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Biography Resources: Overview

Find biographical information in reference, database, and online resources.

Getting Started

Search using the One Search box on the library homepage or the  UCNJ Library Catalog 

Search by a person's name - Julius Ceasar biography 

Search by occupation or profession - musician biographies

Search by Nationality - Chinese biographies

Biographical sources cover both living and deceased persons in particular countries, occupations, and civil and government leaders. 

Biography, autobiography, and memoir may seem similar, but there are some differences among them.

Biography

A biography is an account of someone's life covering important events, outstanding achievements and historical significance. Some biographies connect groups of persons (known as ‘group biography’).

Biographies are third-person accounts written by someone and is therefore a secondary source. Since the late 20th century, the term biography is used to cover non-human subjects such as houses, cities, or commodities. 

Autobiography

An autobiography is an account of a person's life, written by that person. It is written in the 1st person narrative and the point of view is more subjective than a biography. An autobiography is an original account and is considered a primary source.

Memoir

A memoir is the writer's experiences with memorable people, events and places. Both autobiographies and memoirs are first person narratives, but a memoir is different from an  autobiography as it focuses more on other people or events. Memoirs may be structured as different episodes in the person's life. 

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