![](spacer.gif"){kind=spacer}
Your teacher has told you to write a biography. Now what do you do? You will need to gather factual information about a particular person and retell the story of his/her life in your own words.
If you are doing a book report on a biography that has already been written, go to the Book Report Student Guide for help.
Choosing Your Person
If your teacher has already assigned you the person to write about you may want to skip this section and move on to the research resources below. If you are picking the subject of your biographical project, you need to consider some things. Has your teacher assigned a time period? Is your subject living or dead? What class is this for? If your teacher has not given you guidelines, start your selection by asking yourself some questions. What are your hobbies? Do you like sports? How about music? Is there a particular historical era that interests you? Pick someone you want to learn more about. Keep in mind that if you choose a contemporary, currently popular person, information may be limited. Consider how few years that person has lived to this point!
Researching Your Person
Here are some specific sources for doing biographical research. Check them out and then proceed to Doing Your Research.
Biography Books
Lakewood Public Library has Biography sections at the Madison Branch and on the second floor of the Main Library. Books in the Biography section are arranged alphabetically by the last name of the person the book is about. For Example: James Dean, The Mutant King by David Dalton can be found in the Biography section under the "D's" for Dean.
Encyclopedias are an excellent starting source for biographical information. The Library has several different sets of encyclopedias for your use.
Encyclopaedia
Britannica
Location: MAIN 031 New
Encyclopedia
Americana
Location: MAIN RREF 031 Encyclopedia
Location: MAIN 031 Encyclopedia
World Book Encyclopedia
Location: MAIN RREF 031 World
Location: MAIN JUVENILE jREF 031 World
Location: MAIN JUVENILE j031 World
Location: MAIN jCD-ROM 031 1999
Location: MADISON REF 031 World
The following Reference books contain general biographies. They are located on the second floor of the Main Library and they may not be checked out.
American National
Biography covers individuals who lived in the United States or whose
life or career directly influenced the course of American history.
It ranges from the earliest history of the North American Continent
to the present.
Location: MAIN REF 920.073 American
Dictionary of
American Biography covers deceased American historical figures.
The last complete volume covers 1976-1980.
Location: MAIN REF 920.073 0554
Encyclopedia of
World Biography is a comprehensive source of information on nearly
7,000 people who have contributed significantly to human culture and
society.
Location: MAIN REF 920.02 Encyclopedia
New York Times
Biographical Service provides one page obituaries (death notices)
and photographs of notable people.
Location MAIN REF 920.02 New
Who's Who
is a series of books that provide thumbnail biographies of living people
that include birth date, education, marital status, job history, and
awards and honors the individual has received. The biographies
are not always complete. Lakewood Public Library's collection
includes:
Who's Who in America Location: MAIN REF
920.073 Who's
Who's Who in the World Location: MAIN
REF 920.02 Who's
Who's Who Among African Americans Location:
MAIN REF 920.073 Who's
Who's Who Among American Women Location:
MAIN REF 920.72
International Who's Location: MAIN REF
920.02 In6l
Who's Was Who Location: MAIN REF 920.042
W628
Women in World History has approximately 10,000 biographies from 3100 BC to the modern age. This series focuses largely on women who are deceased, born before 1926, or currently inactive or retired. However it does include the women's movement of the 1960's and women who's places in history the editors believe to be secure.
Literary Biography
Sources
These books feature a short biography for each author as well as a critical
discussion of their work.
Contemporary Authors
is a current guide to contemporary writers of fiction, general non-fiction,
poetry, television, and other fields.
Location: MAIN REF 928.1 Contemporary
Contemporary Literary
Criticism contains biographical information along with criticism
of the work's of today's novelists, poets, playwrights, short story
writers, scriptwriters, and other creative writers.
Location: MAIN REF 802.95 Contemporary
Nineteenth-Century
Literary Criticism contains biographical information along with
excerpts from criticism of the works of novelists, poets, playwrights,
short story writers, philosophers, and other writers who died between
1800 and 1900.
Location: MAIN REF 809.04 Nineteenth
Twentieth-Century
Literary Criticism contains biographical information along with
excerpts from criticism of the works of novelists, poets, playwrights,
short story writers, and other creative writers who died between 1900
and 1960.
Location: MAIN REF 809.046 Twentieth
Scientific Biography Sources
American Men &
Women of Science is a biographical directory of today's leaders
in Physical, Biological, and related sciences.
Location: MAIN REF 925 American
Dictionary of
Scientific Biography deals with mathematics, astronomy, physics,
chemistry, biology, and earth sciences. There are no articles on the
careers of living people.
Locations: MAIN REF 925 D554
Music Biography Sources
The Encyclopedia
of Popular Music contains over 18,500 entries that focus on popular
music from the United States and the United Kingdom. Individuals, bands,
albums, films, musical theatrical productions, record labels and musical
concepts can be found in this eight volume set.
Location: MAIN REF 781.6403 Encyclopedia
The New Grove
Dictionary of Music and Musicians has biographies on classical musicians,
composers and opera singers. Music is analyzed and a list of each musician's
work is included.
Location: MAIN RREF 780.3 New
The Encyclopedia
of Jazz has articles chronicling the careers of assorted jazz musicians,
listing other musicians they have worked with and the albums they have
recorded, published in 1960.
Location: MAIN REF 785.420922 F288e
VH1 Music First
Rock Stars Encyclopedia covers a variety of musicians in popular
culture from around the world including artists who have either been
a formative influence or maintained consistent critical success, but
whose chart impact may have been slight.
Location: MAIN RREF 781.660922 Rees
Miscellaneous Biography Sources
The Catholic Encyclopedia
primarily covers people associated with the Roman Catholic Church.
Location: MAIN REF 282.03 C28n
There is a version of a Catholic Encyclopedia online here. It differs from most other Catholic Encyclopedias in that it records all that Catholics have done for the intellectual and artistic development of mankind. It chronicles what Catholic artists, educators, poets, scientists, and men of action have achieved.
The Dictionary
of Cleveland Biography has short biographies of people who have
achieved prominence in Cleveland, Ohio.
Location:
MAIN RREF 920.077132 Dictionary
Location: MAIN 920.077132
Facts About the
Presidents: From George Washington to Bill Clinton is an excellent
source of information on the Presidents of the United States.
It gives data on birth, family, education, nomination and election,
congressional sessions, cabinet and Supreme Court appointments, Vice
Presidents, highlights of personal life and political administration.
It also has a section comparing the biographical data of the presidents.
Location: MAIN RREF 973.0992 Kane
Location: MAIN 973.0992 5232
Biography on the Web
Check out our class pathfinders for
Also, see these reference works online:
You can access these and other subscription databases from home with your library card: OPLIN Home Access |
