Online Reference Shelf
Online encyclopedias - dictionaries - and much more
References Databases
Through Andrews University, students have access to lots of specialized databases. Listed below are links to all the Reference Databases students have access to. For a complete list of all accessible databases, click here.
Biographies
- Biography Reference Center This link opens in a new window More than 450,000 biographies. Includes complete full text run of Biography Today and Biography Magazine as well as thousands of narrative biographies.
Business
- Business Book Summaries This link opens in a new window Provides concise, comprehensive summaries of the best business books. Professionals and students can use these to keep up with the latest information in the business world.
- Foundation Directory Online Professional This link opens in a new window FDO makes it easy to turn foundations into funders. It’s the only resource you need to search for the foundations most likely to give you grants and manage your prospects through to funding.
Directories & Demographic Data
- Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words— past and present—from across the English-speaking world.
- CollegeSource Online This link opens in a new window CollegeSource® Online is a database of 98,747 digital college catalogs, institution profiles, transcript keys, and other critical resources.
- Foundation Directory Online Professional This link opens in a new window FDO makes it easy to turn foundations into funders. It’s the only resource you need to search for the foundations most likely to give you grants and manage your prospects through to funding.
- Encyclopedia of Associations This link opens in a new window The Gale Directory Library hosts a variety of directory products that particular libraries can choose from. Use it to search, sort and export information from both current directory editions as well as prior editions that are maintained as searchable backfiles. Multiple directories can be cross-searched or users can mine individual directories for the particular kinds of data they contain, such as financial information for companies, circulation figures for publications, and much more. MeL database
Encyclopedia
- Britannica Academic This link opens in a new window MeL Database -- Britannica Academic delivers fast and easy access to high-quality, comprehensive information. Written by Nobel laureates, historians, curators, professors, and other notable experts, Britannica Academic’s articles provide trusted information with balanced, global perspectives and insights that users will not find anywhere else.
- Britannica School This link opens in a new window Nonfiction content geared for K-12 students. Includes over 132,000 encyclopedia articles, 103,000 images, 7,500 multimedia elements, more than 27,000 eBooks, and novels and essays. Tools include translation for 50+ languages and read-aloud functionality. Includes Lexile ranges and alignment with Michigan Department of Education Academic Standards across a variety of subjects.
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window Searching 3,437,135 full text articles in 805 reference books
- Funk & Wagnells This link opens in a new window Provides over 25,000 encyclopedic entries covering a variety of subject areas.
- Oxford Research Encyclopedias -- Religion This link opens in a new window The Oxford Research Encyclopedias (OREs) offer long-form overview articles written, peer-reviewed, and edited by leading scholars. The OREs cover both foundational and cutting-edge topics in order to develop, over time, an anchoring knowledge base for major areas of research across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Substantive, peer-reviewed, and regularly updated, the Oxford Research Encyclopedias combine the speed and flexibility of digital with the rigorous standards of academic publishing. Multi-media features embedded in the articles, along with cross-referenced links to related content, will further expand the utility and scope of the OREs.
Engineering
- Auto Repair Source This link opens in a new window Repair information and schedules, diagrams, parts and labor estimates, service alerts, and recalls. Covers thousands of domestic and imported vehicles.
General/Miscellaneous
- AtoZdatabases This link opens in a new window Detailed information on 30 million businesses and executives and 2 million new businesses. Includes data on over 200 million residents as well as new movers/homeowners. Special features include a background and criminal history search. Information provided on U. S. healthcare professionals. Includes a jobs database and email marketing.
- Gale Primary Sources This link opens in a new window Gale Virtual Reference Library is a database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. These reference materials once were accessible only in the library, but now you can access them online from the library or remotely 24/7. Because each library creates its own eBook collection, the content you see may vary if you use the database at different libraries (your school, your public library, or your office). MeL database
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window Searching 3,437,135 full text articles in 805 reference books
Home Improvement
- Home Improvement Reference Center This link opens in a new window Includes maintenance, remodeling, electrical work, plumbing, wood projects, outdoor improvements, decorating, home & garden, etc. Includes more than 130 reference books.
K-12 Resources
- Britannica School This link opens in a new window Nonfiction content geared for K-12 students. Includes over 132,000 encyclopedia articles, 103,000 images, 7,500 multimedia elements, more than 27,000 eBooks, and novels and essays. Tools include translation for 50+ languages and read-aloud functionality. Includes Lexile ranges and alignment with Michigan Department of Education Academic Standards across a variety of subjects.
- Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos This link opens in a new window Spanish language encyclopedia for children from World Book. Designed for young Spanish speaking students or those learning Spanish as a second language. Full text articles, maps, flags, and more. Dozens of hands-on activities and links to Spanish language websites. Also includes a visual dictionary.
- Britannica Learning Zone This link opens in a new window Pre K - 2nd grade. Play and read to learn letters, numbers, shapes, and more.
- Read It! This link opens in a new window For middle and high school students and adults. Helps to build reading skills and improve study habits. Includes tests.
