Online Encyclopedias
The library has access to many online encyclopedias. Online encyclopedia articles are a great way to find out more information about a topic you don't know much about--it's like using a scholarly version of Wikipedia! You can use the search bar to look for articles on the archetypes you are interested in. Many of the books listed in the reference section, are available online through Gale eBooks (Reference eBooks).
Click on the picture below to search for encyclopedias by topic.
If you prefer to browse, the links below will take you to the tables of contents for the specific encyclopedias mentioned.
American Eras: Development of the Industrial United States, 1878-1899 by ISBN: 9781414498249Publication Date: 2013-05-07
Print Encyclopedias
Encyclopedias are produced by experts in a particular field and are not intended to be read from cover-to-cover: instead, you can find an entry in an encyclopedia that mentions your topic and just read that entry.
Encyclopedias at the BC Library are shelved in the Reference Collection, or the green-labeled shelves in the library. You cannot check out reference books from the library, but you can look at them for as long as you are in the library, and you may take photo-copies of reference books.
The Earth Is Our Mother: A Guide to the Indians of California, Their Locales and Historic Sites by Call Number: REF E78 .C15 E2 1989ISBN: 0937401064Publication Date: 1989-01-01
Encyclopedia of American Race Riots by Call Number: REF E184.A1 E573 2007 v.1-2ISBN: 9780313333002Publication Date: 2006-11-30
Voices of the U.S. Latino Experience by Call Number: REF E184.S75 V65 2008 v.1-3ISBN: 9780313340239Publication Date: 2008-08-01
American Decades, 1900-1909 by Call Number: REF E741 .A44 1996 v.1-11ISBN: 0810357224Publication Date: 1996-03-26
1500 California Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning by Call Number: REF F859 .G8 1998ISBN: 0520212711Publication Date: 1998-11-30
Profiles of California by Call Number: REF F859.3 .P76 2007ISBN: 9781592372256Publication Date: 2007-06-01- California State Parks by Call Number: REF F866.2.H42 B33 1987ISBN: 0937959081Publication Date: 1987-05-01
Los Angeles A to Z by Call Number: REF F869 .L84 P58 1997ISBN: 0520202740Publication Date: 1997-06-30
The Atlas of California by Call Number: REF G1525 .W35 2013ISBN: 9780520272026Publication Date: 2013-10-04Also available as ebook
