The purpose of gathering background information is to help you understand your topic in more depth, or perhaps think about a different view or a subtopic that you had not previously considered.

Reference Books | Electronic Reference Resources

Using reference sources in the library's Reference Collection can be very useful.

After looking at the titles that follow, you can use the reference collection to help you locate additional information on your topic in the circulating collection, or you can note the call number of a Reference book that is useful for your topic, for example the Sports Injuries Sourcebook (REF RD97 .S6884 2003). Drop the REF and use the initial letters and numbers as a guide to finding similar material that circulates. If you wanted to find circulating books similar to the Sports Injuries Sourcebook, you would go to the third floor and browse the RD97 section.

Subject Specific Reference Books

General

Berkshire Encyclopedia of World Sport
REF. GV 567 .B48 2005: 430 articles about individual sports (origins, history, and significance), injuries, sponsorship, mascots, tailgating, racism, doping, sexism, media, health and fitness, and college sports, to name a few.
Dictionary of the Sport and Exercise Sciences
REF. GV 558 .D53 1991: Includes terms "from nine subdisciplines of the sport and exercise sciences: adapted physical education, biomechanics, exercise physiology, motor control, motor development, motor learning, sport pedagogy, sport psychology, and sport sociology."
The Encyclopedia of North American Sports History
REF. GV 567 .H518 2002: Entries fall into the following categories: specific sports, general history, biographies, sporting events, major awards, cities, sporting venues, and sports organizations.
Encyclopedia of Sports
REF. GV 565 .N48: Each volume covers a different sport: Vol. 1- Football, Vol. 2- Baseball, Vol. 3- Basketball, Vol. 4- Track and Field, Vol. 5- Golf, Vol. 6- Tennis, Vol. 7 Boxing, Vol. 8- Soccer/Professional Hockey, Vol. 9- Winter Sports, Vol. 10- Outdoor Sports, Vol. 11- Indoor Sports, Vol. 12- Water Sports, Vol. 13- Horse Racing/Auto Racing, Vol. 14- Index and Bibliography.
Encyclopedia of Sports Science
REF. GV 558 .E53 1997: Answers questions about "the physics of sports" (such as "what makes a curveball spin?") and "how the body functions when participating in sports" (such as "how does exercise affect the aging process?").
Fitness and Exercise Sourcebook
REF. GV 436 .F53 1996: "Basic information on fitness and exercise, including fitness activities for specific age groups, exercise for people with specific medical conditions, how to begin a fitness program in running, walking, swimming, cycling and other athletic activities, and recent research in fitness and exercise."
The Language of Sport
REF. GV 567 .C59: A guide to the specialized language of the sports world, including definitions of many slang terms.
The Oxford Companion to World Sports and Games
REF. GV 207 O93: This companion "is intended to help the reader to understand a sport when he watches it for the first time," explaining rules, equipment, etc. It also includes entries on significant persons, teams, and events in sports.
Sports Leagues and Teams: An Encyclopedia, 1871 through 1996
REF. GV 583 .P655 1998: "A compilation of the leagues, franchises, teams, nicknames and playing facilities of 'major professional leagues' in various sports."
The Sports Rules Book: Essential Rules for 54 Sports
REF. GV 731 .H85 1998: From Alpine Skiing to Yachting, this book contains the rules for 54 organized sports, including information on equipment, playing areas, officials, competitors, terminology, and associated organizations.

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Baseball

The Baseball Encyclopedia: the Complete and Official Record of Major League Baseball
REF. GV 877 .B27 1990: Information on: special achievements, all-time leaders, teams, players, home/road performance, trades, world series and championship playoffs, all-star games, and registers of the National Association, Negro Leagues, pitchers, players, and managers.
Ballplayers: Baseball's Ultimate Biographical Reference
REF. GV 865 .A1 B323: Biographical information and statistics, seasonal accomplishments, post-season play information, and Hall of Fame induction dates for over 6,000 baseball players from the 19th and 20th centuries.
The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball
REF. GV 862.3 .L54 2005: Includes entries on the events and personalities surrounding the history of baseball, including interesting entries on "freak accidents," "alcoholism," "food," 'nicknames," "take me out to the ballgame," and more.
Total Baseball
REF. GV 863 .A1 T68: Part one includes entries on the history of baseball, including topics such as baseball betting, the farm system, and concessions. Part two covers statistical information such as all-time leaders, umpire rosters, player registers, etc.

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Biographies

Ballplayers: Baseball's Ultimate Biographical Reference
REF. GV 865 .A1 B323: Biographical information and statistics, seasonal accomplishments, post-season play information, and Hall of Fame induction dates for over 6,000 baseball players from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Biographical Dictionary of Dance
REF. GV 1785 .A1 C58: "The more than 2,900 figures profiled in this book span the last four centuries of dance history in Europe and the Americas." If they were involved with dance before 1982, look them up in here for a paragraph to page length entry.
The Encyclopedia of North American Sports History
REF. GV 567 .H518 2002: Entries fall into the following categories: specific sports, general history, biographies, sporting events, major awards, cities, sporting venues, and sports organizations.
Outstanding Women Athletes: Who They Are and How They Influenced Sports in America
REF. GV 697 .A1 W69 1992: Includes chapters on the history of women in American sports and the Olympics, along with biographies of outstanding women athletes who influenced American sports, a bibliography, a directory of associations, and lists of award winners and Olympic medal winners from 1948-1988.
The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives: Sports Figures
REF. GV 697 .A1 S42 2002: Biographies of 614 influential American sportsmen and women.

