Biographies
To find book-length biographies, use FRANCIS the library catalog. Do a keyword search and type the name of the person and the word biography. For example, Sojourner Truth and Biography
To locate information in biographical dictionaries, subject encyclopedias or specialized sources such as the New York Times Biographical Service and Current Biography or to find articles, use one of the following indexes and databases:
- Biography in Context
Full-text biographical database with international and multidisciplinary coverage. Includes biographies from reference sources (for quick lookups) and full-text articles from journals (for more in depth research). Also includes images and links to web sites for additional sources.
- Biography Index: Past and Present
Index to biographical material appearing in journals.
Also indexes current books (annually) of individual and collective biography, and incidental biographical material in otherwise non-biographical books.
This is a citation database and includes no full-text. Use FRANCIS to locate the journals. - Credo Reference
Collection of ready reference sources. Select Biographies in the limit fields.
- Who's Who
Provides short biographical sketches from Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, Who was Who and 17 companion publications.
- Contemporary Authors
Provides biographical information for 20th century U.S. and international authors. Each entry includes a biography, a list of works and a bibliography for further reading.
This is a full-text database. - Biographical Memoirs (Sciences)
Full text biographies of scientists from 1877 to the present published by the National Academy of Sciences.
- Web of Science
A multidisciplinary index (sciences, arts & humanities, and social sciences) that provides access to biographical information in journals and books. In the "General Search", limit your search to the document type "Biographical-Item" (pull-down menu at the bottom of the screen).
This is a citation database and includes no full-text. Click the "Find Text" button to see if Williams College Libraries own the journal or book.
- LexisNexis Academic - News
LexisNexis database, in its "Research People" section, leads to biographical information in newspapers, magazines and business and trade publications. Includes selected biographical stories, obituaries and business related stories covering company executives.
This is a full-text database. - Index to profile sketches in New Yorker magazine
Covers 1925-1970 and 1971-1982
AP2 .N6763 Index
- Encyclopaedia Britannica Online
- Biography Resources on the web