Encyclopedias & Other Reference Books
Encyclopedias and other reference books contain factual articles or statistics.
There are two types of encyclopedias:
- General encyclopedias provide overviews on a wide variety of topics
- Subject encyclopedias contain entries focusing on one field of study
Use an Encyclopedia
- when looking for background information on a topic
- when trying to find key ideas, important dates
- when you need subcatergories of your topic, as a way to narrow your topic
- locate keywords and terminology within a topic
- locate the names of people important to that topic
Examples
- Encyclopedia of World Art (subject encyclopedia)
- Encyclopedia Americana (general encyclopedia)
- World Book (general encyclopedia)
- Encyclopedia of World Biography (subject encyclopedia)
- Texas State Directory (reference book)
- Contemporary Authors (reference book)
How to Access
A few encyclopedias and reference books are available electronically on the Web via the Online Databases or from websites. These are searchable and include the full-text of the encyclopedia.
Encyclopedias and reference books owned by the DCCDD Libraries, including El Centro, are listed in the Library Catalog. Module 3 will show you how to use the Library Catalog.
