Biography Resource Center
What is it for?
This database indexes many biographical resources published by Gale. It includes historical figures as well as contemporary people. To see which sources are indexed, choose List of Sources from the top of the screen.
How do I get to it?
1. Start at the Grafton Public Library homepage. Click Online and Digital Resources from the list on the left.
2. Scroll down to "Biography Resource Center".
3. Click on Biography Resource Center.
4. If you are asked for a login or password, type in your library barcode number.
How does it work? Try it out!
Type GEORGE BUSH in the box and click Search. You will be taken to an alphabetical list of names that match the terms you specified, and you have to pick the right one. Find Bush, George Walker (American president, 1946-) and click on the link. From this next page you will have several choices, such as
This database indexes many biographical resources published by Gale. It includes historical figures as well as contemporary people. To see which sources are indexed, choose List of Sources from the top of the screen.
How do I get to it?
1. Start at the Grafton Public Library homepage. Click Online and Digital Resources from the list on the left.
2. Scroll down to "Biography Resource Center".
3. Click on Biography Resource Center.
4. If you are asked for a login or password, type in your library barcode number.
How does it work? Try it out!
Type GEORGE BUSH in the box and click Search. You will be taken to an alphabetical list of names that match the terms you specified, and you have to pick the right one. Find Bush, George Walker (American president, 1946-) and click on the link. From this next page you will have several choices, such as
- biographies, which are lengthy, usually 4-6 printed pages;
- brief biographies, which are short, sometimes 1-2 printed pages;
- magazine and newspaper articles, which will have biographical information in them;
- and websites (click the link for the list of Gale-approved sites).
In some cases a picture of the person is included, but this is mainly a textual database, not a graphical one, so pictures are not always available.
When you choose the type of article you want, you will be given a list of articles that fall under that category. Follow the link to see the text.
From the article page, you can either print the item (printouts in the library are 10˘ per page) or email it for later use. If you email it, it should be in your mailbox within minutes.
Use the Search box on the right of the screen. This time, type GRISH and change the search type to “Start of last name.” The resulting list will include everything that starts with the letters you put in. Find Grisham, John (American writer, 1955-). This type of search is handy if you cannot remember how to spell someone’s last name. However, keep in mind that if it is a common string of letters, you will be given a long list. A “Name contains” search may be more helpful instead.
Help
Help screens and search tips are available. They are general but may have some useful tips.
Marking articles
You can mark articles by putting a check in the box and clicking Update Mark List on the list page or by clicking Mark this document from the text page. Use View Mark List to see the selected articles.
InfoMarks
When you choose the type of article you want, you will be given a list of articles that fall under that category. Follow the link to see the text.
From the article page, you can either print the item (printouts in the library are 10˘ per page) or email it for later use. If you email it, it should be in your mailbox within minutes.
Use the Search box on the right of the screen. This time, type GRISH and change the search type to “Start of last name.” The resulting list will include everything that starts with the letters you put in. Find Grisham, John (American writer, 1955-). This type of search is handy if you cannot remember how to spell someone’s last name. However, keep in mind that if it is a common string of letters, you will be given a long list. A “Name contains” search may be more helpful instead.
Help
Help screens and search tips are available. They are general but may have some useful tips.
Marking articles
You can mark articles by putting a check in the box and clicking Update Mark List on the list page or by clicking Mark this document from the text page. Use View Mark List to see the selected articles.
InfoMarks
You may have noticed a little blue ball with a yellow “i” on it at the top of many screens. This is an InfoMark. If you see a screen with one, you can bookmark the page for use later. InfoMarks are useful for making pathfinders, saving searches for later, or assisting with school projects where many students will be looking for similar information. If you are using the database outside the library and you bookmark a page, you will need to sign in to Biography Resource Center with your library card number to get back to the articles.
Citations
Once you are viewing an article, you can see the citation at the bottom, ready-made for use in a bibliography.
Other searches
Biographical Facts Search
This can be helpful if the student doesn’t have a specific person in mind but has to do a certain occupation or nationality. From the main screen click Biographical Facts Search. In the Occupation box enter DANCER. From the Nationality menu choose RUSSIAN. Click Search. You’ll get a list of people in the database who match your search specifications.
Advanced Search
Change the fields to Name, Keyword, Full Text, or Source, and type in words you wish to find. For example, try MILLIONAIRE in one box and HAIR CARE in another and change the fields to Keyword. You should then get the name of the first African-American woman to become a millionaire.
Category Browse
You can also browse by certain broad popular categories, such as Musicians or Hispanic Americans. This may be useful for assignments where the student just has a particular kind of person to research but no specific names.
Citations
Once you are viewing an article, you can see the citation at the bottom, ready-made for use in a bibliography.
Other searches
Biographical Facts Search
This can be helpful if the student doesn’t have a specific person in mind but has to do a certain occupation or nationality. From the main screen click Biographical Facts Search. In the Occupation box enter DANCER. From the Nationality menu choose RUSSIAN. Click Search. You’ll get a list of people in the database who match your search specifications.
Advanced Search
Change the fields to Name, Keyword, Full Text, or Source, and type in words you wish to find. For example, try MILLIONAIRE in one box and HAIR CARE in another and change the fields to Keyword. You should then get the name of the first African-American woman to become a millionaire.
Category Browse
You can also browse by certain broad popular categories, such as Musicians or Hispanic Americans. This may be useful for assignments where the student just has a particular kind of person to research but no specific names.