Why Read Background Information?
Reading background information helps fill in knowledge gaps. Virtually everyone, even experts, can benefit from reading authoritative summaries of the historic background, current developments, major players, and primary issues of a chosen topic. These summaries often include basic bibliographies that help to jump start research projects.
Major sources of authoritative summaries are subject dictionaries and encyclopedias. Other background information may be obtained from biographical and statistical sources and other reference works such as handbooks and directories.
Biographical Information
Search one or more databases for biographical information about a particular person. See especially:
Or, try one of these selected biographical ebooks:
Search the library opens new windowcatalog for biographies. Try searching by:
- Personal names as subjects or keywords
- Classes of people as subjects or keywords
- Other keyword searches
Statistics & Demographics
Major statistical & demographic databases
- eHRAF World Cultures This link opens in a new window
Statistics related to religion:
- opens new windowAdherents.com
- opens new windowAmerican Religion Data Archive (ARDA)
- opens new windowAmerican Religious Identification Survey
- opens new windowBarna Research Online
- opens new windowCenter for Applied Research in the Apostolate
- opens new windowFaith Communities Today
- opens new windowHartford Institute for Religion Research
- opens new windowOperation World
- opens new windowPluralism Project (Harvard University)
- opens new windowReligious Congregations and Membership Study 2010 (Glenmary Home Missioners)
- opens new windowReligious Landscape Study (Pew Research Center)
- opens new windowU.S. Congregational Life Survey (USCLS)
Other sources of statistical information
- opens new windowBritannica® Online Academic Edition
- opens new windowCensus Bureau
- opens new windowCredo Reference
- opens new windowFederal Committee on Statistical Methodology
- opens new windowFunk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
- opens new windowGallup
- opens new windowStatistical Abstract of the United States
- US Census Bureau's opens new window International Programs
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Search the library catalog for subject dictionaries and encyclopedias. Here are some sample searches to try:
- opens new window (Bible OR biblical) AND (dictionar* or encycloped*)
- opens new windowtheolog* AND (dictionar* OR encycloped*)
- opens new window (counsel* OR psycholog* OR care OR ministry OR "church work with") AND (dictionar* OR encycloped* )
- opens new window (Pentecostal* OR charisma* OR renewal) AND (dictionar* OR encycloped*)
- opens new window (church) and (histor* OR fathers OR patrist*) and (encycloped* OR dictionar*)
Bible Commentaries
To identify the more scholarly Bible commentaries, use the Bible commentaries series opens new windowchart in the opens new windowBible Commentaries Plus guide. The chart categorizes the commentaries as devotional, pastoral, or academic, with the academic category generally being the most scholarly and therefore the most desirable for use in college papers.
See also David Bauer's opens new windowEssential Bible Study Tools for Ministry, especially the "Highly Recommended" sections of his selected lists of commentaries for each book of the Bible. The book is kept at the Library Services Desk on the "Quick Reference" shelf.
Handbooks & Directories
To find a denominational or church-related directory or handbook, do a search for:
opens new window ((denomination* OR church*) OR ("Christian sects")) AND (handbook * OR director*)
Maps & Atlases
- Oxford Bible AtlasEbook