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Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, WPA Poster Collection, [ppmsca 31264]
What are Reference Works?
Reference works are authoritative resources that provide facts and/or summaries of information. They should be used in your research process to gain a quick overview or summary of your topic (encyclopedias); define unfamiliar terms (dictionaries); and find geographic information (atlases and maps). Many U.S. government websites provide reference resources with statistics for quantitative support of your research topic arguments. Reference works are usually considered Tertiary Resources. They are used as a jumping off point for further research.
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Online Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window Credo Reference is a general knowledge database providing articles, images, charts, maps and other materials on thousands of topics. With 750+ searchable, full-text titles, Credo Reference places particular emphasis on subject encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, and reference handbooks. Also included are more than 1,100 short reference videos, more than 475,000 high-resolution art images, photographs, and maps across all subject areas.
- Encyclopedia Britannica Academic - Norwalk Campus This link opens in a new window Britannica is a well-respected brand and has a long tradition of providing accurate and educational information on just about any subject you can think of. We pride ourselves in encouraging all our customers, young and old, to discover more about the world we live in.
- Grove Art Online This link opens in a new window The Grove Dictionary of Art is the unsurpassed authority on all aspects of the visual arts, with 30,000 signed and peer-reviewed articles contributed by nearly 7,000 international scholars. Grove Art features entries on artists, architects, craftsmen, patrons, movements, locations, and periods, as well as bibliographies for further research and thousands of searchable images made available through partnerships with museums, galleries, and other outstanding arts organizations.
