Reference Sources by Title
AccessScience (Current) 
What Is It? Encyclopedia for the sciences; electronic equivalent of the 8th edition of the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology with added content.
Why Use It? Read overviews of topics in the sciences. Look up definitions of general scientific terms. Find brief biographies of major scientists.
African American Almanac (2008, 10th ed.) What Is It? Includes chronology of important events in African American history and African American firsts, excerpts of primary source documents, biographical profiles, essays, photographs, illustrations, maps and statistical charts. Arranged by broad subject areas; a bibliography for each area appears separately.
Why Use It? Find brief historical and current information on African American history, society and culture. Find brief biographies about prominent African Americans and information about African American organizations. Find selected statistics related to African Americans.
ArchiveGrid (Coverage Varies) 
What Is It? Index to major museum and archive collections in the United States and throughout the world. Contact information for accessing the collection is included.
Why Use It? Locate historical documents, family documents, and personal papers collected in the world's archives and museums
ArchivesUSA (Coverage Varies) What Is It? Directory of 5,400 repositories and 132,000 manuscript collections of primary source materials. Repository entries contain contact information for the custodians of the collections.
Why Use It? Find primary source collections on a particular topic or to obtain contact information for an archival collection.
AskART (Coverage Varies) What Is It? AskArt contains a collection of resources on artists and their works. These resources include biographical information, information about Museums and art associations, a database of auction information, etc.
Why Use It? Find current Art for sale; find an artist or museum; find biographical information about an artist
Atlas of Historical County Boundaries (Historical Time Period Covered: 1600s-2000) What Is It? Describes and maps every change in the boundaries of all United States counties from the early 1600s to 2000. It compiles and maps all changes in boundaries, showing the evolution of the states, county name changes, unsuccessful proposed counties, and attachments of unorganized counties and non-county areas to operational counties.
Why Use It? Identify location and borders of U.S. counties throughout U.S. history. Determine which counties existed at a particular time period.
Atlas of North American English What Is It? Atlas of North American English is a multi-decade project that charts dialect shifts in American English. It includes the fulltext of the Atlas, maps, and speech samples.
Why Use It? Trace sound shifts in American English dialects.
Biography Index (1984-Present) What Is It? An index to biographical articles and essays published in periodicals and in collective or individual biographies. Also indexes incidental biographical material in otherwise non-biographical books. Subjects indexed range from antiquity to the present and represent all fields and nationalities.
Why Use It? Gather biographical information. Search through biographical dictionaries and Who's Who.
Biography Resource Center (1960-Present) What Is It? A database of biographical information. Covers all periods of history around the world. Indexes biographical reference sources as well as articles from periodicals.
Why Use It? Read quick summary or description of personal information on a particular individual. Find an in-depth overview of the subject's life and accomplishments.
Research the place of a subject in history or society, a particular field of endeavor, or the news.
Birds of North America (Varies) What Is It? BNA Online provides comprehensive life histories for each of the 716+ species of birds breeding in the USA (including Hawaii) and Canada. Read more about BNA's beginnings and where we are headed
Why Use It? Find encyclopedic type information about bird species living in North America
BLC Catalog What Is It? a catalog containing the holdings of the member libraries of the Boston Library Consortium: Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis, MA State Library, Marine Biological Laboratory/Wood's Hole Oceanographic Institution, MIT
Northeastern, Tufts, University of Connecticut, Umass Amherst, UMass Boston, UMass Dartmouth, UMass Lowell, UMass Medical, University of New Hampshire, Wellesley, and Williams.
Why Use It? Search for and borrow materials that are not available at Williams.
Books in Print (Current) What Is It? List of titles that are in print, forthcoming, or declared out-of-print or out-of-stock. Many records contain excerpts from reviews.
Why Use It? Find out if a book is available for purchase. Get a list of books by an given author or on a given subject. Access brief book reviews (for more recent titles).
Chicago Manual of Style 15th edition (Online edition) What Is It? Guide to writing research paper, citing, formulating footnotes, creating bibliographies in Chicago 15th edition format.
Why Use It? Find definitive answers to using the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition.
Columbia Gazetteer of the World Online (Current) What Is It? Entries in the Gazetteer include basic information on many of the following: demography; physical geography; political boundaries; industry, trade, and service activities; agriculture; cultural, historical, and archeological points of interest; transportation lines; longitude, latitude, and elevations; distance to relevant places; pronunciations; official local government place-names and changed or variant names and spellings.Their length varies from a brief notation on a small village to an essay on a country or region
Why Use It? Look up Geographical information; check the spelling of a place name; gather basic socio-demographic information about cities, towns, regions worldwide.
