Cambridge Companions Online offers subject or theme based collections of content within a fully cross-searchable online environment, covering literature, classics, philosophy, religion, and cultural studies.
Access: On or off campus
Reference Books are sources like encyclopedias or dictionaries that contain a large-scale overview of many subjects, often on a single topic. Reference Books are located in the Webster Reference Room on the first floor of the Library Learning Commons. Generally, they may be used in the library but are not available for loan. Use a reference source when you are unfamiliar with a topic and want a good introduction or when you want to find an authoritative opinion about a general topic.
The “Oxford Reference Online” and “Cambridge Companion” series contain essential definitions and introductions to key people, places, texts, etc. It’s a good place to begin, if you need an accurate definition, date, or introduction to a text or genre. Below, you will find reference guides for medieval topics and some relevant Classical resources as well. Many of the chapters in these books also contain essential bibliographies that will lead you to further reading.
