Sample Searches

World Biographical Information System Sample Searches

World Biographical Information System, based on the digitization of K.G. Saur's Biographical Archives, compiles biographical articles from reference works pertaining to a country or a specific language/cultural area.

Search 1:

What biographical information can be found on the 19th century Harvard University law professor Simon Greenleaf?

Solution:

1. Open World Biographical Information System and enter "Simon Greenleaf" in the search box.
2. Select "Name contains" and click on the "Search" button.
3. Click on the "Greenleaf, Simon" link listing the occupation "professor of law" to retrieve 11 digitized pages of information.

Search 2:

How can one retrieve a list of 20th century music composers from Norway?

Solution:

1. Open World Biographical Information System and go to the "Biographical Search" page.
2. In the "Year Cited:" entry boxes enter "1901" to "2000".
3. Click on the "Browse" link for the "Occupation:" entry box and enter "composer" in search box that pops up.
4. Click on the "Find" button and check the box next to "composer".
5. Click on the "Submit Selections" button to return to the search page and to have the occupation "composer" entered into the "Occupation:" entry box.
6. Enter "Norway" in the "Country:" entry box.
7. Click on the "Search" button to retrieve a list of three composers:

   Mathilde Berentssøn
   Pauline Hall
   Borghild Holmsen

Search 3:

A user of World Biographical Information System wanted to find biographical information on the lexicographer Noah Webster from the British Biographical Archive (BBA).

Solution:

1. Opened World Biographical Information System and went to the "Advanced Search" page.
2. Selected the "Biographical" radio button.
3. Selected "NAM = Name" in "Field:" and clicked on the "Add" button.
4. Entered in the "Search Query:" box "Noah Webster" after "NAM = ".
5. Clicked on the "Add" button after "AND" then selected "ARC = Archive".
6. Entered in the "Search Query:" box "British Biographical Archive" after "ARC = ".
7. Clicked on the "Search" button and the "Webster, Noah" link to retrieve 14 pages of digitized information from the "British Biographical Archive (BBA)".

Search 4:

How can information on famous miners from Algeria be found?

Solution:

1. Open World Biographical Information System and go to the "Biographical Search" page.
2. Click on the "Browse" link for the "Occupation Classification:" entry box and click on the "+" sign before "MINER" in the pop up box.
3. Check the box next to "Miners (021)" then click on the "Submit Selections" button.
4. Enter "Algeria" in the "Country:" entry box.
5. Click on the "Search" button to retrieve three Algerian miners:

   François Hubert Debrousse
   Joseph Philippe Gustave Noblemaire
   Tahar Zbiri

Search 5:

What is a good reference source about Ethiopian history from the African Biographical Archive?

Solution:

1. Open World Biographical Information System and go to the "Bibliographic Search" page.
2. Enter "Ethiopia" in the "Keyword in Bibliography:" entry box.
3. Browse and select "African Biographical Archive" for the "Archive:" entry box.
4. Click on the "Search" button to retrieve the Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia, by Chris Prouty and Eugene Rosenfeld.