Library resource spotlight: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Introducing our latest resource - the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (also known as Oxford DNB)!
Oxford DNB is a national record of the people who have shaped British history and culture, worldwide, from the Romans to the 21st century. Work on the first Oxford DNB began in 1882 by its founding editor, Leslie Stephen (better known as the father of Virginia Woolf), with the first volume published in 1900, which included entries on more than 30,000 people active in the British past. The dictionary, which has been continuously extended and developed with regular online updates since 2004, now contains the biographies of 60,000 plus people spanning 72 million words and a period of 2,500 years of history!
The dictionary includes concise and up-to-date biographies written by specialist authors. As well as individual articles, Oxford DNB also offers group theme articles which act as a reference companion to British history, as well as a free bi-monthly podcast. There’s also interactive maps and picture galleries for a more colourful means of exploring the records, as well as a daily email service or RSS feed to receive a topical life of the day every morning!
You can also use the search functionality to reveal and learn about your area’s local history and there’s also the option to print and save individual articles too!
The Oxford DNB is also available through the library’s A-Z of online resources, and there’s a handy help page and a FAQ page too!
For access, please select 'Sign in via your institution' and search for 'University of Keele'. Log in with your Keele username and password.
