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Ready Reference Biography

Databases Restricted to LSU Faculty, Staff, & Students, or on-campus connection
Biography and Genealogy Master Index
Biography Resource Center
LexisNexis Academic
Literature Resource Center
Marquis Who's Who on the Web
Web-Based Sources
Biography.com: Biographies from the popular television program A & E Biography.
Biographical Dictionary: "S9.com was established in 1997. The dictionary covers more than 33,000 notable men and women who have shaped our world from ancient times to the present day. The dictionary can be searched by names, birth years, death years, positions held, professions, literary and artistic works, miscellaneous achievements, and other keywords".
Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress: Searchable database back to 1774.
Celebration of Women Writers: A database of women authors; searchable by name, century, country, or ethnicity.Each author has sections where selections of their works can be seen, biographical information, and a bibliography.
Congressional Directory: Biographical information on members of congress, searchable back to the 104th Congress, 1995-1996.
Dead People Server: This is an entertaining site that provides information on whether or not an individual is alive or dead. It is not meant for the serious researcher, but it is a useful and quick reference to notable people.
Distinguished Women of Past and Present: Danuta Bois' collection of women who have contributed to our culture.
Faces of Science: African Americans in the Sciences: Profiles of African American Scientists (in the past and present) who have contributed to engineering and science have been divided into 18 categories, including: chemistry, biochemistry, phyics, mathematics, and medicine.
Forbes- 100 Most Powerful Women: A yearly special report that lists the most powerful women, sorted by rank, name, occupation, and country.
Forbes- The World's Billionaires: An annual listing of the world's wealthiest people. Provided in several formats, such as: articles, photo slides, and videos.
4000 Years of Women in Science: A listing of biographies of over 125 women in the various fields of science.Searchable by name, time period, or field of study.
Internet Public Library: Biographies Section: The Internet Public Library provides a large list of websites, a good source to use when starting a search.
National Inventors Hall of Fame: "The National Inventors Hall of FameT honors the women and men responsible for the great technological advances that make human, social and economic progress possible". Lists inductees with their inventions and brief biographies.
Nobel Prize: "Welcome to Nobelprize.org, the official web site of the Nobel Foundation. Providing a wealth of background to every Nobel Prize since 1901, the site presents Nobel Lectures, biographies, interviews, photos, articles, video clips, press releases, educational games and a great deal more information about the Nobel Laureates and their work".
ObitFinder: Operated by Legacy.com, the site "collaborates with more than 500 newspapers in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom". Searchable by name or by state; the obituaries vary on how far back the publication dates are per each individual paper.
Political Graveyard: A very interesting site that lets you find biographies of politicians (famous and obscure), as well as information about where the deceased are buried. Over 135,000 people, broken down into the following search formats: alphabetical index; by office held or sought; by date or year of birth, death, or marriage; state and country of birth or death; and several more.
Rock N Roll Hall of Fame: Brief biographies of all inductees and a timeline of their work. Click on "Inductees" and choose by overview, the inductee list, or introduction ceremony and process (the current years inductees).
Rulers and Important Leaders: This site contains lists of heads of state and heads of government (and, in certain cases, de facto leaders who don't occupy either of those formal positions) of all countries and territories, some dating back to the 1600's. Also included are the subdivisions of some countries. International organizations, Foreign Ministers, and Religious Leaders are listed separately.
Who's Who Online: "Who's Who Online® is a searchable site on the World Wide Web which contains professional and biographical data about individuals of accomplishment who are part of the worldwide Internet community. Profiles are provided by the individuals themselves, who own the copyrights to their own pages".

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Compiled/updated by Sally Adrina Taylor - October 2008