Oxford Reference Online

Have you ever attempted to look for different definitions of a particular word from a variety of different sources? Do you ever get tired of searching through multiple dictionaries and encyclopaedias only to find basic information about an obscure topic? Well seek no more! The UW Library now subscribes to an exciting new online reference tool entitled Oxford Reference Online (ORO). Oxford Reference Online is a collection of over 100 language and subject dictionaries and reference works - containing well over 60,000 pages - in a single cross-searchable resource.

Here are some exciting features of this new product:

• Individual reference titles are updated and edited by subject specialists and scholars.
• The “Links” section is a great supplement to each title. This section gives an authoritative list of web resources relevant to each title.
• You can search 1 or all titles, or a group of subject specific titles at a time.
• You can browse through titles like "flipping through a dictionary".

Advantages of ORO

• Ease of use: you can search for one term or concept across 100 titles at one time.
• ORO is a time saver: Using ORO as a starting point for your research saves time because you do not have to search through multiple dictionaries and encyclopaedias individually.
• Browseable search results: when you searches across all titles, you can browse through your search results and view the definitions from the various reference titles. For example, searching the word “internet” can result in a variety of definitions from different dictionaries. You can then view definitions from different dictionaries and compare and contrast the definitions.

Access is available to current faculty, students, and staff of the University of Waterloo on-campus and via the proxy server off-campus. Start at the UW Library E-Reference collection. ORO is indexed under the heading “Dictionaries, Thesauri, and Glossaries,” and it is also indexed under the heading “Encyclopaedias”.

For more information on Oxford Reference Online and how to make effective use of it, contact your liaison librarian or ask at the Information Desk in any of the UW libraries.

Mark Aaron Polger
Liaison Librarian
Dana Porter Library
(June 26, 2003)

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