Biography: Research Guide
Start with what you know
Think about the person you are researching. Do you know:
- their full name and other names they were known by?
- their life dates - are they alive or dead?
- the names of organisiations or groups they belonged to?
- their nationality or country of residence?
- any significant events in their life?
- if they are famous? What they are known for?
This information will help guide your search to the right resources and provide you with additional topics to search on.
Where can you find biographical information?
You can find biographical information in a range of sources including:
Primary Sources:
- Contemporary newspaper articles
- Personal papers such as diaries and notebooks
- Interviews and audio recordings
Secondary Sources:
- Biographical dictionaries arranged by country or topic
- Books, journal articles and encyclopedias
- Obituaries
The type of sources you search will depend on the person you are searching for.
Searching the catalogue
Start with the Library Catalogue
- select the Browse alphabetically tab
- choose subjects from the drop-down list
- type your keywords in the search box. Remember to type in the person's surname first.
For example, try a search for items relating to Joan Sutherland; search for 'Sutherland, Joan' in the subject search:
In your search results, click on the relevant subject to see a list of items about Joan Sutherland in the catalogue.
