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Reference Books

Books you’d find in any Reference Room anywhere.


Students will find the GVRL, Opposing Viewpoints, Salem History and Grolier are going to be the most useful (see below for some non-student suggestions).

  •  Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) has over 150 titles containing well over 400 volumes of stuff. There are history titles covering every continent except Antarctica, 30 volumes of Drama for Students, 43 volumes of Novels for Students and more. Although the main focus is Literature and History, there are titles covering Religion, Science, Sociology, Philosophy and more. Applying to college? The GVRL has all six volumes of The College Blue Book.
  • Opposing Viewpoints in Context is perfect for reports on issues in the news. For each issue, there is an explanation, primary sources, general and scholarly articles on the topic. There are even television and radio news stories.
  • Salem History has two titles. One is fun and the other is useful. In Notorious Lives you can read about villains throughout history. In just the A’s there is Albert Anastasia (head of Murder Inc.), Mehmet Ali Agca (he shot Pope John Paul II) to local boy Frank Abagnale, Jr.  Milestone Documents is an excellent way to find those ever elusive primary sources for American History.
  • Encyclopedia Britannica – If you’re looking for the classic Britannica experience use Britannica Academic. Britannica School is broken out into three age groups: Elementary; Middle; and High. The Spanish language Britannica Escolar has two reading levels: Primaria and Secundaria.

These databases aren’t only for students.  The Gale Encyclopedia of Everyday Law in the GVRL can help you figure out what the heck your lawyer was talking about. The Directory Library is a good place to look for fundraising leads as well as markets for your writing efforts. Use Opposing Viewpoints to bone up before Thanksgiving so you can put that annoying know-it-all in-law in his/her place.  Want to look like a genius at your next book club? See if Novels for Students in the GVRL covers your book.  Trying to figure out how to pay for your kid’s college? Look in the GVRL for volume 5 (Scholarships, Fellowships, Grants & Loans) of  The College Blue Book.  

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