Research Guides: How To Find...: Biographies

Finding Biographic Information

Biography In Context This link opens in a new window
Biography in Context offers access to biographies for hundreds of thousands of individuals throughout history and around the world. Biographies are placed in context among content from other sources including academic journals and news periodicals, and multimedia content from radio, television, and the web.
Britannica Academic This link opens in a new window
Britannica Academic is a general reference resource that provides access to high-quality, authoritative information appropriate for users at the college level. Includes the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus, and select content from magazines, periodicals, and other reliable sources.
Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
A one-stop reference source featuring information from encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, and more. Includes images, video, audio pronunciation of terms, maps, data tables, quotations, citation assistance. Subjects include art, biography, quotations, technology, medicine, and more.

Finding Biography Books

Using the VCSU Library Catalog

The best way to find resources in the library catalog is running an advanced search on the library website. Using this search function to find books allows you to locate both physical books and ebooks. Use these steps to fill in the search box:

Enter the name of the person you want to search.
Click the "material type" dropdown menu on the right side of the box, then choose "books."
The language dropdown is right below the material type. Pick English from these options unless you specifically need a book in another language.
If you need a book published during a specific time period, use the start date and end date options below the language menu to set a date range.
Click search to get your results!

To narrow down your results after searching, use the "Tweak your results" sidebar on the right side of the results page. The filters include an "availability" option, where you can choose to only see physical items or items available online, a "subject" filter to narrow books by subject headings, and a "creation date" option in case you want to refine your search by date.