There will be many times during your years at JMU and later in life that you will need to find biographical information about a person. The library has dozens of biographical sources in the reference area. A researcher often doesn't know which one will contain information on the person of interest. Fortunately, the following databases make a search for biographical information quick and easy.

Biography Resource Center

Full-text biographical information on over 320,000 people from throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines and subject areas

Biography and Genealogy Master Index

This database is a great time saver. It will lead you to biographical information in over 600 biographical sources, such as Who's Who in America, Dictionary of National Biography, Contemporary Authors, and American Men and Women of Science.

Biography Index

Look up a name in Biography Index, and you will find references to books and articles about that person. It includes people living and dead from all nations.

1. Look in a full-text database for biographical information.
   • American National Biography
   • Literature Resource Center

2. Look in an encyclopedia for a brief summary of the person's life.
3. Do a subject search in LEO to find whole books about him or her.
4. Look in periodical indexes, such as Expanded Academic ASAP to find articles about the individual.