Using TexShare Databases to Research Biography
Whether writing a research paper on a historical figure or just trying to get some background information on a particular person, you can use TexShare databases to locate the biographical information you need.
This pathfinder illustrates some of the ways to approach biographical research, featuring sample questions and strategies, as well as links to other useful Internet resources.
Masterfile Premier
EBSCOhost's Masterfile Premier provides full text biographies in the areas of business, health, history, science, travel, literature and education. You can limit your search to biographies by choosing "biography" under "Publication Type."
Examples:
Q: I want to find a collection of biographies of people involved in the Vietnam Conflict, but I don't know all of their names. I don't need anything too detailed-- just a brief bio for each one.
A: You can search biographies by Keyword. Type "Vietnam War" or "Vietnam Conflict" in the search "default fields." Limit your publication type to "biography."
Q: I'm interested in how corporations are incepted and want to find a biography of Michael Dell.
A: Follow the instructions above, but instead type "Michael Dell" in the search "default fields."
Handbook of Texas Online
The Handbook of Texas is a great resource for articles on all things Texas. It contains more than 23,000 reliable articles on Texas history, geography, and culture, and people.
Examples:
Q: I heard that famed Texas Judge Roy Bean once fined a dead man forty dollars. How can I get more information on this colorful character?
A: The Handbook allows you to browse alphabetical lists of biographies. Click on the "Browse" button on the left side of the screen, then choose the first letter of the person's last name under "Who - All Biographies."
Finding More In-Depth Biographical Information
NetLibrary E-books
NetLibrary makes more than 27,000 full-text eBooks available for browsing, searching, and virtual checkout. Search by title, author, keyword, publisher, publication date, or ISBN number.
Example:
Q: Where can I find an extensive biography of the jazz artist Miles Davis?
A: Try searching NetLibrary E-books by subject for "Davis, Miles" to get entire books on him.
Literature Resource Center
Containing information on over 120,000 authors and poets with in-depth coverage of frequently-studied subjects, the Literature Resource Center draws from three literature databases: Contemporary Authors Online, Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, and the Dictionary of Literary Biography Online. Access to 5,400 websites focusing on major authors and 2,300 author portraits are also provided.
Examples:
Q: Where can I find in-depth biographies and bibliographies on authors associated with a particular literary movement, such as Magical Realism?
A: In the Authors by Type section, you can search by Name, Gender, Year of Birth/Death, Ethnicity, Nationality, Genre, Theme or Literary Movement/Time Period. In this case, you would choose "Magical Realism" for Literary Movement/Time Period.
Q: Where can I find biographical information on the person who wrote The Grapes of Wrath? I can't recall his name.
A: Literature Resource Center allows you to conduct a title search, then you can select the biographical information associated with that title. In this case, you would find a biography of John Steinbeck, complete with a portrait.
Q: Are there any more resources that contain biographical entries on authors? I'm researching Jane Austen.
A: Using the Gale Literary Index, you can find lists of other Gale-published resources that contain entries on Austen. Click on the Gale Literary Index button near the top right of the screen and search by Austen, Jane.
Chadwyck-Healy 20th Century Poetry
Chadwyck-Healy's 20th Century American Poetry Collection and 20th Century English Poetry Collection cover poetry from 1900 to the present. Each collection's full-text works are supplemented by biographical profiles of almost 300 poets. You can search by poet name, or browse a list of names.
Examples:
Q: I'd like to learn more about Langston Hughes and his poetry.
A: In 20th Century American Poetry, search poets by "Hughes, Langston." A list of results will display on the screen. Next to one of the results, click on Author Page. This will take you to a brief profile of Hughes. Clicking on Biography will give you more in-depth biographical information.
Q: How can I find out Pablo Neruda's given name and nationality? A photo would be handy, too.
A: Follow the same instructions as above, this time searching for "Neruda." Neruda's given name, nationality and a large photo will show up on his Author Page.
Finding Family Bios
HeritageQuest Online
HeritageQuest is designed to help individuals trace their family lineage. It contains more than 25,000 family and local histories, the complete U.S. Federal Census from 1790-1930, the Periodical Source Index (PERSI), the Revolutionary War Pension Applications & Bounty Land Warrant Applications, and the Freedman's Bank Records.
Example:
Q: I'd like to find out how many siblings my great-grandmother had and where they all lived. She was born in 1900 in Tennessee, but I know her family moved to Texas at some point.
A: HeritageQuest allows you to search Federal census data from 1790 to 1930. In the basic search, you can search by name, census year or state. The advanced search additionally allows you to search by County, Location, Age, Sex, Race and Birthplace.
In this case, you may want to search census data from both Tennessee and Texas. Because Heritage Quest only searches census data by head of household, you'll want to enter your grandmother's father's name.
Additional Internet Resources
Biography Channel
http://www.biography.com/
Colonial Hall - Biographies of America's Founding Fathers
http://www.colonialhall.com/
Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online (English version)
http://www.biographi.ca/
The Faces of Science: African Americans in the Sciences
http://webfiles.uci.edu/mcbrown/display/faces.html
Biographies of Women Mathematicians
http://www.agnesscott.edu/lriddle/women/women.htm
Women's Legal History Biography Project
http://www.stanford.edu/group/WLHP/
Uncle Sam: Who's Who in the Federal Government
http://exlibris.memphis.edu/resource/unclesam/whos.html
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 to Present
http://bioguide.congress.gov/
NASA Astronaut Biographies
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/
InfoPlease Biography
http://www.infoplease.com/people.html
ESPN SportsCentury
http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/
Kings and Queens of Scotland (to 1603)
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page12.asp
Voices From the Days of Slavery: Former Slaves Tell Their Stories
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/voices/
BBC Historic Figures
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/
Genealogy.com: Genealogy Learning Center
http://genealogy.com/genehelp.html
National Inventors Hall of Fame
http://www.invent.org/
artnet: Research Library
http://www.artnet.com/library/
Living Voices/Voces Vivas
http://www.nmai.si.edu/livingvoices/>
Catalog of the Scientific Community in the 16th and 17th Centuries
http://galileo.rice.edu/lib/catalog.html
For further information on TexShare databases send questions and comments to texshare@tsl.state.tx.us.
This page was written by Heather Nodler in Spring 2006.
This page was revised by Sophronia Bruno in Spring 2007.
INF 382S: Library Instruction and Information Literacy, taught by Dr. Loriene Roy
School of Information,
The University of Texas at Austin