Women's History

Scholarly encyclopedias and other reference works are invaluable to historical research. Accounts of historical events and persons can be complex, controversial, large, and even be described with variant spellings. Encyclopedias should provide overviews of events, persons, or ideas as well introductory information about competing perspectives on those subjects. Entries usually include bibliographies that can guide you to important scholarship and primary sources related to the topics. Finally, encyclopedias and dictionaries will give you keywords for efficient searching and effective writing.  

Print Encyclopedias

Large sets of history encyclopedias are in the reference collection on the main floor, especially in the 900 call number range. Print and electronic encyclopedias can also be found via the library catalog. You can try broad search terms with keywords like "encyclopedias."

(pacific northwest OR washington state) AND (encyclopedia OR dictionary)

will retrieve books like, Chinook ; a History and Dictionary of the Northwest Coast Trade Jargon

Encyclopedia Databases

Unique history resources are in the following databases. Enter your student email address and password to access from off-campus.