Research Resources: General Resources

General Online Databases


Academic Search Complete	An excellent starting point for finding articles in magazines and journals, mostly from fairly recent time periods. Some full-text.	More Info
JSTOR	A full-text collection of over 1,000 major scholarly journals. Excludes the most recent 2 to 5 years for most journals.	More Info
Project Muse	Full text access is available to over 380 journals in the humanities and social sciences.	More Info

Dictionaries & Encyclopedias


American Heritage Dictionary	Dictionary and thesaurus available	More Info
American National Biography	Provides biographical information of over 17,400 men and women who have influenced United States history. Excludes living people. Includes over 2,000 illustrations, “more than 80,000 hyperlinked cross-references, and links to select web sites.”	More Info
Credo Reference	Credo Reference is an online collection of over 400 full-text reference books from over 60 scholarly publishers.	More Info
Dictionary of Literary Biography	Provides nearly 10,000 biographical and critical essays on the lives, works, and careers of the world’s most influential literary figures from all eras and genres	More Info
Encyclopædia Britannica	Over 72,000 articles from the encyclopedia and Britannica Book of the Year Over 10,000 illustrations, including photographs, drawings, maps, flags and more. Includes Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary with over 75,000 definitions and pronounciation guides. Continously revised.	More Info
In the First Person	Indexes letters, diaries, oral histories, memoirs, and autobiographies. Searches tems available free online and through Alexander Street databases.	More Info
Merriam-Webster Dictionary	Dictionary and thesaurus available	More Info
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography	Provides 50,000 biographies of men and women associated with the history of the British Isles; some illustrations. Covers people from the 4th century BC through 2001. Excludes living people. Updated throughout the year.	More Info
Oxford English Dictionary	The OED “is a historical dictionary of English, covering the language from the earliest times to the present day. It aims to show not only the current meanings of words, but also to trace their development through time.”	More Info
Oxford Reference Online	This online source provides access to subject and language reference works from Oxford University Press.	More Info

Catalogs


Magnus	Online catalog providing access to Luther College library and archival collections.	More Info
WorldCat	WorldCat connects you to the collections and services of more than 10,000 libraries worldwide.	More Info

Newspapers and Current News


Des Moines Register Index	Citations for articles appearing in the Des Moines Register, June 1976 – 1992.	More Info
LexisNexis Academic	LexisNexis Academic provides full-text access to over 6,000 full-text news, business, and legal publications.	More Info
New York Times (1995-Present)	Full text of the New York Times (1995 to the present)	More Info
New York Times, Historical (1851-2005)	Searchable full-text newspaper articles from the New York Times from 1851 to 2005.	More Info
Newspaper Abstracts	Citations and abstracts for articles from about 50 national and regional newspapers published 1989 – present	More Info
Newspaper Source	Coverage for over 200 regional, national, and international newspapers. Includes The Times (London) and full transcripts from selected newscasts, including Face the Nation, CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, 60 Minutes, O’Reilly Factor, Hannity & Colmes, CNNÂ®, CNBC, National Public Radio (NPR). Full text for most articles	More Info
Wall Street Journal	Citations for significant articles in the 3-star Eastern Edition of the Wall Street Journal from 1971 – present. Complete full text on microfilm (1972 – 2001): AN2 .W2 Full text online for issues published 1984 – present.	More Info

Print Indexes

Poole's Index to Periodical Literature

Index Area: AI3 .P7

Citations for articles in U.S. and British general interest periodicals published 1802 – 1907. Subject index only.
Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature

Index Area: AI3 .I6

Citations for articles in English language general interest magazines published 1890 – February 1983.

Recent LIS News / Blog Posts for General Resources

Internet Resources


American National Biography	Provides biographical information of over 17,400 men and women who have influenced United States history. Excludes living people. Includes over 2,000 illustrations, “more than 80,000 hyperlinked cross-references, and links to select web sites.”	More Info
Encyclopædia Britannica	Over 72,000 articles from the encyclopedia and Britannica Book of the Year Over 10,000 illustrations, including photographs, drawings, maps, flags and more. Includes Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary with over 75,000 definitions and pronounciation guides. Continously revised.	More Info
Oxford Reference Online	This online source provides access to subject and language reference works from Oxford University Press.	More Info

Print Reference Resources

Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment

Ref B802.E53 2003

Four volume set that covers all aspects of the Enlightenment. Also available online.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Reference DA28 .O95 2004

Provides 50,000 biographies of men and women associated with the history of the British Isles; some illustrations. Covers people from the 4th century BC through 2001. Excludes living people. Updated throughout the year.

Style Manuals & Writing Guides

Cite Source

Cite Source presents citation formats for The Chicago Manual of Style, The ACS Style Guide, the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, and Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association(APA).