- World Book Kids This link opens in a new window Grades PreK - 5 Contains eight major subject categories: Arts, History and Government, Living Things, People, Places, Science and Mathematics, Sports and Hobbies, and World Religions. Has full-featured pictures, sounds and videos. Also includes a section for teachers. Michigan residents or Michigan library access only.
Learning Express
- Career Preparation from LearningExpress Library This link opens in a new window Includes a resume builder where you can save, edit, and print. Explore a variety of careers including allied health, law enforcement, and nursing. Prepare for occupation exams including civil service, commercial driver's license, cosmetology, teaching, and more. Prepare to join the military or become an officer. Create a free account to access tools to help you do well on these exams.
- College Admissions Test Preparation from LearningExpress Library This link opens in a new window Practice tests, preparation eBooks, and tutorials for the ACT®, SAT, 12 AP subjects, PSAT/NMSQT, and TOEFL iBT® exams. Create a free account to access tools to help you do well on your college admissions tests and essay. Create a free account to access tools to help you do well on your college admissions tests and essay.
- College Students from LearningExpress Library This link opens in a new window Achieve your undergrad goals and prepare for future success. Math, reading, grammar, and science review with eBooks. Practice tests for six graduate school record exams including the GRE, LSAT, and MCAT. Includes multiple college placement exams including ACCUPLACER and ASSET preparation. Includes practice for the CLEP exams. Create a free account to access tools to help you do well on your college admissions tests and essay.
- Computer Skills Tutorial from LearningExpress Library This link opens in a new window Offers 90+ courses on topics such as computer basics, Internet basics, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, and MS Office tools like Word, Outlook, Access, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint. Create a free account to access these tools.
- High School Equivalency Center from LearningExpress Library This link opens in a new window Skills building in reading, writing, grammar, spelling, and math. Practice for the GED in English and Spanish. Practice the HiSET and the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC). Create a free account to access tools to help you do well on these tests.
- Recursos Para Hispanohablantes from LearningExpress Library This link opens in a new window Learning tools, career, and citizenship exam practice in Spanish. Create a free account to access tools to help you do well on these tests.
- Adult Core Skills from LearningExpress Library This link opens in a new window Practice for the U.S. Citizenship exam in English or Spanish. Build your math and reading skills. Includes eBook study help as well as an eBook guide to getting a green card. Create a free account to access tools to help you do well on these tests.
Legal
- WestLaw This link opens in a new window Thomson Reuters Westlaw is the industry's most preferred online legal research service year after year. With Westlaw, you can find the legal information you are looking for quickly and confidently so you can build the strongest argument possible. (web site)
- Legal Information Reference Center This link opens in a new window Search over 12,800 state-specific legal forms by topic including Adoption, Bankruptcy, Name Changes, and more. A majority of the full text legal reference books provided through NOLO.
Literature & Bibliographies
- Literary Reference Center This link opens in a new window Includes over 14,000 short stories and 54,000+ poems. Covers information on thousands of authors and their works. Topics include: plot summaries, literary criticism, book reviews, novels, and author interviews.
- Michigan Authors and Illustrators This link opens in a new window Use the database to find out about Michigan authors! You can look for non-fiction, poetry, mysteries, romance, children’s books and much more. You can find authors for presentations and visits. This is a great source for students looking for Michigan authors to read and for librarians or teachers looking for Michigan authors to do events or for collection development.
Medicine
- Consumer Health Complete This link opens in a new window Supports the health and wellness information needs of patients. Covers mainstream medicine as well as complementary and holistic medicine.
- Lippincott Advisor This link opens in a new window Lippincott Advisor is the single source for immediate, evidence-based, online nursing clinical-decision support. It delivers instant, 24/7 access to the latest evidence-based information that clinicians need at the point of care with over 17,000 monographs and patient teaching handouts.
- MedlinePlus This link opens in a new window MedlinePlus is the National Institutes of Health's Web site for patients and their families and friends. Produced by the National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest medical library, it brings you information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in language you can understand. MedlinePlus offers reliable, up-to-date health information, anytime, anywhere, for free.
Music
- Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window With over 60,000 articles written by over 6,000 music scholars, Grove Music Online (GMO) is the authoritative resource for music research with an ongoing mission to chart the diverse history and cultures of music and musicians from around the globe.
Religion
- Oxford Research Encyclopedias -- Religion This link opens in a new window The Oxford Research Encyclopedias (OREs) offer long-form overview articles written, peer-reviewed, and edited by leading scholars. The OREs cover both foundational and cutting-edge topics in order to develop, over time, an anchoring knowledge base for major areas of research across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Substantive, peer-reviewed, and regularly updated, the Oxford Research Encyclopedias combine the speed and flexibility of digital with the rigorous standards of academic publishing. Multi-media features embedded in the articles, along with cross-referenced links to related content, will further expand the utility and scope of the OREs.
Style Guides
- AMA Manual of Style This link opens in a new window The AMA Manual of Style is a must-have guide for anyone involved in medical and scientific publishing.
- Phone: 269-471-3158