Reference databases are general in nature and provide facts about a wide array of subjects. They are useful for locating introductory or background information needed to start your research. Reference databases include sources such as biographical information, dictionaries, directories, encyclopedias, handbooks, almanacs, manuals, and yearbooks.
Thrift Library provides access to the following reference databases:
OED: Oxford English Dictionary
- The historical English dictionary: an unsurpassed guide for researchers in any discipline to the meaning, history, and usage of over 500,000 words and phrases across the English-speaking world. The OED is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language.
- A comprehensive reference resource that includes images, audio files, videos, and more than 600 full-text reference books on most major subject areas.
Britannica Academic Online Edition
- A comprehensive reference resource used to access Encyclopædia Britannica plus Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus, magazines and periodicals, and many other research tools. Great place to get the introductory material needed to start your research.
Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
- An online encyclopedia containing over 25,000 records.
- A reference resource that includes access to two homepages: Britannica Kids for children and young adults, and Britannica Reference Center for older students and adults.
- MasterFILE Premier contains full text for general reference magazines and publications covering a wide range of subject areas including business, health, education, general science and multicultural issues. It also includes an extensive image collection of more than 2 million photos, maps and flags.
- Nearly a million biographical entries spanning history and geography.
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