Contemporary Authors (Coverage Varies) What Is It? Database providing biographical and bibliographical information for mostly 20th century U.S. and international authors.
Note: Contemporary Authors is included in the database Biography Resources Center.
Why Use It? Search for biographical information about an author.
Contemporary Fashion (Current) What Is It? A reference book covering individual designers and fashion houses that have been active throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Informative essays mirror the many facets of the fashion world.
Why Use It? To locate information about fashion and fashion designers from the 20th and 21st century.
Credo Reference (Coverage Varies) What Is It? Collection of electronic editions of reference dictionaries and handbooks.
Why Use It? Find overviews of topics in nearly all disciplines. Search for definitions. Find biographical information. Search for quotations. Check the meaning or spelling of a foreign language term.
Dictionary of American Biography (Coverage Varies) What Is It? Collection of biographical sketches of Americans who died in 1980 or earlier.
Available through the Biography Resource Center database.
Why Use It? Find a biography of an American figure who died in or before 1980. Group biographies of people by occupation, birthplace, birth year, or sex. Find a biography of someone if you know only their occupation, birthplace, birth year, or sex; search the full-text of the biographies using just a keyword.
Dictionary of American History (Current) What Is It? The Dictionary of American History is a standard reference work in United States history, covering prehistory to 2002. See volume 9 for archival maps and primary sources.
Why Use It? Find encyclopedia articles, archival maps, and primary sources about American history.
Directory of Corporate Archives in the United States and Canada What Is It? The directory includes information about companies that maintain their historical records themselves, as well as companies that contract with historical consulting firms to maintain their archives collections for them. The directory has three indexes: alphabetical list of corporations, archivists, and geographical.
Why Use It? To find the description and contact information for a corporate archive.
Encyclopaedia Britannica Online (Current) What Is It? Williams College faculty, students, and staff enjoy unlimited use of Britannica Online, and may print and save for personal or educational use. Reproduction and distribution of Britannica or its contents off campus is prohibited.
Why Use It? Get basic information on a topic. Begin a research paper and find a topic.
Encyclopaedia Judaica (Coverage Varies) What Is It? Encyclopedia of Jewish history, religion and culture. Encompasses time period 2000 BC to the end of the twentieth century.
Why Use It? Find background information about people, places or events in Jewish history, culture, art, scholarship, literature, and Judaism. View photos, slideshows, videos, sound recordings and maps. View a comparative timeline of Jewish history, Jewish culture and world history since 2000 BC.
Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History: The Black Experience in the Americas (2006, 2nd ed.) What Is It? Electronic version of a six-volume encyclopedia covering all aspects of the African-American experience from 1619 to the present day in the U.S. and throughout the Western hemisphere. Articles are signed by experts in the field and are accompanied by a selected bibliography. The appendix contains statistical data and a selection of primary source documents.
Why Use It? Find overviews of the African-American experience. Get biographical information about important African-Americans in the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America.
Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics (Coverage Varies) What Is It? Comprehensive reference work in astronomy and astrophysics containing the full text of over 2,750 articles.
Why Use It? To find background information on topics in astronomy and astrophysics
Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol Addictive Behavior (varies) What Is It? Explores the social, medical, legal and political issues related to drugs and alcohol and associated behaviors. Includes emerging topics and developments in the many fields of addiction studies.
Why Use It? Find encyclopedic articles about drug addiction.
Encyclopedia of Evolution (Current) What Is It? A comprehensive guide to the essentials of evolutionary biology, these entries by leading experts survey essential concepts and theories, present methods, models and findings, and discuss both the history of the field and current controversies. Readers will find brief treatments on discrete concepts and individuals to illuminating lengthy essays by towering figures in the field. Topics include: Darwin, natural selection, human origins, behavioral ecology, diversity, mathematical models, and cell and developmental biology. Special essays include Stephen Jay Gould's “Macroevolution” and Jane Goodall and Elizabeth Vinson-Lonsdorf on “Culture in Chimpanzees.”
Why Use It? To find overview articles on topics in evolution.
Encyclopedia of India (Gale Virtual Reference Library) What Is It? A comprehensive reference work that encompasses the history, cultures, geography and religions of India from ancient times to the present day. Includes over 600 illustrated articles.
Why Use It? To gather background information on all aspects of India.
Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed. 2006) What Is It? Comprehensive database of popular music of all genres and periods including jazz, country, folk, rap, reggae, techno, musicals, world music, and more
Why Use It? Find authoritative and reliable information about popular music including biographies (individual performers and groups), discussions of genres, trends, styles, record labels, venues, and festivals. Many entries include discographies, bibliographies, and links to related articles.
