University of Oregon Libraries
University of Oregon Libraries

Finding Biographical Information

Before starting to research a person, think about the following questions.

  • What do you know about the person? The more basic information you have the easier it will be to find further information.
  • How much information do you want to find about the person? Do you just need basic information? Do you want the person's accomplishments set in historical context? Book-length biographies are often the answer for in-depth knowledge of the person, but reference books can provide basic and contextual information.
  • What is the person's occupation? There are specialized biographical sources for authors and other occupations.
  • How famous is the person? Famous people are usually easy to find, but less famous people may take some digging. Women and minorities were often less well documented until recently.
  • Is the person known in relation to a particular country or state? Is the person only locally known?
  • Is the person living or dead?Let the librarian know if you are looking for an obituary.

Sources

The following is a selected list of resources for finding biographical information in major reliable reference sources and on the Web. Biographies range widely from basic name and dates to in-depth descriptions and analysis of a person's life. This guide covers a range of print and electronic biographical sources, with particular emphasis on biographical resources for historical figures, women and minorities in the United States, and Oregon notables. This guide does not attempt to cover the many biographical sources specific to each country. The Genealogy guide is useful for genealogy-related biographical sources. Talk to a reference librarian about your specific biographical questions for specific recommendations.

  • Best Source to Start Biography Research
    Biography and Genealogy Master Index Many of the sources listed in Biography and Genealogy Master Index are located in the Library.
  • Library Catalog
    Many extensive biographies can be found in the Library's Catalog. Biographies are found by doing a Catalog subject search by the person's last name, then the person's first name. For example: Muir, John
  • General
  • International
    • International Who's Who CT120.I5 Knight Reference
    • Who's Who in the World CT120.W5 Knight Reference
    • World Biographical Index (Knight Library Reference, cd-rom station)
  • United States
    • American Jewish Biography E184.J5C653 Knight Reference
    • American National Biography CT213.A68 Knight Reference
    • American Leaders 1789-2000 E176.A513 Docs Reference
    • Dictionary of American Biography E176.D56 Knight Reference,
      continued by Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives E176.D5635 Knight Reference
    • Directory of American Scholars LA2311D57 Knight Reference
    • Encyclopedia of Native American Biography E89.J69 Knight Reference
    • Notable Black American Men 185.86N86 Knight Reference
    • Notable Asian Americans E184.06N67 Knight Reference
    • Notable Latino Americans E184.S75M435 Knight Reference
    • Notable Native Americans E89.N67 Knight Reference
    • Who's Who in America E663.W56 Knight Reference
  • Women
    • Black Women in America E185.86.B542 Knight Reference
    • Jewish Women in America E184.J5J578 Knight Reference
    • Native American Women E98.W8B38 Knight Reference
    • Northeastern Dictionary of Women's Biography CT3203.N67 Knight Reference
    • Notable American Women CT3260.A473 Knight Reference
    • Notable Black American Women E185.96.N68 Knight Reference
    • Notable Hispanic American Women E184.S75N68 Knight Reference
    • Who's Who of American Women E175.W647 Knight Reference
    • Women in World History HQ1115.W6 Knight Reference
  • Oregon
  • Oregon History
    • Notable Oregonians
    • History of Oregon - Biographical F876.C16 Knight Reference
    • Oregon Biography Index Z5305U5B7 Knight Reference
    • Portrait and Biographical Record of the Willamette Valley Oregon F882.W6P8 Knight Reference
  • Web Sources

See also: UO Library Databases & Indexes: Biographical Information

Maintained by: Barbara Jenkins, jenkins@uoregon.edu
Last Modified: 09/15/2006