Library resources

On this page you will find information of particular interest to librarians and administrators managing an Oxford DNB subscription.

• For information about how to subscribe, and free trials, visit our How to subscribe page.
• Our Subscriber services page will help you to set up your account.
• We have a range of printable help texts and guides.

Telling your patrons about your subscription

• Should your library appear in our list of subscribing public libraries in the UK?
• We have posters, brochures, and a handy search guide for you to print.
• We have onscreen logos, buttons, and search boxes for you to add to your site.

Regular updates to the Oxford DNB

• Three annual updates add new biographies (including people who died up to 2005), along with quick reference guides
• Selections of new content are available or you can browse the full list of updates.

Help your patrons get more from the Oxford DNB

• Local history: use Oxford DNB's simple but powerful searches to reveal your area's past.
• Quick reference: consult our themes section—a reference companion to British history.
• Schools and colleges: reading and project work in our Learning resources area.
• Interactive picture galleries: colourful ways into the dictionary.
• Biography podcast: favourite lives to download and listen to.

History in the news and history near you

• Our daily email service sends out a topical life every morning.
• All topical features are available using our RSS web feed—a useful way of keeping patrons up-to-date with new content.
• Online guides to finding people who shaped your local history.
• Interactive maps: interesting people by place.

Federated search

• The Oxford DNB does not support the z39.50 protocol. However, an HTTP request in the following form can be used in a federated search, where "Winston Churchill" is the search term:
  • http://www.oxforddnb.com/search/quick/?quicksearch=quicksearch&searchTarget=people&simpleName=winston%20churchill
  • This search runs a quick name search for "Winston Churchill" (in other words, a search for the Winston Churchill entry, not a text search for his name.
• However, note that the results from a search are presented in alphabetical order. If a user searches simply for "Churchill", Winston Churchill is the 25th result. This highlights the difficulty of using federated search with the Oxford DNB.

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