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Reference Resources at the IU Southeast Library

Online Reference Collections

Print Reference Collection

Behind the Service Desk is a small collection of materials including encyclopedias, dictionaries, collections of facts and statistics, directories, books of quotations, and much more. This is a good place to find a quick fact or a general overview of a subject. Because these resources should be available at all times, these books may not be checked out. The materials are arranged according to their Library of Congress call numbers on the reference shelves, as are the titles in the regular book collection.

General Reference Resources

ARTstor This link opens in a new window
ARTstor is a digital library of more than one million images in the arts, architecture, humanities, and social sciences with a suite of software tools to view, present, and manage images for research and pedagogical purposes.
Note: ARTstor's previous interface is available through August 2024. More information about the migration is available on the Artstor on JSTOR FAQ.
Note: Images in ArtSTOR may be used for non-commercial, educational purposes if you abide by the Terms and Conditions. More information about copyright and image use in ARTstor (and JSTOR) can be found here: https://about.jstor.org/terms/#content-use.
Britannica Online This link opens in a new window
See Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Dictionary of Literary Biography This link opens in a new window
Now called Gale Literature: Dictionary of Literary Biography.
Encyclopedia Britannica Online This link opens in a new window
Consists of the online equivalent of the printed Encyclopedia Britannica plus numerous supplementary resources, including the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus, select magazine and journal articles, thousands of photographs and illustrations, and links to additional websites reviewed by the Britannica editors.
Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia This link opens in a new window
A general online encyclopedia with over 25,000 records covering a variety of topics.
Gale Ebooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL)) This link opens in a new window
Includes a collection of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for beginning research. Subjects include African American studies, American and world history, animal behavior, anthropology, biography, business and finance, cinema, elementary and secondary education, general science, law, literature, medicine, philosophy, psychology, religion, scholarships and fellowships for college, sociology, and technology.
Gale Literature: Dictionary of Literary Biography This link opens in a new window
Provides more than 16,000 biographical and critical essays on the lives, works, and careers of some of the world's most influential literary figures from all eras and genres.
Note: The ability to cross-search Gale Literature Criticism, Gale Literature Resource Center, Gale Literature: Dictionary of Literary Biography, & Gale Literature: Something About The Author is available on the Gale Literature platform.
Grove Art Online This link opens in a new window
See Oxford Art Online.
Grove Music Online This link opens in a new window
See Oxford Music Online.
Indiana School Directory This link opens in a new window
A directory of Indiana schools and related information, sorted both alphabetically by school name and corporation name.
Indiana University Faculty/Staff Directory This link opens in a new window
Online directory for all IU campuses' faculty and staff. Includes individual and departmental contact information, campus information, as well as interactive maps of each campus.
LearningExpress Library This link opens in a new window
Designed to help students and professionals at all levels of learning achieve their educational and career-related goals. Includes practice tests for: academic, advanced placement, basic skills success, civil service, college preparation, cosmetology, EMS, ESL (Spanish) skills improvement courses, firefighter, GED, graduate school entrance (GRE), law enforcement, military, real estate, skills improvement courses, teacher certification, technical and career college, and US citizenship.
Note: Users must create a free account to fully access the resource which includes an interactive online database of practice tests and tutorial courses with scoring, complete answer explanations, and analysis of results.
Merriam-Webster This link opens in a new window
A free online dictionary and thesaurus.
Oxford Art Online This link opens in a new window
An online art reference source that covers Western and non-Western visual art. Includes the contents of Grove Art Online as well as additional Oxford art reference resources. Provides access to artists' biographies, images of artwork, as well as information on aesthetics, art terms, art movements, styles, theory, and criticism.
A video guide for Oxford Art Online is available: http://www.oxfordartonline.com./subscriber/page/guided_tour.
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) This link opens in a new window
The OED covers words from across the English-speaking world, from North America to South Africa, from Australia and New Zealand to the Caribbean. It also offers the best in etymological analysis and in listing of variant spellings, and it shows pronunciation using the International Phonetic Alphabet.
Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window
An online music reference source that includes the contents of Grove Music Online as well as The Oxford Dictionary of Music and The Oxford Companion to Music. Provides access to articles on composers, performers, conductors, individual works, instruments and notation, forms, genres, and popular music.
Oxford Reference Online: Premium This link opens in a new window
A collection of language and subject dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other reference works published by Oxford University Press. All titles in the collection are cross-searchable; individual titles may be searched separately as well.
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) This link opens in a new window
Provides writing resources and instructional materials to assist with writing projects.
Rosetta Stone for Personal Use This link opens in a new window
Language-learning courses for 24 different languages, with the Rosetta Stone full versions available for Chinese (Mandarin), Spanish, English, French, German, Italian, and Russian. Levels 1-3 are available for 15 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, and Swedish.
ACCESS NOTE: Users must create their own username and password for access to Rosetta Stone.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy This link opens in a new window
A scholarly, open-access online encyclopedia covering a full range of philosophical topics.
Statistical Abstract of the United States This link opens in a new window
Provides access to statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States.
ACCESS NOTE: The last Statistical Abstract of the United States published by the U.S. Census Bureau was the 2012 edition. The current edition is available in the IU Southeast Library Reference Collection -- HA202 .A3.
STATS Indiana This link opens in a new window
Provides access to US Census statistics compiled by the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University.
Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) This link opens in a new window
Now called Gale Ebooks.
World Bank This link opens in a new window
Provides access to a wealth of international data, including statistics on global finance, development, economic conditions, national governance, business, education, gender, health and nutrition, and more.
WorldCat This link opens in a new window
See OCLC WorldCat.
World Development Indicators Online This link opens in a new window
Provides a comprehensive selection of economic, social and environmental indicators, drawing on data from the World Bank and more than 30 partner agencies. The database covers more than 900 indicators for 210 economies with data back to 1960. Browsable by country, general topic, and indicator.
Writing Center (IUS) This link opens in a new window
Provides valuable information on documentation, punctuation, and general writing tips.

Reference Resources

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Reference Resources at the IU Southeast Library

Online Reference Collections

Print Reference Collection

General Reference Resources