General reference tools:

Background information and definitions from
encyclopedias, dictionaries, and more

Specific Types of Reference

The reference tools listed on this page are
general (not subject-specific). If you are looking
for reference tools geared toward a particular
subject, please visit the resources by subject
guide for that topic.

 

General encyclopedias

• Encyclopedia Americana
• Columbia Encyclopedia

 

English language dictionaries & thesauri

• Cambridge Dictionary of American English
• Merriam-Webster Dictionary & Thesaurus
• Oxford English Dictionary
• Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms
• Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

 

Translation dictionaries (between English and other languages)

• Cambridge French-English/ English French Dict.
• American Heritage Spanish-English/ English-Spanish Dict.

 

Atlases/ Maps

• Grolier Atlas
• Google Maps

 

Quotations/ Speeches

• Columbia World of Quotations
• Vital Speeches of the Day

 

More general reference tools

• Credo Reference
• Gale Virtual Reference Library
• Librarians' Internet Index: reference links
• Search for reference books in print format: library catalog