Research Guides: HIST 150: History Through Objects: The Atlantic World: Reference Sources

Tertiary Sources

Reference materials are designed to provide overviews on a topic, or give recommendations on where else to find information, or to provide a short burst of general information on a topic. These materials include dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, guides, and bibliographies. Our physical collection of reference materials are on the main floor, but most are currently online. NOTE: reference sources are often written by experts, but are not considered peer reviewed articles/chapters. They are meant to direct you to peer reviewed literature, not serve as a substitution for it.

These are some key reference resources:

American National Biography: ANB This link opens in a new window
Biographical articles of men and women who helped shape the nation. All eras and walks of life. Coverage: varies.
Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Digitized reference books (encyclopedias, directories, dictionaries, thesauri, atlases, quotation dictionaries, handbooks, etc.) in many subjects. Searchable full text across all volumes. Date coverage: Varies by title. Access available to unlimited users.
Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Information on many subjects from the 14th century BC-21st century AD drawn from reference books published by Oxford University Press. Coverage: Varies by title.
Oxford Bibliographies Online: Atlantic History This link opens in a new window
Peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on the transnational interconnections between Europe, North America, South America, and Africa, particularly in the early modern and colonial period.

Examples of US History Encyclopedias
NOTE some of these are off site and need to be ordered via the catalog. Search titles of interest in the main library catalog.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online This link opens in a new window
Biographical reference for deceased women and men notable in British history. Includes notable figures from British colonies that later gained independence, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Mahatma Gandhi, Michael Collins, and others who lived within the British Empire. Coverage: 400BC-present.

Other Examples

Encyclopedia Virginia
Encyclopedia Virginia (EV) is a reliable and user-friendly resource on the history and culture of Virginia. Encyclopedia Virginia anthologizes the best and most current scholarship that exists on a given topic. A project of Virginia Humanities in partnership with the Library of Virginia, EV publishes topical and biographical entries written by scholars, edited to be accessible to a general audience, and vigorously fact checked. Content creation is a work in progress, with new entries published regularly. Entries are accompanied by primary documents and media objects, including images, audio and visual clips, and virtual tours of historic sites. Many of our media objects are unavailable elsewhere and are published courtesy of partnerships with museums and cultural institutions in Virginia, the United States, and Great Britain.
Lengel, Edward G. Colonial Williamsburg : The Story : From the Colonial Era to the Restoration. Williamsburg, Virginia: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2020.
Swem Library's copy gift of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
Swem Library's copy in pictorial wrappers.
"This book, a companion to 'Colonial Williamsburg: The Guide: The Official Companion to the Historic Area,' recounts Williamsburg's 'story'--the events and circumstances that led to the town's founding and its community life and political importance up to and through the Revolutionary War. It offers a bit of postwar history as well, including Williamsburg's experience of the Civil War and the town's eventual restoration-all 301 acres of it. The history of Williamsburg is critical to the American story of who we are and how our nation came to be"-- Provided by publisher.
Colonial Williamsburg : The Guide ; the Official Companion to the Historic Area. Williamsburg, Virginia: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2019.
Planning your visit -- See and do. Historic area ; Art museums ; More historic destinations -- Stay, dine, shop. Resorts ; Dining ; Shopping -- About the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.