Not an expert on a certain subject? Don’t worry! Use our reference collection to help you get the background information you need. NVU Libraries’ print and electronic reference collection contains print books, electronic books, and multi-format databases that will help you build the knowledge on a subject that will prepare you for in-depth, college level research.
Print Reference Collection
The Library maintains a wide range of reference books, such as encyclopedias, dictionaries and directories. Reference books provide access to factual information, listings, topic overviews, biographies and other sources that are very important for becoming familiar with a new subject and for verifying key facts. Print reference books are mostly located on the main floor of both libraries and can be found via the VSC catalog.
Electronic Reference Books & Multi-Format Reference Databases
Getting Started:
- CQ Researcher: Contains full text reports from Congressional Quarterly, with non-partisan analysis of political and social issues of the day. (contains some reference & foundational information)
- Opposing Viewpoints in Context: Contains viewpoint articles, topic overviews, full text magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, statistics, images, video and audio files. (contains some reference information)
Recommended:
- Credo Reference: The Library’s largest and widest-ranging collection of online reference sources covering all academic areas.
- Biography in Context: Contains biographical reference content along with periodical articles and multimedia.
- Gale Virtual Reference Library: More than 60 key encyclopedias for various academic fields.
- General Reference Center Gold: A general-interest database with more than 4,000 full-text reference books, including almanacs, encyclopedias and dictionaries.
- EBSCO Electronic Reference Books: Over 400 reference books on a variety of topics.
- Educator’s Reference Complete: Education database containing many full-text reference sources, as well as journal articles. Focused on education theory and practice.