Biography Evaluations

1. Almanac of Famous People. Ed. Jennifer Mossman. 2 vols. Detroit: Gale, 2007.*
a. Scope: Bopp describes this source as less comprehensive but more cost-effective than Biography and Genealogy Master Index BGMI). Although it indexes some of the same sources as BGMI, it focuses on the more famous biographees. (p. 400)
b. Accuracy: This source is published by Gale, a reputable information provider.
c. Currency: The ninth and most recent edition was published in 2007.
d. References: Each entry contains citations of reference works, essays, books, book reviews, and/or articles.
e. Entries: In addition to references, entries contain name, birth date, death date (if applicable), occupation, and a brief description of the biographee.

2. American National Biography. John A. Garraty, ed. 24 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.*
a. Scope: This source includes American biographees who have made significant contributions to history. It covers the following categories: pre-colonial and colonial history; politics, diplomacy, and military; religion; education; business; law and justice; medicine; science and technology; social sciences; social reform; literature, journalism, and popular writing; art, architecture, and applied arts; performing arts; sports; and miscellaneous. This is a retrospective source; all biographees included in this particular edition died before 1996.
b. Accuracy: This source is well-reputed in terms of accuracy. Thousands of authors contribute entries, and each entry is reviewed by a category-specific panel of editors who are experts in their field.
c. Currency: The 1999 edition is the most current print version; clearly, many notable Americans have died since its drafting in 1996. However, the online version is updated semi-annually with new entries and revisions to previously published entries.
d. References: Each entry closes with a descriptive bibliography of sources and further readings.
e. Format: This source is available in print or online by subscription. The print version has twenty-four volumes, in which biographees are listed alphabetically by last name. Also, there is a two-volume cumulative occupations index. Entries are arranged in two columns of medium print with bold headings. Entries vary in length from 750-7,500 words; each entry includes birth and death dates, early life, family life, career accomplishments, and references.

3. Biography and Genealogy Master Index. 2nd ed. Detroit: Gale, 1980-. Annual.*
a. Scope: This indirect source contains 12 million biographical citations, mostly from American publications. Bopp describes it as “offer(ing) the most comprehensive current and retrospective coverage,” pointing out that it even indexes Biography Index. (p. 398)
b. Accuracy: Gale is a well-reputed source of reference materials.
c. Currency: The print format was first published in 1980. It has “eight base volumes and annual updates.” (Bopp, p. 398)
d. References: As this source is an index, it is essentially all references.
e. Format: This source is available in print and online.
f. Entries: Entries are listed alphabetically according to surname, as the name appears in the work cited. Each entry includes the birth date of the biographee (as well as the death date, if applicable), and an abbreviated citation for the direct source. There is also a key to help decipher these abbreviations. (Bopp, p. 399)

4. Biography.com. A&E Television Network. 2010. http://www.biography.com.*
a. Scope: This source has over 25,000 biographies of notable people from the past and present. While it focuses on notable personalities, it also includes more obscure figures – for example, the early Christian priest Arius, born in 250 C.E.
b. Accuracy: In a disclaimer in Biography.com’s Terms of Service, A&E Television Networks (AETN) states that, “ALTHOUGH CONTENT IS GATHERED FROM SOURCES AETN CONSIDERS RELIABLE, AETN DOES NOT ASSUME ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY, EFFICACY, OR USE OF SUCH CONTENT.” Biography.com has a feature that allows users to report suspected inaccuracies.
c. Currency: Biography.com is updated with new content daily.
d. References: The copyright holder of each entry is listed; however, no author or bibliography is provided. However, links to “Related People,” Related Works,” and “Related Sites” are provided where applicable.
e. Format: This site is easy to navigate. Users can search for biographies by name, keyword, category, or through an alphabetical index.
f. Entries: Entries are easy to read, both in terms of layout and language; they vary in length depending on the biographee, with an emphasis on popular figures. For example, the entry on Arius is one paragraph long, while the entry on Michael Jackson is five pages.

5. Biography Index: A Cumulative Index to Biographical Material in Books and Magazines, September 2005-August 2006. New York: H.W. Wilson, 1946-.*
a. Scope: This indirect source indexes citations on practically every person who is written about in a nationally published book or magazine within the covered time period. This includes everyone from famous politicians on the cover of Newsweek to teenage reality television contestants who appear in TV Guide articles.
b. Accuracy: H.W. Wilson has a well-regarded reputation for accurate reference materials.
c. Currency: This source is published quarterly and then compiled each year. The library I went to did not hold the most recent editions.
d. References: As this source is an index of citations, it is basically all references.
e. Format: The bulk of this source is an index of biographees arranged in alphabetical order by last name; this index is formatted in two columns of small print with bold headings. In addition to the main alphabetical index, Biography Index includes several supplemental sections. It has a sample entry, a key to periodical abbreviations, a checklist of composite books that are analyzed, and an index of professions and occupations.
f. Entries: Entries contain citations.

6. Cambridge Biographical Encyclopedia. Magnus Magnussen, ed. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1990.*
a. Scope: This source includes living and dead biographees from all over the world, focusing primarily on Europe and the United States. The 1990 version includes more twentieth-century figures and more women than previous editions, and includes more “popular spheres, such as sports, media, and jazz.”
b. Accuracy: Cambridge University publications are well-reputed in terms of accuracy. However, one reviewer from School Library Journal noted that some well-known figures were omitted, such as Ringo Star. (Amazon.com)
c. Currency: The most recent edition was published in 1996.
d. References: This source does not contain bibliographic references. However, if one biographee is mentioned in another biographee’s entry, his/her name is in bold print to indicate the cross-reference.
e. Format: This single-volume source includes a preface, acknowledgments, a list of contributors, and approximately 14,000 short biographical entries.
f. Entries: Entries are arranged in two columns with bold print used for headings. Each entry includes “birth and death dates, place of birth, profession, pronunciations, descriptions of achievement, cross-references.”

7. Contemporary Authors. Detroit: Gale, 1962-.*
a. Scope: This source includes current authors of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry (excluding those published through vanity or author-subsidized presses). It also includes notable journalists, screenwriters, and playwrights. Most authors are from English-speaking countries, but recent volumes include authors who write in other languages. As the title implies, most authors are alive at time of publication; however, the source does include some “literary greats of the early twentieth century.”
b. Accuracy: Gale is a reputed publisher of reference materials. Some information is supplied by the biographee.
c. Currency: This source is published irregularly. Generally, two volumes are produced each year. Also, the whole work is indexed twice each year. The volume I used to evaluate this source, Volume 265, was published in 2008.
d. References: In addition to listing the author’s works, each entry closes with biographical and critical sources, and a listing of online resources if available.
e. Format: Each volume is arranged alphabetically by author’s last name. The index is essential for determining where an author’s listing is located. In fact, there are 363 physical volumes of this source, including the Original Series, the Permanent Series, the New Revision Series, and the Autobiography series.
f. Entries: Entries are easy-to-read, with large print, bold headings used for titles of new entries, and italic headings used for sections within entries. Each entry includes the author’s name, birth date, death date (if applicable – for instance, in the case of F. Scott Fitzgerald), career highlights, professional organization memberships, awards/honors, writings, “sidelights” (an interview section), biographical and critical sources, and online resources. Some entries feature black and white photographs.


Additional References

Bopp, Richard E. and Linda C. Smith. Reference and Information Services: An Introduction. 3rd ed. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 2001.

“Cambridge Biographical Encylcopdia.” Amazon.com. 2010. 8 April 2010. http://www.amazon.com/ Cambridge-Biographical-Dictionary-David-Crystal/ dp/0521567807.