Biographies at the Library
A lot of people like reading about people. That's one
reason that the library's fiction sections are very popular. But what if you
prefer factual books about real people? Where should you look?
If you would like to browse, then you can head up to our
biography section, which is located on the second floor of the library.
Biographies are shelved in the 920s and 921s. Books in the 920s tell about the
lives of more than one person. Sometimes the people are a couple (e.g.,
"Elizabeth and Philip:
The Untold Story of the Queen of England and Her
Prince" by Charles Higham and Roy Moseley), are members of the same family
("The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys," by Doris Kearns Goodwin), or
share something else in common, such as the same profession ("Women of the
World: The Great Foreign Correspondents" by Julia
Edwards), or same ethnic group ("Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About
Being Jewish" by Abigail Pogrebin).
Individual biographies are located in the 921s. These are
arranged by last name, so if you are interested in biographies about a specific
person (say, Thomas Jefferson), you can go to the 921s and then look for their
name (the spine labels for books on Jefferson start with 921 J).
What if you don't find the person you are looking for in
the 921s? First of all, search for their name in our online catalog. Sometimes
books have information about the life of a person but don't quite qualify as
biographies. This can be especially true for celebrities or sports
figures--"Elvis Presley: A Southern Life" is located in the 921s with
the other biographies, while "Elvis: The King Remembered" is in the
782s.
If you are having difficulty finding what you are looking
for, just ask at the reference desk. The librarian there can help you track
down a book, find an encyclopedia with biographical information, or--if the
library does not have any information on the person you are interested
in--order a biography through interlibrary loan.
submitted by Elizabeth Johnston
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