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Dance

Biographical Dictionary of Dance
REF. GV 1785 .A1 C58: "The more than 2,900 figures profiled in this book span the last four centuries of dance history in Europe and the Americas." If they were involved with dance before 1982, look them up in here for a paragraph to page length entry.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Ballet
REF. GV 1585 .K63 1987: With short dictionary style entries, "It represents an attempt to cover the whole ballet scene, past and present, its personalities, works, companies, places of performance, and technical terms, with some consideration of modern dance, ethnic dance, and ballroom dance." It also includes entries for special cities, dramatists, and provides some bibliographical references.
The Dance Handbook
REF. GV 1601 .R63: Each of the 200 entries are broken into chapters by style and type of dance with each section containing entries for choreographers, companies, and dancers in alphabetical order.
International Dictionary of Modern Dance
REF. GV 1585 .B46 1998: "Comprises more than 400 entries on all aspects of modern dance, ranging from biographical entries on dancers to essays on major movements and styles to overviews of the development of modern dance in countries around the world."
The Encyclopedia of Dance and Ballet
REF. GV 1585 .E5: Arranged alphabetically and concerned with "dance raised to a theatrical level as a performing art in any of the media of the twentieth century," search this title for entries on people, places, movements, and ideas.
International Encyclopedia of Dance
REF. GV 1585 .I586 1998: This comprehensive six-volume set contains information on countries, people, movements, dance styles, etc... It was designed to "tell us about the many forms of body movement that are called dance." Every entry contans a bibliography.
The Oxford Dictionary of Dance
REF. GV 1585 .C78 2000: Contains a range of articles designed to reflect the diverse scope of dance with information on a comprehensive range of topics.

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Injuries/Sports Medicine

Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine
REF. RC 1206 .O355 2005: Covers causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of various sports injuries and related disorders.
Sports Injuries & Emergencies: A Quick Response Manual
REF. RD 97 .S6884 2003: "Allows you to quickly identify, evaluate, stabilize, treat, and manage" a wide variety of sports injuries and emergencies.
Sports Injuries Sourcebook
REF. RD 97 .S736 2007: "Basic consumer information about sprains and strains, fractures, growth plate injuries, overtraining injuries, and injuries to the head, face, shoulders, elbows, hands...and with facts about heat-related illness, steroids and sport supplements, protective equipment, diagnostic procedures, treatment options, and rehabilitation."

For more medical-topic reference books, please see the Nursing/Medicine Subject Guide.

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Sports in Society

Gambling in America: An Encyclopedia of History, Issues, and Society
REF. GV 1301 .T47 2001: "Examines the people, places, events, laws and policies, and concepts concerning gambling as well as gambling equipment...[with a focus on] the Americas."
Sport in American Culture: From Ali to X-Games
REF. GV 706.2 .D86 2004: Entries in this volume emphasize "the process whereby sport has created billion-dollar industries and millionaire superstars; has had an impact on television, literature, and film; and has invented role models, created heroes, and bolstered national pride."
Sports and Education: a Reference Handbook
REF. GV 346 .F73 2003: "Examine(s) the role of sport in the educational process."

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Recreation/Tourism Industry

Americans at Play: Demographics of Outdoor Recreation and Travel
REF. GV 191.4 .W45 1997: Statistics on how Americans spend their leisure time.
The Recreation and Entertainment Industries: An Information Sourcebook
REF. GV 188.3 .U6 C57 2000: A guide to researching various aspects of the recreation and entertainment industries, listing NAICS classifications and significant directories, periodicals, monographs, databases, and associations for each area.
Sport, Leisure, & Tourism Information Sources
REF. GV 188 .S66 1999: "This book aims to describe the methods and principles by which information to support research in sport, leisure and tourism can be traced."

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Women & Minorities in Sports

Encyclopedia of Ethnicity and Sports in the United States
REF. GV 709.5 .E83 2000: Includes entries on " racial and ethnic groups, ethnic games, mainstream sports, ethnic and racial insitutions, and prominent persons...from the age of colonization to the present."
Encyclopedia of Women and Sports
REF. GV 709 .S44 1996: Includes entries on the history of women in sports, including information on teams, individual sports, events, and biographical information. Includes a timeline and a bibliography.
Outstanding Women Athletes: Who They Are and How They Influenced Sports in America
REF. GV 697 .A1 W69 1992: Includes chapters on the history of women in American sports and the Olympics, along with biographies of outstanding women athletes who influenced American sports, a bibliography, a directory of associations, and lists of award winners and Olympic medal winners from 1948-1988.

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Ask a librarian at the Research Assistance Desk
if you need help in locating these sources.

Electronic Reference Sources

Credo Reference: is a searchable collection of 100 reference titles containing a range of subjects including: bilingual dictionaries, conversions, law, medicine, psychology, religion, science, social sciences, and technology. Entries range from short to medium length and may include images and/or audio (especially useful for pronunciations of medical terms and non-English words). (formerly Xrefer Plus).
Gale Virtual Reference Library: contains the Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders and Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. (After clicking the link, click "proceed", then select the database.)
PDR (Physician's Desk Reference) Electronic Library: (Click "PDR Electronic Library", on right side of screen.) Information about prescription drugs, with photos. Includes PDR for Herbal Medicines and Stedman's Medical Dictionary.
Peterson's College Guides: Online versions of the printed guides. Guides to undergraduate, graduate and vocational-technical schools. Searchable by name or location.

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