Hewes Library: Library Home: Reference Resources

Dictionaries & Encyclopedias (Collections & Major Titles)

A list of digital reference source collections available at Hewes Library

American National Biography
Provides biographical articles and bibliographies on notable Americans. Coverage: pre-colonial times to the present.
CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics
A ready-reference book of chemical and physical data. Updated annually.
Credo Reference
Online collection of over 800 reference titles, providing useful definitions, background information, quotations, images, and biographical information.
Encyclopaedia Britannica Online
The online version of Britannica's encyclopedia, plus thousands of unique online articles, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (10th ed.), the Britannica Book of the Year, and more. Updated daily.
Europa World Plus
Political, economic and demographic information for countries and cities of the world. Ability to compare multinational data in graph and tabular form.
Gale Virtual Reference Library
Collection of online reference titles from Gale Publishing covering general reference, biographical sources, and all major disciplines. Search tip sheet (pdf).
Sanborn Digital Maps
Provides access to digitized Sanborn fire insurance maps to over 500 cities and towns in Illinois. Color versions of maps available from the Library of Congress Collection. Coverage: 1867-1970.
Oxford English Dictionary
Online version of the premiere etymological dictionary of the English language. In addition, the PRINT 20-volume set may be found in the Reference Collection: PE 1625. N53 1933.
Oxford Reference Online
In-depth, specialized titles from Oxford University Press’s award-winning Encyclopedias and Companions series, and a selection of partner publishers’ scholarly works.

Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Contains subjects related to philosophy, such as politics, psychology, economics, anthropology, religion and literature.

Sage E-Reference
Reference titles covering a wide variety of subjects, including the humanities and social sciences.
Salem Press Reference Online
A collection of fully searchable reference ebooks from Salem Press relating to literature, American history and culture, science, and health. Helpful for topic generation and background information.

Additional Reference Resources

Additional reference resources in alphabetical order

Oxford English Dictionary: Word History and Definitions

Search the Oxford English Dictionary for current and historical word definitions with sources quoted.

Credo Reference: Multidisciplinary

Search the Gale Virtual Reference Library

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