070.4840973 ET38ISBN: 0313238790Publication Date: 1987
- Guide to the American Ethnic Press: Slavic and East European Newspapers and Periodicals byCall Number: 071.3025 W99GPublication Date: 1986
- The German Language Press of the Americas = Die deutschsprachige Presse der Amerikas byCall Number: 016.070484 AR6GE1976ISBN: 3794034228Publication Date: 1976-19803 vols.