Reference Across Disciplines - Subscription - Access to these resources from off-campus requires a password/user name. Drop by the library or check the library's network share folder for a list of logins.

Virtual Reference Library – encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research (including focused sub-collections such as We The People). To include these resources in a Powersearch, click the All Cross-Searchable Products choice under the Find box.  Articles from reference books will be located under the Books tab in your search results. Books in the MLWGS collection include the Encyclopedia of Human Geography, the Middle East Conflict Reference Library, and Governments of the World: A Global Guide to Citizen’s Rights and Responsibilities. 

Gale Reference Centers - results from Opposing Viewpoints and Health may be included in a PowerSearch, but U.S. History in Context and World History in Context, both rich with valuable reference material, must be searched separately.  To limit your search to articles within a specific reference book (e.g. History in Dispute in U.S. History in Context), use Advanced Search.  Enter your search term(s), click Add Row, choose Publication Title from the drop-down menu, type the title of the desired source (or part of its title - e.g. Dispute) in the box, and click the Search button on the bottom left of the page.

EBSCO ebooks – contains books encompassing a broad range of topics and viewpoints – from technology how-to manuals to books with contrasting perspectives on contemporary issues (be on the lookout for bias).  Introductory and overview chapters in books about a topic are valuable sources when you are building your understanding about a topic. All books are full-text; but, only one user at a time may view a book. 

Salem Health, Salem History, and Salem Science – digitized articles and related content from Salem Press reference books (also available in print on the library’s reference shelves).  Titles include Forensic Science and Global Warming in Salem Science; Psychology and Mental Health and Genetics and Inherited Conditions in Salem Health; and in Salem History, American Immigration, decades resources for the 1950's through the 1990's, and History of American Business.

Reference Across Disciplines - Free Resources

Google Books – free books and book previews scanned from university libraries and made available by publishers.  If you use the search feature to find pages in these books that contain your search words, remember to read the introduction and related sections of the book as well so that you develop an understanding of your topic within its broader context. This is a great tool for assessing a book before deciding to purchase it or borrow it from an area library (the Find in a Library link searches WorldCat).

Open CRS - A project of the Center for Democracy & Technology through the cooperation of several organizations and collectors of Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports, Open CRS provides access to CRS reports in the public domain.  CRS reports are prepared for legislators by a division of the Library of Congress and do not become public until a member of Congress releases the report.  A PowerSearch of Gale databases includes public domain CRS reports under the Books tab of search results.

Countries
CIA World Fact Book – history, geography, economy, and more
Background Notes – (from the U.S. Dept of State) history, political conditions, and foreign relations
NationMaster – compare country stats and generate maps and graphs

Dictionaries and Thesauri
Merriam-Webster – definitions, pronunciation guide, and word origin
New Oxford American Dictionary in Literary Reference Center (on upper right of main page, click Dictionary)
Roget’s II: The New Thesaurus – searchable or browseable in Yahoo’s interface
Rhyming Dictionary and Thesaurus – search for rhymes, synonyms, homophones, and more
Word Spy - dedicated to new and emerging words

Encyclopedias
Subject encyclopedias – you'll find many subject encyclopedias and specialized reference books in the library's reference section in online databases to which we subscribe: World History in Context, U.S. History in Context, Gale's Virtual Reference Library (if you use PowerSearch, look under the Books tab of your search results), Salem History, Salem Science, and Salem Health. There are also some in EBSCO ebooks.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - coordinated and hosted by Stanford University, edited by a team of university professors from around the globe.

Wikipedia – collaborative encyclopedia that a 2006 comparison (a bit controversial) found to be about as accurate as traditional encyclopedias in many cases – particularly useful for current events and many science and technology-related topics, and for the reference links at the bottom of articles.

Health
Healthfinder for Teens – information from the National Health Information Center
Medline Plus: Teen Health – virtual library of articles, tutorials, and videos from the NIH
TeensHealth – physician/expert-reviewed health site designed by the Center for Children’s Health Media

Quotations
Columbia World of Quotations – contains over 65,000 literary and popular sayings
Quoteland – quotes organized into categories such as literary, inspirational, and sports

Reference_Shelf bookmarks on delicious
You’ll also want to check out the following tags in the library’s bookmark account (dragonlibrary) on delicious: almanacs, dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauri, and reference. These are grouped together in the Reference_Shelf bundle near the bottom of the tag list. The books, ebooks and maps tags may also be of interest to you.