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Biographies

Strategies and tools for finding biographies, or written accounts of someone's life. 

Finding book-length biographies

To find biographical books about a specific person, search Omni by the person as a Subject. Use the person's last name followed by first name or initial. Examples:

        chretien, jean   OR 
        chretien, j
Search tools

Biography and Genealogy Master Index

Multi-volume index with references to millions of biographical sketches in hundreds of resources. Print location: Z 5305 U5 B56 1980

Biography Index, 1949 - 2009

Annual index includes citations for articles in books and journals. Print location: Z 5301 B5

Biographical essays

Current Biography

These volumes provide essays on international personalities, with emphasis on Americans. Often includes photographs. Print location: CT 100 C8

Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online to 1930

Historical, biographical dictionary with scholarly articles on thousands of men and women, predominantly those who died on or before 1930. Is being continually expanded. Includes business people, artists, politicians, nurses, judges, doctors, soldiers, athletes and poets. Also available in print Location: WLU 3rd Floor Reference - FC25 D49

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

More than 50,000 biographies of people of distinction in the British Isles and its colonies, from the 4th century to the 21st. New edition of the 1885 work.

Subject-specific resources

Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians

Includes entries on a large number of composers and performers, past and present.

Biographical Dictionary of Social and Cultural Anthropology, 2004

Includes bibliographic references Also available in print

CBR: Canadian Business Resource

See Executive Profiles

Dictionary of Scientific Biography, 1920-80

Multi-volume set. Print location: Q 141 D5

English Language and Literature: Biographical Resources

Resources organized by category

North American Indian Thought and Culture 17th century to present

Full-text biographies and autobiographies.

Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History

Includes more than 650 biographies of influential women

Journal articles

Biographical articles can be found by searching many of the databases available for Laurier users. Try including the word "biography" in the subject, descriptor, or keyword field. Example:

Historical Abstracts

Sample search: Subject Terms: biography and churchill

More resources

The Library has many more dictionaries and directories of biographical information for all subject areas. For example, try searching for these strings of keywords in the subject field in the Omni search tool. Examples:

        biography canada dictionaries 
        biography canada directories 
        biography authors english

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