What Does it Do?

Are you looking information on a famous person, living or dead?  Biography Resource Center contains biographical details on over 315,000 people.  It draws on a variety of reference books and magazine articles as its sources, and is quick and easy to navigate.

Access

From Home: go to the library’s homepage http://www.stanislauslibrary.org.  Select “Online Databases".   Select the “ Biography Resource Center ” option.  Be prepared to enter your library card number and the last 4 digits of your phone number. 
From the Library: at one of the web-catalog terminals near the reference desk choose the “Online Databases” option then click on the “ Biography Resource Center ” icon.

Finding Information
Enter a name (last, first) in the text box provided or click on “Biographical Facts Search” or “Advanced Search” for more search options. 

• Biographical Facts Search enables you to look for a person’s biography even if you’re unsure of their name; search by country, ethnicity, occupation, gender, birth/death years, etc.
• Advanced Search enables you to narrow your search to a particular magazine or reference book.

The results for the search are displayed on another page.  Select your person from the list of results, and you will be directed to another page.  A row of tabs near the top of the page provide options for the type of source you want; the tab that is highlighted a different color indicates the source type currently chosen.  To change source types, simply click on the one you want; there are four to choose from.

Narrative Biographies are in-depth, usually at least 1 page in length.  These normally include a list of “suggested further reading” titles.  Thumbnail Biographies are very short.  Generally these are limited to name, birthplace, birth/death dates, major awards, etc.  Thumbnail biographies are usually 1-2 paragraphs long.  Magazine Articles appearing in your search results may not be strictly biographical, but will generally deal with your subject.  Finally, the Websites tab will bring up internet links to biographical information relevant to your subject.

Once you find an article you like, click on the title; the full text of the article will then appear onscreen.  You can email an article to yourself or a friend by clicking on the Email icon and entering the desired email address.  The Print icon can be selected if you want to print an article.  Those using this database inside the library should keep in mind that all print jobs can be picked up at the Magazine/Computers Desk; printouts are $0.10 apiece, with the first two pages free.

Other Features

There are several other features designed to maximize your search experience using this database.   These options can be found near the top of the search screen.

• The Research Guide provides general guidelines for biographical searches.
• Search Tips give helpful advice for finding exactly what you need.
• A Dictionary is included for handy reference.
• Help will direct you to a more in-depth version of this pathfinder.
• List of Sources displays all the books and magazines that have material indexed in this database.

If you need help, please see a librarian at the Reference Desk or call 558-7814.