BIOGRAPHICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL SOURCES

Sandra FindleyLI802XR: Theoretical Foundations of Service

Emporia State UniversityJune 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.

• Who’s 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-Webster’s 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?• I’d like to write a letter to David

Beckham, how do I find his address?

• Currency – how often is it updated?1

• Accuracy and Authority – investigate reviews, reputation 2

• Scope and comprehensiveness 3

Evaluating Biographical Sources

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

• Format – ease of access4

• Need of users 5

• Cost 6

Evaluating Biographical Sources

(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-Webster’s 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?

• Currency and accuracy – primary consideration1

• Authority - Reputation2

• Legibility, color, symbols3

Evaluating Geographical Sources

(Cassell & Hiremath, 2011, p. 224)

• Scale and projection4

• Format – print or electronic5

• Index and price6

Evaluating Geographical Sources

(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?