Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Britannica Library lets you choose from 3 levels to find information suitable for your grade or reading level. You can search for encyclopedia entries, magazine articles, images and videos.

Britannica Children is for students in grades K-5.
Britannica Young Adults is for students in grades 6-8.
Britannica Reference Center is for high school and adult researchers.

Check out the Britannica Library tutorial from Niche Academy.

To get an overview of the Britannica Library, view this two-minute video.

The Chicago Manual of Style has the complete text of both the 18th and 17th editions.

The site also includes

• Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide for students, researchers and writers
• Chicago Style Q&A, entertaining and informative answers to readers' questions
• Video Tutorials to help you find what you're looking for

The Dictionary of American Family Names contains more than 70,000 of the most commonly occurring surnames in the United States, giving their comparative frequencies, linguistic and historical explanations, selected associated forenames and occasional genealogical notes. It explains the meanings—some intuitive, some amusing and some quite surprising—of the family names for more than 90 percent of the U.S. population.

It is also available through the Oxford Reference portal.

The Oxford English Dictionary is the accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium. It is a guide to the meaning, history and pronunciation of over half a million words, both present and past. It traces the usage of words through 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of international English language sources. The OED covers words from across the English-speaking world. It also offers etymological analysis and listings of variant spellings.

View a short video [3:19]

Oxford Reference provides dozens of reference books in a single cross-searchable database. Subjects include language, science, medicine, humanities, social sciences, business and general reference. See a complete list of works included in the database.

Watch this video tutorial for search tips.

Spanish Reference Center offers resources in Spanish for all ages in two unique interfaces, each with its own comprehensive encyclopedia: Enciclopedia Moderna for high school ages and up and Britannica Escolar Online for ages 6-12. Take the Guided Tour.

Centro de Referencia le ofrece recursos de referencia en español en dos interfaces exclusivas — cada una con una enciclopedia adaptada al lector: Enciclopedia Moderna para adultos y estudiantes y Britannica Escolar Online para estudiantes de 6 a 12 años de edad.