Published on 22 April 2022

Reference works

At the Library Am Guisanplatz BiG, Federal Administration employees and Armed Forces staff have access to a wide range of online resources, including a wide range of dictionaries and encyclopaedias.

The following reference works are freely available online to employees of the Federal Administration and the Armed Forces.  You do not need to register for this BiG service. You will be automatically authenticated with your work laptop (outside the federal network via VPN) and with your federal mobile phone/federal tablet (via the "Secure Web" app). Use the links listed below for access. In case of access problems, content-related or technical questions, please contact [e-mail]. 

In case of access problems, please contact us by e-mail at [e-mail]. Proposals for further resources can be submitted via the corresponding form.

• Biographische Handbücher der deutschsprachigen Emigration nach 1933

  Biographische Handbücher der deutschsprachigen Emigration nach 1933

  The Biographische Handbücher der deutschsprachigen Emigration nach 1933 biographical database consists of six reference works, including the one of the same name, created by the Institut für Zeitgeschichte and the Research Foundation for Jewish Immigration.

  The database contains more than 8,000 articles about people from the German-speaking cultural circles of central Europe who emigrated beginning in 1933. The database allows comprehensive research on the history of migration, persecution and the influence of emigrants in the countries in which they settled.

  The publications that the database content draws on are also accessible using the links below or via the Alexandria research portal:

  • Biographisches Handbuch der deutschsprachigen Emigration nach 1933
  • Die Ausbürgerung deutscher Staatsangehöriger 1933–45 nach den im Reichsanzeiger veröffentlichten Listen
  • Wendland, Ulrike: Biographisches Handbuch deutschsprachiger Kunsthistoriker im Exil
  • Biographisches Handbuch der deutschsprachigen wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Emigration nach 1933
  • Quellen zur deutschen politischen Emigration 1933–1945

• Brockhaus Encyclopaedia

  • Brockhaus Encyclopaedia
    

  The Brockhaus Encyclopaedia is a neutral and trustworthy source for finding reliable information on a specific topic. The database allows in-depth research with the help of internal links and literature references.

• Brockhaus Dictionaries

  • Brockhaus - Wörterbücher

  The online dictionaries «Die deutsche Rechtschreibung» and the «Synonymwörterbuch» are licensed from Brockhaus. «Die deutsche Rechtschreibung» from Brockhaus is a dictionary with around 140,000 keywords and spellings. The «Synonymwörterbuch» contains related words, including many new Anglicisms.

• Max Planck Encyclopedia of Comparative Constitutional Law (Oxford University Press)

  • Max Planck Encyclopedia of Comparative Constitutional Law (MPECCoL)

  The Max Planck Encyclopedia of Comparative Constitutional Law (MPECCoL) comprises a wide range of entries dealing with constitutional law issues. The articles focus on the nature, character, development and history of constitutional law from a comparative and global perspective.

  Under the heading Help you will find, among other things, research tips for the MPECCOL database.
  

• Max Planck Encyclopedias of International Law (Oxford University Press)

  • Max Planck Encyclopedias of International Law (MPIL)
    

  The Max Planck Encyclopedias of International Law (MPIL) is a database that combines the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law (MPEPIL) and the Max Planck Encyclopedia of International Procedural Law (MPEiPro). MPEPIL is considered the standard reference work on international law. MPEiPro deals with procedural law issues beforehand.

  Under the heading Help you will find, among other things, research tips for the MPIL database.

• Oxford Dictionaries Premium – English (Oxford University Press)

  Oxford Dictionaries Premium – English (ODO)

  Oxford Dictionaries Online (ODO) is an authoritative reference work for the modern English language. According to the publisher, it contains more than 350,000 words and phrases as well as over 1.9 million example sentences in English.

• Oxford Research Encyclopedias

  • Oxford Research Encyclopedias

  The Oxford Research Encyclopedias (ORE) are digital encyclopedias published by Oxford University Press. They provide expert-written, peer-reviewed, and constantly updated review articles. Each article integrates bibliographic sources and links to related content. The ORE cover a wide range of topics, from history and literature to political science and neuroscience. The collection currently includes 26 thematic modules, three of which are licensed by the Library Am Guisanplatz BiG:

  • Criminology and Criminal Justice contains 435 articles
  • International Studies contains 708 articles
  • Politics contains 1509 articles

  This page contains a tutorial video and tips for searching and using ORE. You can create a personal profile that allows you to save content and searches.

  Here you can find the terms of use.

  Due to technical problems, ORE is not yet available for use on mobile devices.

• SIPRI Yearbook (Oxford University Press)

  • SIPRI Yearbook

  The renowned Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) provides information in its yearbooks on topics such as armaments, arms control, disarmament and security policy worldwide. For each state, a brief description of the armed forces and the most important armament data is written from open sources.

  Under the heading Help you will find, among other things, research tips for searching the SIPRI Yearbook.
  

• Taylor & Francis Europa World

  • Taylor & Francis Europa World

  Taylor & Francis Europa World is an English-language database providing geographical, political, statistical and economic information on more than 250 countries and regions of the world. It also contains information on more than 2,000 international organisations.

• Taylor & Francis World Who's Who

  • Taylor & Francis World Who’s Who

  Taylor & Francis World Who’s Who is a database in English containing a wealth of regularly updated bibliographic information on more than 70,000 important figures of the 21st century. It includes information on the lives, careers, personal achievements and publications of people from all over the world and in all fields.

• Who's Who & Who Was Who Online (Oxford University Press)

  • Who's Who & Who Was Who Online (WWHO)

  WWHO contains short biographies of approximately 134,000 living or deceased public figures. In addition to British personalities, international personalities are also portrayed.

  Detailed help on how to use the database can be found in the Help section.
  

Useful links

• Brockhaus Encyclopaedia
• Max Planck Encyclopedia of Comparative Constitutional Law (MPECCoL)
• Max Planck Encyclopedias of International Law (MPIL)
• Oxford Dictionaries Premium – English (ODO)
• SIPRI Yearbook
• Who's Who & Who Was Who Online (WWHO)