Mike Briody, ILS504—Biography Resources Lab
Mike Briody
ILS504-S71
Reference Materials and Service
Dr. Elsie Okobi
Biography Resources Lab
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Mike Briody, ILS504—Biography Resources Lab
Biography and Genealogy Master Index
Purpose:
The Biography and Genealogy Master Index endeavors to be the best place to begin a
search for information about people.
Currency:
Data is loaded to this resource twice yearly.
Accuracy/Comprehensiveness:
While every effort toward accuracy is made, no guarantee is given as to absolute
accuracy. Millions of cross-referenced entries are included, compiled from numerous
recognized sources.
Authority/Reliability:
Data is compiled from a large number of primary resources, many acknowledged as
authoritative reference works. The reliability of this database is therefore contingent upon the
reliability of those sources at any given time.
Usability:
Standard Boolean operators are in use, including wild cards, and proximity operators.
Searchable fields include year of birth and death, source material title, and availability of a
portrait of the subject. Abbreviations of sources are detailed, and full bibliographies of indexed
works are included.
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Mike Briody, ILS504—Biography Resources Lab
Biography Resource Center
Purpose:
This reference tool purports to be a comprehensive database of biographical
information on nearly 400,000 people.
Currency:
Subjects may submit updates/corrections to their own entries. This site relies largely
upon magazine and newspaper content for currency of listings, as well as the links included to
web content from a “Further Reading” section.
Accuracy/Comprehensiveness:
This database, as with many Gale resources, does not guarantee complete accuracy, as
material is obtained from outside sources. Reasonable efforts are made to fact-check. This
resource does contain in excess of 450,000 biographical entries from more than 135 Gale
resources, as well as 300 magazines and newspapers.
Authority/Reliability:
Like the previous database, no guarantees of reliability are made. The source material is
recognized as reputable, however.
Usability:
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Mike Briody, ILS504—Biography Resources Lab
This database offers a friendly interface for the searcher, including photos and full-text
articles. Tabbed limiters for web content, periodical articles, and brief versus full biographies
are available with each set of returned articles. Extensive help is also available in the “toolbox”
feature.
Biographical Searching
The search I conducted within these two resources led to results in very different
environments. The Biography and Genealogy Master Index, as an index, is a gateway to other
information sources. There are numerous listings based upon similar spellings, addition of
middle initial or full middle name, and possible date of birth. Within each returned record, I
would have to say the collection of sources is extensive, offering enough material for either a
casual search or serious research.
The Biography Resource Center is a different animal. This source is designed to be the
sole location for biographical research. Given the highly accessible results page, including photo
of the subject and full-text entries, this is an easy to use reference tool. The number of returned
sources is not as extensive as the Biography and Genealogy Master Index, but the ability to find
the information at once makes the Biography Resource Center the more attractive, though less
scholarly, option.
Biographical Resources Online
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Mike Briody, ILS504—Biography Resources Lab
Biography Center (http://www.biography-center.com/)
This biographical resource is essentially a directory of other biographic material
available on the web, condensed into a single source. The main page is utilitarian, and offers
searching strictly by alphabet, by one of 90 subject categories, or by most popular entries.
Biographical entries are presented in either full-text articles, or as links to source material. The
linked material works best as it suggests further areas of study, whereas the text entries can be
limited in detail. Source recommendations by users are vetted, but this practice obviously
would advance the variety of search options to other users. Contents are varied, including both
current and historical names, but not extensive.
Biography.com (http://www.biography.com/)
This site, operated by the A&E Television Network, carries a surprisingly diverse
selection of biographies, some assembled from the Encyclopedia Britannica. Where possible,
given the resource itself, media content is included with the entries in the form of video or
audio clips. Embedded “see also” entries are present, as are related persons, sites, and works of
the biographical subjects, as appropriate. Alphabetical, subject term, keyword, and mostsearched lists are available. The site also features a celebrity calendar, presidential biography
collection, and a black history page. Entries throughout range from adequate to highly
informative, and would be useful for ready-reference or general interest.
Infoplease Biography (http://www.infoplease.com/people.html)
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Mike Briody, ILS504—Biography Resources Lab
This section of the infoplease site offers subject categories in a directory format, as well
as keyword search and alphabetical browsing. Entries are generally brief but informative,
including persons from all walks of life. Links to additional information on each subject,
primarily found within infoplease, are included. Coverage of persons appears adequate, though
there are many listings for groups and even fictional characters. The parent site is geared for
school- and college-aged searchers, and the content is in keeping with that intent. Adequate
information is given and the source is trusted, but scholarly searches might be beyond the
scope of this site.
Short Biographies (http://www.short-biographies.com/)
Contrary to this resource’s name, I found the entries to be of an acceptable length and
content overall. Generally, though, the entries are of a somewhat narrow scope. For example,
many pop culture personalities are not covered, but rather the focus is on authors of classical
literature, political and religious leaders, and sports figures. Searching options are by category
or complete alphabetical list only. Random quotes and proverbs appear with pictures of the
person quoted on the home page at each visit. Despite the content of the biographies, I find the
format of each results page awkward, requiring scrolling to reach each article. This site would
best serve as an introduction to each subject, thorough in some ways but best followed up with
database research.
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Mike Briody, ILS504—Biography Resources Lab
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