Need Help?
Where to start your book search
Here are two places to start your search for books. Each has a different specialty and scope.
- URI Libraries Search
This link opens in a new window
Locate books, videos, online resources and more available through the URI Libraries.
- WorldCat.org This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Freely available version of WorldCat, listing books and other materials in member libraries worldwide. Updated daily.
Recommended Article Databases
- America: History and Life with Full Text (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Citations to and the full text of hundreds of full-text history journals about the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. Includes features such as the ability to search by time period.
- What dates are covered? 1955 to the present
- Women’s Studies International (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Covers the core disciplines in Women’s Studies to the latest scholarship in feminist research. Sources include journals, newspapers, newsletters, bulletins, books, book chapters, proceedings, reports, theses, dissertations, NGO studies, Web sites, and grey literature.
- What dates are covered? Ranges from 1972 and earlier to the present.
- Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Full-text current and archival articles from 500+ scholarly journals from major university presses covering literature and criticism, history, performing arts, cultural studies, education, philosophy, political science, gender studies, and more. Updated continually.
Additional Sources
- Academic Search Complete (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- What's included? Citations to and full text of over 8,500 journals and magazines, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals. Covers a wide range of academic subjects including the arts, humanities, social sciences, sciences, technology, and more.
- What dates are covered? Coverage varies, but generally covers the mid 1990s - present. Updated daily.
- Biography Reference Bank (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- What's included? Biographies of approximately half a million people, from antiquity to the present, along with thousands of images. Includes the full text of articles from more than 100 volumes of biographical reference works, plus thousands of biographies from other publishers. Search by name, profession, title, place of origin, gender, race/ethnicity, titles of works, date of birth or death, keyword, and presence of images.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Archival journal collections in many disciplines, scholarly e-books, images, and primary source materials from institutions worldwide.
- What else should I know? Many journals in JSTOR have an embargo (called the "Moving Wall") on their most recent articles, generally ranging from 3-5 years. Other databases will provide more current results.
Biographical Dictionaries
African American National Biography by Call Number: URI REF E185.96 A4466 2008ISBN: 9780195160192Publication Date: 2008-02-18This multi-volume set contains a wealth of information on famous African Americans. Each article includes a list of further readings and information about locating published obituaries where available.
American national biographyCall Number: URI Reference CT213 A68 1999ISBN: 0195206355“Conceived as a successor to the Dictionary of American Biography,” which covered important, deceased residents of the United States.- Biography and Genealogy Master Index 1994 byCall Number: URI Reference Z5305 U5 B57ISBN: 0810380021Indexes current and retrospective biographical dictionaries. Covers 1980-1994.
- Biography IndexCall Number: URI Reference Z5301 .B52ISBN: 0000063053Indexes biographical material in magazines, books, and some obituaries. From 1946 to date.
- Current biographyCall Number: URI Reference CT100 .C8ISBN: 0000113344Biographical sketches of people prominent in their fields, including entertainment and politics. From 1940 to the present.
- Dictionary of National BiographyCall Number: URI Reference DA28 D49High quality articles on deceased residents of the British Isles or colonies. Covers up through 1985. Main and supplementary volumes. Check index for appropriate volume. Later volumes shelved at Ref. DA28 .D525.
- Notable American women, 1607-1950 : a biographical dictionary byCall Number: URI Reference CT3260 N57ISBN: 0674627318Includes women who died before 1971. Includes many women not covered in the Dictionary of American Biography. Volumes published in 1971 shelved at Ref. CT3260 .N57.
- Who was who in AmericaCall Number: URI Reference E176 .W64ISBN: 0001468081Historical volume and volumes including individuals who were retired from Who’s Who in America because of death. Often the place of burial is given.
- Who's whoCall Number: URI Reference DA28 .W6ISBN: 0010539395Reliable entries, including addresses of prominent living individuals, mostly British. 1898-.
- Who's who among African AmericansCall Number: URI Reference E185.96 .W52ISBN: 0010811400Provides brief biographies of over 20,000 African Americans.
- Who's who in AmericaCall Number: URI Reference E663 .W56ISBN: 0000839396Covers well-known living people who have made significant achievements or held important office. From 1899 to date.
