In 1919, at the age of twenty-seven, Artoria Gibbons made her debut in circus society. Her coming out party was as the “tattooed girl” at the Pete Kortes sideshow in Washington State. Tattoos, while ubiquitous today, were rare in 1919, especially on women. So rare that Artoria appeared alongside the siamese twins, sword swallowers, fire eaters, and other circus sideshow acts. 

To learn more about Artoria and other historical female circus performers, one could consult the Library’s catalog for relevant book titles, plug her name into a historical newspaper database, or run a search in Wikipedia. In this case, however, Wikipedia won’t help. As of this writing, Artoria Gibbons doesn’t have an entry. But the American National Biography does, and it’s available online as one of the Library’s core reference titles.

Reference has changed dramatically in the last decade. Many of the print reference sources used by librarians in the past have migrated online and the computer is often now the first place librarians and patrons look to for answers.

The electronic platforms are superior in many ways: they’re updated regularly, they’re generally accessible from any computer at any NYPL location (and often from home 24/7), and they’re far easier to search, cite, print, and email. However, because the Library has so many online titles, some of these sources tend to be overlooked.

This column, Core Strength, is about those core online reference platforms that have benefits and content riches well beyond what their names might suggest at first glance on a screen. The fantastic American National Biography (ANB) is just such a source. Published by Oxford University Press with support from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), this online resource is the digital equivalent to the 24-volume print set. (The print volumes are still available in the Rose Main Reading Room reference collection.) The print set, which first appeared in 1999, cataloged the deceased men and women whose lives helped shape the United States—from Christopher Columbus to Addie Wyatt. The online version of ANB was released in 2000 and is updated every April and October with new entries and revisions to existing profiles.

The online version of American National Biography allows for keyword searching of full text (name, occupation, archival repository), but unlike many other online platforms, ANB also makes it relatively easy to browse either by occupation, nationality, birthplace, birth date and death. One can also browse by special collection, such African American heritage, women’s history, Native American, etc. For example, one can find Artoria Gibbons by searching for her name, or by searching “circus” in the full text field and limiting results to “female.”  

The biographies in American National Biography are comprehensive, cross-referenced with other biographies, and include a bibliography of other works about the individual and where his or her archival collections can be found. It’s one of the core reference databases for influential deceased Americans, and one not to be overlooked.