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 sometimes 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:
Biographical Dictionary of Christian Theologians by Call Number: EbookISBN: 9780313296499Publication Date: 2000
Biographical Dictionary of Psychology by Call Number: EbookISBN: 9780415285612Publication Date: 2002
Dictionary of Theologians To 1308 by Call Number: EbookISBN: 9780227679708Publication Date: 2010
Key Theological Thinkers by Call Number: EbookISBN: 9781409437635Publication Date: 2013
The Student's Companion to the Theologians by Call Number: EbookISBN: 9781118496442Publication Date: 2013
Twentieth-Century Theologians by Call Number: EbookISBN: 9781845119560Publication Date: 2010
The Westminster Dictionary of Theologians by Call Number: EbookISBN: 9780664229894Publication Date: 2006
Who's Who in Theology: From the First Century to the Present by Call Number: BR95 .B65 1991 ReferenceISBN: 0824511506Publication Date: 1991
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
Handbooks & Directories
To find a denominational or church-related directory or handbook, do a search for:
opens new window (denomination* OR sects) AND (handbook * OR director*)
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Search the library opens new windowcatalog 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.
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. Ask for this at the Library Services Desk.