Look up a fast fact or browse subjects of interest with our online encyclopedias and dictionaries. This is the same authoritative content as in our print editions, but it is updated more frequently and you can access it from anywhere.
- Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895 – Documents the African American experience from the arrival of the first slave ship to the death of Frederick Douglass-and shows how American culture, history, and national identity have been influenced by the experience of African Americans.
- Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present – Traces the transition from the Reconstruction Era to the age of Jim Crow, the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights Movement, up to and including the 2008 election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States.
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture – A free, authoritative source of information about the rich history, geography, and culture of Arkansas. The Encyclopedia contains more than 6,000 entries and pieces of media related to Arkansas with new material being added weekly.
- Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages
- The Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment
- Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (Ebscohost) – A general encyclopedia that covers a variety of subject areas.
- The Grove Encyclopedia of Classical Art and Architecture
- The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts
- International Encyclopedia of Dance
- International Encyclopedia of Linguistics
- New Schaff - Herzog Encyclopedia of Religion
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic History
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Evolution
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Global Change
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern World – Provides information about major world developments from 1750 to the present, with close attention to social, economic, cultural, and political topics.
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Rhetoric
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History
- World Book Advanced – Designed for high school and college students, a powerful reference tool that includes encyclopedic, multimedia, eBook, and primary source databases, fully integrated in a single search.
- World Book Early World of Learning – Offers narrated stories with word-by-word highlighting, interactive games, interactive reference material for beginners, and more to help young learners build vocabulary, comprehension, phonics, and reading fluency.
- World Book Online - Kids – Features content especially for young students, with simple navigation, easy-to-read articles, multimedia, comparison tools, interactive games and activities, and teacher tools.
- World Book Online - Spanish (Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos) – A student-focused resource that offers World Book’s excellent editorial content, rich media, and interactive features in Spanish.
- World Book Online for Kids (Public Libraries) – Developed especially for young public library patrons, with easy-to-read articles and a wealth of engaging multimedia, games, science projects, interactive tools, and activities.
- World Book Online Info Finder (Public Libraries) – Based on the World Book Encyclopedia, this resource contains content and features designed for school-aged patrons’ homework and research needs.
- World Book Student – includes the articles of the World Book Encyclopedia, a Biography Center, dictionary, atlas, an extensive multimedia collection, thousands of editor-selected Web sites, correlations to curriculum standards, and much more.
- World Book Online Reference Center (Public Libraries) – A powerful reference tool for advanced researchers and information seekers, featuring eBooks, articles, primary source documents, and features developed especially for public library patrons such as Computer and Web Tutorials, How To… documents, and Government Resources.
Live Chat with a Reference Librarian
CALS’s biggest resource is our librarians. Our Live Chat service has been suspended temporarily as we search for a new service provider. However, you may still call a Reference Librarian at 918-3000 or visit the Reference Department at the Main Library, located at 100 Rock St., in downtown Little Rock.