Encyclopedia of Religion (2nd edition, 2005) What Is It? Online edition of the Encyclopedia of Religion. Contains articles on important ideas, beliefs, rituals, myths, symbols, religious movements, and persons that have played a role in the universal history of religions from Paleolithic times to the present. International in scope. Print version of this edition available in Sawyer Reference, BL31 .E46 2005.
Why Use It? Find overviews of religious topics. Compare ideas, beliefs, and rituals across religions and cultures.
Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment What Is It? Covers from the rise of Descartes' disciples in 1670 to the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in 1815. Includes not only Western Europe but also North America and Brazil, and Iberian, Russian, Jewish, and Eastern European cultures.
Why Use It? Research 17th century through early 19th century culture, philosophies and religions.
Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages What Is It? Provides articles on all aspects of the period from the 5th to the 15th century. It explores art, architecture, religion, law, science, language, philosophy, and theology, as well as cultural, religious, intellectual, social and political history.
Why Use It? Find overview articles about religion, politics, and cultures in the Middle Ages.
Ethnologue What Is It? Encyclopedic reference work cataloging all of the world’s 6,912 known living languages
Why Use It? To find information on languages including number of speakers, areas of the world in which it is spoken, dialects and linguistic classification. Includes maps.
Europa World (Coverage Varies) What Is It? Online version of the current edition of the Europa World Year Book and the nine-volume Europa Regional Surveys of the World series. Back issues of the Regional Surveys are available in print -- check FRANCIS for location information.
Why Use It? Find political and economic information in more than 250 countries and territories.
Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine (Varies) What Is It? Presents current information on alternative and complementary medical practices, including reflexology, acupressure, acupuncture, chelation therapy, kinesiology, yoga, chiropractic, Feldenkrais, polarity therapy, detoxification, naturopathy, Chinese medicine, biofeedback, Ayurveda, and osteopathy. Information on recommended therapies for specific disorders and diseases, medicinal uses for plants and herbs, are balanced by conclusions of studies on efficacy and analysis of current levels of acceptance by traditional scientists and doctors.
Why Use It? Find encyclopedic information about alternative medicine and its practice
Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America
Gale Virtual Reference Library (Coverage Varies) What Is It? A collection of reference sources from multiple publishers providing authoritative essays on varied topics from numerous subject areas. Searches can be ran in individual books or across the entire collection. List of Titles Included.
Why Use It? To gather background information on a variety of topics.
Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians What Is It? Online version of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Includes scholarship in all areas of music. Covers Western as well as non-Western and folk music. Print editions available in Sawyer Reference, ML100 .N48 2001, ML102.O6 N5 1992, and ML102.J3 N48 2002 respectively.
Why Use It? Find scholarly articles relating to music and musicians. Find information on composers, performers, theorists, terminology, institutions, orchestras and societies.
Grove Encyclopedia of Classical Art and Architecture What Is It? Comprehensive reference resource for the visual arts of the Classical period. It features an abundance of in-depth articles on this field —from biographies to thematic entries on architecture, ceramics, metalwork, mosaics, painting and sculpture. The resource provides art historical and cultural information about art forms, artists, rulers, philosophers, architecture, renowned works of art, archaeological sites and stylistic developments.
Why Use It? Find background information on Art and Architecture from the Classical world.
Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture What Is It? Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture offers over 1,600 entries on Islamic art and architecture ranging from the Middle East to Central and South Asia, Africa, and Europe and spans over a thousand years of history. Recent changes in Islamic art in areas such as Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq are elucidated here by distinguished scholars. Entries provide in-depth art historical and cultural information about dynasties, art forms, artists, architecture, rulers, monuments, archaeological sites and stylistic developments. In addition, over 500 illustrations of sculpture, mosaic, painting, ceramics, architecture, metalwork and calligraphy illuminate the rich artistic tradition of the Islamic world. With the fundamental understanding that Islamic art is not limited to a particular region, or to a defined period of time, the Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture offers pathways into Islamic culture through its art.
Why Use It? Find encyclopedic information about Islamic art, art movements, or artists.
In the First Person (1500s - present) What Is It? Index to more than 3,350 collections of personal narratives (oral histories, letters, and diaries) in English from around the world. In some cases, the texts and/or audio files are linked and freely available. Most of the older materials are by subscription only.
Why Use It? To find oral histories and oral history collections, interviews and personal narratives in repositories around the world.
