Research Librarian
Alana Kumbier
they/them or she/her
Contact:
Frost Library
413-542-5454
Subjects: Arabic, Asian Languages & Civilizations, Black Studies, Chinese, Classics, History, Japanese, Philosophy
Reference Sources
Below are links to reference sources and collections that are most useful for this subject:
Collections of reference works
These databases search the indexes and tables of contents of multiple reference books at once.
- Reference Universe This link opens in a new windowSearchable index of the library's entire reference collection, both print and electronic.
- Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window70 reference e-books, including multivolume works like the Encyclopedia of Religion, American Decades, and more.
- Oxford Reference This link opens in a new windowDigitized entries from Oxford's Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopedias, spanning multiple subject areas.
Subject-Specific Reference Works
These are key reference works in European History.
- Cambridge Companions This link opens in a new windowScholarly surveys of authors, literary history, culture, and philosophy.
- Cambridge Histories This link opens in a new windowProvides political, economic and social history, philosophy, and literature of selected countries and subjects.
Ancient Europe, 8000 B. C. to A. D. 1000 by Call Number: AC Frost Reference D62 .A52 2004Encyclopedia of prehistoric origins through the early Middle Ages (8000 B.C. to A.D. 1000) when tribal movements helped define the rise of the modern European world.
Encyclopedia of Western Colonialism since 1450 by Call Number: AC Frost Reference JV22 .E535 2007Encyclopedia of overseas empires of Western Europe from 1450 through the mid-20th century.
Europe, 1450-1789 by Call Number: AC Frost Reference D209 .E97 2004Encyclopedia of European history from 1450-1789.
Tip: What are reference sources, and why would I use them?
Reference sources can include encyclopedias, bibliographies, dictionaries, handbooks, and atlases.
- They provide overviews of and background information on a topic
- They help you identify or refine your topic
- They provide quick, reliable facts
- They include bibliographies that will lead you to additional sources of information on your topic
You can find the Library's collection of reference books on Floor 1 of Frost. We also have many online databases that include collections of edited scholarly encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference sources.