BIOGRAPHICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL SOURCES

Sandra Findley LI802XR: Theoretical Foundations of Service Emporia State University June 23, 2012

What are Biographical Sources and how are they used?

Biographical resources provide more extensive and often more accurate information about people who are important historically and people who are presently in the news (Cassell & Hiremath, 2011, p. 233).
Living AND deceased (Case & Hiremath, 2011, p. 233) Local people or family members (Bopp & Smith, 2011, p. 471) Famous or not so famous (Bopp & Smith, 2011, p. 471) May be brief or go into great detail (Case & Hiremath, 2011, p. 233) Fictional characters or epic heroes (Bopp & Smith, 2011, p. 493)

What type of information do Biographical Sources provide?

According to Cassell & Hiremath (2011), biographical sources provide the following types of information: Birth/death dates Full name Education Occupation Contact information Nationality

Most commonly used Biographical Sources

Indexes
Biography and Genealogy Master Index
Gives name, birth, death dates Helps researcher find where biographical information is published (Bopp & Smith, 2011, p. 482).

Biography Index
Biographical information in magazines, journals, books Includes interviews, obituaries, memoirs, reviews (Bopp & Smith, 2011, p. 482).

Most commonly used Biographical Sources contd.

Whos Who directories
Current, noteworthy people Updated annually Name, occupation, career summary, address (Cassell & Hiremath, 2011, p. 235).

Current Biography
People in the news Eleven issues per year featuring 18-20 people from arts, sports, politics, film, television Includes photograph and bibliography of additional sources of information (Cassell & Hiremath, 2011 p. 235).

Contemporary Authors
Current authors, 120,000+ included Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc. Personal and career information, awards (Cassell & Hiremath, 2011 p. 239).

Most commonly used Biographical Sources contd.

Biographical Dictionaries (One-Volume)
Chambers Biographical Dictionary
Includes both living and deceased

Merriam-Websters Biographical Dictionary

Deceased only (Cassell & Hiremath, 2011, p. 239).

Retrospective
Dictionary of American Biography Dictionary of National Biography Who Was Who Obituaries

(Cassell & Hiremath, 2011, p. 237-239).

Alternative Sources
Newspapers and magazines
Good source for newly famous

Encyclopedias
Good source for historical figures

Biographies and Autobiographies

Good source when the user needs more detail about someone

The Web
Biography.com Infoplease Biography Ancestry.com FamilySearch Personal Web sites Company Web sites

(Bopp & Smith, 2011, p. 474)

Questions answered by Biographical Sources

Where was Martin Luther King, Jr. born? What year did John Lennon die? Where can I find articles about Marilyn Monroe? Id like to write a letter to David Beckham, how do I find his address?

Evaluating Biographical Sources 1

2
Currency how often is it
updated?

Accuracy and Authority

investigate reviews, reputation

Scope and comprehensiveness

(Bopp & Smith, 2011, p. 475-476)

Evaluating Biographical Sources 4

5
Format ease of access

Need of users

Cost

(Bopp & Smith, 2011, p. 476-478)

Be careful about Biographical Sources

Many 19th- and 20th-century biographical sources were vanity publications
Prominent citizens paid a fee to be included in the sources
Not legitimate, considered biased
(Bopp & Smith, 2011, p. 477)

Geographical Sources

What are Geographical Sources and how are they used?

Geography explores the relationship between the earth and its peoples through the study of place, space and environment (Cassell & Hiremath, 2011, p. 213).
Used to find location Towns, countries, continents (Cassell & Hiremath, 2011, p. 213), Used to show makeup of an area Mountains, valleys, rivers, and plains (Cassell & Hiremath, 2011, p. 214). Used to show environmental, climatic, ecological factors Agricultural (Cassell & Hiremath, 2011, p. 214) Current and historical information Genealogy, military history, place name changes (Bopp & Smith, 2011, p. 557). Used for business and recreational travel Information about cities, hotels, restaurants (Bopp & Smith p. 557)

Most commonly used Geographical Sources

Gazetteers and geographical dictionaries
Gazetteer is a geographical dictionary that lists place names alphabetically Columbia Gazetteer of the World Merriam-Websters Geographical Dictionary (Cassell & Hiremath, 2011, p. 215).

Maps and Atlases

Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World
Highest quality world atlas available

National Geographic Atlas of the World (Cassell & Hiremath, 2011, p. 217).

Most commonly used Geographical Sources contd.

Road Atlases
Rand McNally Road Atlas
Well-known, updated annually Provides maps of every state in the United States, every Canadian province, and a map of Mexico (Cassell & Hiremath pg. 221)

Travel Guides
Most factual - Michelin Green Guides, Fodor Travel Guides, Lonely Planet
Detailed information about the history of a city or country, museums and other cultural sites (Cassell & Hiremath p. 223)

Other Geographical Sources

Web sites
MapQuest Street Atlas USA Yahoo! Maps
(Bopp & Smith, 2011, p. 571)

Magazines
National Geographic

Questions answered by Geographical Sources

Where is Udon Thani located? What was the previous name of the country Thailand? What cities are located in Jackson County, Missouri? Is Vietnam a communist country?

Evaluating Geographical Sources 1

2
Currency and accuracy
primary consideration

Authority - Reputation

Legibility, color, symbols

(Cassell & Hiremath, 2011, p. 224)

Evaluating Geographical Sources 4

5
Scale and projection

Format print or electronic

Index and price

(Cassell & Hiremath, 2011, p. 224)

References
Bopp, R.E., & Smith, L.C. (2011). Reference and Information Services: an introduction. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited Cassell, K.A. & Hiremath, U. (2011). Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century: an introduction. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.

QUESTIONS?