International Encyclopedia of Dance What Is It? With nearly 2,000 articles written by scholars from fifty countries, the Encyclopedia covers the full spectrum of dance—theatrical, ritual, dance-drama, folk, traditional, ethnic, and social dance. Cultural and national overviews are accompanied by entries on dance forms, music and costumes, performances, and biographies of dancers and choreographers.
Why Use It? Find encyclopedia articles on dance and choreography.
Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism (Current) What Is It? Encyclopedia providing an overview of twentieth-century Western literary theory.
Why Use It? Learn about a literary critic or theorist. Research literary ideas, history or theories.
Lexis-Nexis Biographical Information (Coverage Varies) What Is It? Index to biographical information in newspapers, magazines and business and trade publications. Includes selected biographical stories, obituaries and business related stories covering company executives.
Why Use It? Use this to find articles and obituaries with biographical information.
Library of Congress Classification Outline (Current) What Is It? The Subject Classification (Call Number) Scheme used to organize books in most academic libraries
Why Use It? To understand the arrangement of books in the library using the Library of Congress Subject Classification Scheme.
Literature Criticism Online (1400-Present) What Is It? Scholarly and popular commentary from broadsheets, pamphlets, encyclopedias, books and periodicals. Organized by time the criticism was published (1400-1800, 19th century, 20th century, Contemporary) or subject (Short Story, Shakespeare, Drama).
Why Use It? Find literary criticism about a novel, poem, play or short story. Find an overview of an author's career. Get an author's bibliography.
Melton's Encyclopedia of American Religions (varies) What Is It? Covers over 2,300 North American religious groups in the U.S. and Canada. Includes essays and directory listings.
Why Use It? To find factual information about religious groups in the US and Canada including
the historical development of religious families and membership figures.
Mergent Online (Current) What Is It? An online database of financial information for US public and international companies.
Why Use It? To find company information for US public and international companies.
New Oxford American Dictionary
NExpress Catalog What Is It? Catalog of the NExpress libraries: Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Middlebury, Northeastern, Wellesley, Williams.
Why Use It? To search for and borrow materials not available at Williams.
OpenSecrets.org (1997 - current) What Is It? Founded in 1983, the non-partisan and non-profit Center for Responsive Politics tracks money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy. Their website, OpenSecrets.org, is a comprehensive resource for campaign contributions, lobbying data and analysis.
Why Use It? To identify and get financial data about corporations, interest groups and PACs (Political Action Committees) that contribute to political parties and elected officials. Data is organized by individual elected official, industry sector, and individual Political Action Committee or interest group. Data is derived from the Federal Election Commission.
Oxford Art Online (Grove Art) (1996-Present) What Is It? Includes the online edition of the Grove Dictionary of Art and the Oxford Companion to Western Art. Provides information on all aspects of world art. Includes a database of images covering the visual arts from prehistory to the present. Print edition available in Sawyer Reference, N31 .D5 1996.
Why Use It? Find articles about the visual arts. Find bibliographies about art or artists. View images of art online. Find biographies of artists.
Oxford Companion to Architecture (Varies) What Is It? The Oxford Companion to Architecture contains over 1500 A-Z entries covering all aspects of architecture, from architects, building types, and movements and styles to materials, aspects of design, and definitions. It is particularly strong in its coverage of architecture around the world, and of modern and vernacular architecture. The Companion is strongly rooted in an approach to architecture that looks at its social, technical, and practical aspects, as well as viewing it from an art-historical perspective.
Why Use It? Find encyclopedic articles on architectural topics.
Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature What Is It? This Encyclopedia surveys the vibrant terrain of American literature in 350 essays from leading scholars, encompassing the range and depth of American literary history from the 1600s to the present day. The Encyclopedia includes essays on poets, playwrights, essayists, and novelists, as well as major works and essays on literary movements, periods, and themes. No mere catalog of dates, events, and synopses, the Encyclopedia's articles offer historical perspective and social context along with a range of possibilities with regard to critical approach.
Why Use It? Find scholarly encyclopedia articles on American literature.
Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States What Is It? Scholarly encyclopedia that draws together the diverse historical and contemporary experiences in the United States of Latinos and Latinas from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Over 900 A-to-Z articles written by academics, scholars, writers, artists, and journalists, address such broad topics as identity, art, politics, religion, education, health, and history.
Why Use It? Find scholarly encylopedia articles on Latinos/as.
Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures What Is It? Comprehensive reference source chronicling Pre-Hispanic, colonial, and modern Mesoamerica, defined as the lands stretching from Mexico to the southern tip of Central America. With more than 600 articles, it is invaluable for those interested in the rich heritage of this land. Encompassing the great civilizations of the pre-Columbian era (including the Olmec, Aztec, and Maya peoples) up through the colonial and postcolonial periods, the Encyclopedia covers art, archaeology, religious studies, anthropology, history, and historiography of the region in fully cross-referenced, signed articles by the leading scholars in the discipline.
Why Use It? Find information about Mesamerican pre-history.
Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance What Is It? Provides authoritative information about theatre and performance from ancient Greek theatre to the latest developments in London, Paris, New York, and around the globe. Also covers dance, opera, radio, film, television, and popular performance. Print edition also available Sawyer Reference PN2035 .O92 2003.
Why Use It? Find overviews of theatrical topics worldwide and throughout history.
Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History What Is It? The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History captures the experiences of women throughout history . It contains 650 biographies of influential women and over 600 topical articles covering topics such as geography and history, culture and society, organizations, movements, and gender studies.
Why Use It? Find encyclopedic information about women's movements, influential women, and the social, demographic,and political changes that women affect women in society.
Oxford English Dictionary Online (Current) What Is It? Complete text of the Second Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. Considered the premier work documenting the history of English word usage.
Why Use It? Determine the spelling, pronunciation, and meaning of English words. Find the derivation, or origin, of English words; learn about the evolution of English words.
Oxford Language Dictionaries Online What Is It? French-English, German-English, Italian-English, Spanish-English, English-French, English-German, English-Italian, English-Spanish dictionaries with usage and etymologies.
Why Use It? Translate and find definitions for words and phrases in French, German, Italian, and Spanish
Oxford Music Online (Encyclopedia) What Is It? The gateway to access Grove Music Online, the Encyclopedia of Popular Music, and other online reference resources, including The Oxford Dictionary of Music and The Oxford Companion to Music.
Why Use It? To find biographies and reference articles on all genres of music, musicians, and musical instruments.
Oxford Reference Online (Current) What Is It? Collection of electronic editions of Oxford University Press Dictionaries and Handbooks
Why Use It? Find overviews of topics in nearly all disciplines. Search for definitions. Find biographical information. Search for quotations. Check the meaning or spelling of a foreign language term.
Oxford Spanish Dictionary What Is It? Spanish-English, English-Spanish dictionary with usage and etymologies
Why Use It? Translate and find definitions for Spanish words and phrases
Oxford-Duden German Dictionary What Is It? German-English, English-German dictionary with usage and etymologies.
Why Use It? Translate and find definitions for German words and phrases
Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary What Is It? French-English, English-French dictionary with usage and etymologies.
Why Use It? To translate or find the meanings of French words
Oxford-Paravia Italian Dictionary What Is It? Italian-English, English-Italian dictionary with usage and etymologies.
Why Use It? Translate and find definitions for Italian words and phrases
Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Current) What Is It? International in scope this encyclopedia examines all areas of philosophical inquiry, ranging from aesthetics, epistemology, ethics, logic, metaphysics, and religion. Print edition available in Sawyer Reference, B51 .R68 1998.
Why Use It? Find interpretation, explication and critique of philosophers and philosophical theories.
Scipio (17th- present; inclusive 1981-present) What Is It? Database of auction catalogs owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Getty Center, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), and the Clark Art Institute. Coverage includes fine and decorative arts, coins, wines, cars, baseball card and other collectibles
Why Use It? Research provenance, details, and sale information for works of art.
Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (Homer to 1453 AD) What Is It? Thesaurus Linguae Graecae is a digitized database of Greek writing from Homer to 1453. The resource is meant to be used as a compendium or as a method for finding the occurence of words in Greek text
Why Use It? Find occurence of words in Greek texts from Homer to the fall of Byzantium in AD 1453.
Ulrich's Periodicals Directory (Current) What Is It? Directory providing information on serials published throughout the world. Covers all subjects. Includes irregular and free of charge publications.
Why Use It? Find the publisher's address for periodicals. Gather a list of periodicals for a discipline. Find editors' names and contact information. Find circulation figures and advertisment rates for a publication.
Who's Who (Current) What Is It? Biographical Essays from Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, Who was Who and 17 companion publications.
Why Use It? Find biographical information on people in the Arts, the Media, Education, Science, Politics, the Military, etc.
WorldCat (Current) What Is It? Catalog of library catalogs. It contains records from over 9,000 libraries from around the world.
Why Use It? Verify accuracy of bibliographic information. Find out which library an item is located.
Xrefer Plus (See Credo Reference)