World Biographical Information System Online (WBIS Online)

Source Lists

In centuries past thousands of biographical handbooks and reference works were published all over the world. No library has a complete collection of all this material. Access to the WBIS Online database thus enlarges the holdings of any library by thousands of biographical reference works – including numerous rarities. Many of the earlier writings are no longer available on loan from libraries today, on account of their poor condition. WBIS Online provides the user with access to all these works in a single database.

The sources used for the Biographical Archives are very varied. They encompass works from many different genres – biographical lexicons, history books, encyclopaedia, Who’s Whos, almanacs, etc. – with all sorts of thematic objectives. The considerable scope of the biographical information results from the combination of sources with a variety of different emphases – from local to national and international, from special lexicons to general encyclopaedia. Convince yourself of the extent and diversity of the material in WBIS Online and take a glance at the source list: