Background Information: Encyclopedias

MiraCosta College Library

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The Library reference collection contains many general and specialized encyclopedias, dictionaries and atlases. If you are unsure where to start, see a librarian in person, email Ask A Librarian, or call us!

The library subscribes to a number of online full-text reference sources. If you wish to access these databases,you will need to log in with your SURF ID and password.

General Encyclopedias from MiraCosta Library

• Encyclopedia Britannica Online - Over 118,000 articles.  Also has Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus and a world atlas. Most search results have links to relevant web sites and periodical articles.

• Reference Center from netLibrary - Includes encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, directories, thesauri, and more.
• Virtual Reference Library from Gale - encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research.
• Oxford Reference Online - full-text Scholarly Reference Collection, providing coverage of the full subject spectrum, ready-reference, and the resources of the Oxford Companions.

Helpful Internet Reference Websites

• Bartleby.com - Poetry, fiction, quotations, encyclopedias, literature.
• Refdesk.com -Thousands of links to helpful Web sites.
• LibrarySpot - Great starting point for research.
• Internet Public Library - Another great starting point.
• Librarian's Index to the Internet - Websites chosen by librarians

Still need help? Visit our Ask a Librarian page.

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