Q. Where can I find book-length biographies of someone?

A. Use the library catalog to do a subject search using the person's name (last name first, of course). Here you will find a list of books the library owns about this person. There is no "biography section" in the Perry Library of Old Dominion University. A biography of Beethoven would be classified with other books about music, Einstein with science, Steinbeck with literature, etc.

Q. Where can I find briefer biographical information?

A.  Online sources and printed, in-library sources abound.

Online sources

From the Library's homepage under General reference sources, use the Biographies section to help you find what you need. Among the linked sources there you will find:
American National Biography
Biography and Genealogy Master Index
Contemporary Authors

Print resources in the Perry Library Reference Department include
American National Biography--CT213.A63
Biography Index -- CT100.B56
Dictionary of American Biography -- E176.D563 
Dictionary of National Biography (British) -- DA28.D4 
Who's Who in America -- E176.W63 

Encyclopedias, both online and print, are good sources of biographical information also. Specialized encyclopedias, such as The Encyclopedia of World Art and Grove Art Online, for example, will often provide brief, accurate information.