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 Resource Center
  Full-text biographical database with international and multidisciplinary coverage. Includes narrative 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.
  For a complete list of reference sources, click on List of Sources on top of the search screen.
  List of journals in Biography Resource Center
• Biography and Genealogy Master Index
  Index to biographical reference sources. Includes citations from Contemporary Biography, various Who's Who series, New York Times biographical Service, the Oxford Companion series, etc.
  Does not include journal and newspaper articles;  use Biography Index for those.
  This is a citation database and includes no full-text. Use FRANCIS to locate the sources.
  For a list of sources indexed, click on Sources Indexed on top right of search screen.
• Biography Index
  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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Lexis-Nexis Biographical Information
  Index 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 magazineCovers 1925-1970 and 1971-1982. AP2 .N6763 Index
  
• Encyclopedia Britannica Online
• Biography Resources on the web