Reference works contain background information on a variety of topics related to the major fields of study at the University of Oregon and beyond. Use this information to check facts, look for ideas, and to get an overview of a topic or field. The items in this collection cannot be checked out, they are kept in the building so that all may use them.
Knight Library has a Reference Collection on Level 1 near the Research Help Desk.
This sculpture is located in the Reference Collection in Knight Library.
Many of our branch libraries also have reference materials at their locations.
Like the roots of a tree, background information is not always visible but it does play an important role in your research.
Starting research often means finding an overview of a topic, checking facts and data, checking dates of significant events, or looking up definitions of specialized terms. Reference books can give background information, including the scope of the topic area, noteworthy people, and statistics to help jumpstart your research.
Check out this video from Suffolk County Community College Library to understand how primary, secondary, and tertiary sources vary by discipline.
Before you start any research on your topic, you must develop some background knowledge including facts, dates, and names of important people, places, or theories. Books and websites can provide you with that knowledge.
This is important because:
Remember, background information is always a starting point for research, not an ending point.
In addition to being a great place to start exploring an unfamiliar topic, Wikipedia is considered a tertiary source. Writers of tertiary sources synthesize information from secondary sources and strive to report them in a tone that is as unbiased and neutral as possible.
Some tertiary sources are cited in academic research and others are not. This practice varies by discipline so contact your instructor or a librarian with questions!
Thanks to IUPUI University Library for allowing reuse of this graphic under a Creative Commons license.
These types of resources can help you identify a topic for your research, provide useful definitions, give an overview of a specific issue, help you identify key research in the field, and suggest other materials which might be useful for your research.
The Atlas of Languages: The Origin and Development of Languages Throughout the World by
This book fully documents the origin and development of language throughout the world, how certain languages have died out and how new words emerged. In addition the book documents ancient and modern alphabet systems.
Atlas of the World's Languages by
Before the first appearance of the Atlas of the World's Languages in 1993, all the world's languages had never been accurately and completely mapped. The Atlas depicts the location of every known living language, including languages on the point of extinction. This fully revised edition of the Atlas offers: up-to-date research, some from fieldwork in early 2006 a general linguistic history of each section an overview of the genetic relations of the languages in each section statistical and sociolinguistic information a large number of new or completely updated maps further reading and a bibliography for each section a cross-referenced language index of over 6,000 languages. Presenting contributions from international scholars, covering over 6,000 languages and containing over 150 full-colour maps, the Atlas of the World's Languages is the definitive reference resource for every linguistic and reference library.
Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger by 
Compendium of the World's Languages by
This second edition of George Campbell's astounding survey of world languages has been thoroughly updated, revised, and expanded. It presents a comprehensive cross-section of languages, ranging from the familiar and well-documented to the relatively obscure. Fifteen completely new entries on exotic languages such as Comanche, Shona, and Wotapuri have been added to the more than 300 descriptions of the many forms taken by human speech worldwide. Also included are numerous articles on non-Roman scripts, not featured in the first edition. Dead languages associated with the great cultures of the past--Classical Chinese, Sanskrit, Classical Greek, and Latin--are featured, as well as intriguing isolates like Etruscan and Tangut.
Ethnologue: Languages of the World by 
Dictionary of Languages: The Definitive Reference to More than 400 Languages by
Approximately how many languages compose the Bantu language group of central and southern Africa? What is the name of the language spoken in Hawaii by an estimated two thousand people? What Western European language is not known to be related to any other language family in the world--and is considered by linguists to be one of the most difficult to learn? These are only a few of the questions language lovers, linguists, and lay readers will be able to answer with the Dictionary of Languages--an easy-to-navigate, authoritative guide to the world's languages and language groups at the end of the twentieth century. Andrew Dalby had the needs and interests of general readers in mind when he compiled this comprehensive reference work--most other language guides are written for scholars, and many include little or none of the absorbing social, cultural, geographic, and historical details that are brought together here. In the Dictionary of Languages, readers will find: *a selection of four hundred languages and language groups, arranged alphabetically, with rich, detailed descriptions of the genesis, development, and current status of each; *more than two hundred maps displaying where the languages are spoken today; *sidebars showing alphabets, numerals, and other enriching facts *a comprehensive index listing additional languages, guiding readers to the nearest language groups with full writeups and maps; *charts breaking down large language groups--such as Bantu or Austroasiatic languages--by geographic region and approximate number of speakers. In a world where geopolitical boundaries often explain little about the people that live within them, where we may read about Kurd and Khmer in the same newspaper and be expected to be conversant about each--if not conversant in each--Dalby's single, information-packed volume helps us make sense of the rich mosaic of world languages.
The World Atlas of Language Structures by
The World Atlas of Language Structures is a book and CD combination displaying the structural properties of the world's languages. 142 world maps and numerous regional maps - all in colour - display the geographical distribution of features of pronunciation and grammar, such as number ofvowels, tone systems, gender, plurals, tense, word order, and body part terminology. Each world map shows an average of 400 languages and is accompanied by a fully referenced description of the structural feature in question.The CD provides an interactive electronic version of the database which allows the reader to zoom in on or customize the maps, to display bibliographical sources, and to establish correlations between features. The book and the CD together provide an indispensable source of information for linguistsand others seeking to understand human languages.The Atlas will be especially valuable for linguistic typologists, grammatical theorists, historical and comparative linguists, and for those studying a region such as Africa, Southeast Asia, North America, Australia, and Europe. It will also interest anthropologists and geographers. More than fiftyauthors from many different countries have collaborated to produce a work that sets new standards in comparative linguistics. No institution involved in language research can afford to be without it.
Some of the print resources above also have e-book versions. See links, above.
1501 Kincaid Street
Eugene, OR 97403
P: 541-346-3053
F: 541-346-3485
