Databases: O

Some databases are restricted to the Washington University community. Information about access from outside WU campuses.

• OCLC FirstSearch
  FirstSearch provides access to about 60 different databases, all of which have their own direct listings in these Databases pages. This link takes you to the opening page of the FirstSearch service, where you can choose which database you wish to search. More info
• OCLC Union Lists of Periodicals
  No longer available as a separate database; the data is now available in WorldCat. Holdings for over 7 million journals in over 15,000 U.S. and foreign libraries. It can help you determine if a library holds a specific journal issue. Updated semiannually. See instructions for how to search for this info in More info
• Official Documents of the United Nations (1993 - )
  Full-text. Official UN documentation; older material is being added. More info
• Older Americans: A Changing Market (2006)
  Full-text. 'Provides the latest statistics on the health, living arrangements, incomes, spending, and wealth of the 55-or-older age group.' (from ebook homepage) Part of American Generations Series.
• OldMedline see Medline
  More info
• Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) (1968 - )
  A catalog of human genes and genetic disorders authored and edited by Dr. Victor A. McKusick and his colleagues at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere. More info
• Open CRS
  American taxpayers spend nearly $100 million a year to fund the Congressional Research Service, a "think tank" that provides reports to members of Congress on a variety of topics relevant to current political events. Yet, these reports are not made available to the public in a way that they can be easily obtained. A project of the Center for Democracy & Technology, Open CRS provides citizens access to CRS Reports that are already in the public domain.
• Ornithological Worldwide Literature (1998 - )
  Journal index. Provides indexing and abstracts from books and journals and other materials for worldwide coverage of the science of ornithology. More info
• Ovid Online
  Full-text. Journal index. Your own Ovid password required, or ask library staff to log you into this system. Consists of full text of several dozen biomedical journals and journal article databases, including Medline, Health & Psychosocial Instruments. More info
• Oxford African American Studies Center (1 concurrent user allowed)
  Full-text. Provides more than 7,500 articles by top scholars in the field, and includes the Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895, Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present, and additional reference works. More info
• Grove Art Online is now part of Oxford Art Online (8 concurrent users allowed)
  Full-text. Dictionary. A comprehensive and authoritative guide with extensive surveys and in-depth articles on the history of art; provides links to museums, galleries, and art collections around the world, as well as images. More info
• Oxford Classical Dictionary (2005)
  Full-text. It is 'the unrivalled one-volume reference work on all aspects of the Graeco-Roman world... provides coverage of Greek and Roman history, literature, myth, religion, linguistics, philosophy, law, science, art and archaeology, and topics in near eastern studies and late antiquity.' (from database homepage)
• Oxford Companion to Architecture (2009)
  Full-text. '...contains over 1500 A-Z entries covering all aspects of architecture, from architects, building types, and movements and styles to materials, aspects of design, and definitions. It is particularly strong in its coverage of architecture around the world, and of modern and vernacular architecture. The Companion is strongly rooted in an approach to architecture that looks at its social, technical, and practical aspects, as well as viewing it from an art-historical perspective.' (from ebook homepage)
• Oxford Companion to World Exploration (2007)
  Full-text. 'From Antarctica to the North Pole, The Oxford Companion to World Exploration offers information on all topics of exploration worldwide, including advances in navigation, the discovery of the New World, polar expeditions, and the space age. In addition to examining the lives and expeditions of heroic and influential explorers, the book covers navigational and marine sciences and ranges from ancient cultures through modern space exploration.' (from ebook homepage)
• Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium
  Full-text. 'With more than 5,000 entries by an international group of eminent historians, this is the standard research tool on 1,100 years of Byzantine history. Exhaustive in its coverage, entries on patriarchy and emperors coexist with entries on surgery, musical instruments, and the baking of bread, bringing to life this vastly important culture and empire, from the 4th century to the 15th.' (from database homepage)
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (3 concurrent users allowed)
  Full-text. '50,000 biographies of people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond, from the earliest times to the year 2000.' More info
• Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2005)
  Full-text. 'Uniquely authoritative and wide-ranging in its scope, The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church is the indispensable reference work on all aspects of the Christian Church. It contains over 6,000 A-Z entries, and offers unrivalled coverage of all aspects of this vast and often complex subject, from theology; churches and denominations; patristic scholarship; and the bible; to the church calendar and its organization; popes; archbishops; saints; and mystics.' (from database homepage)
• Oxford Dictionary of the Renaissance
  Full-text. '...provides rich detail on all aspects of the Renaissance in 14th to 17th century Europe. It includes comprehensive coverage of the art, literature, science, culture, philosophy, religion, economics, history, and conflict of the period.' (from database homepage)
• Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt
  Full-text. 'Featuring 600 original articles written by leading scholars, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt goes far beyond the records of archaeology to make available what we know about the full social, political, religious, cultural and artistic legacy of this 5,000-year civilization.' (from database homepage)
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature
  Full-text. '...provides comprehensive coverage of literature from the Abbey Theatre to Israel Zangwill, covering the entire history of literature in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland in the major literary languages (Anglo-Saxon, English, Welsh, Scots, Irish, and Latin). It includes substantial accounts of individual authors (e.g., Spenser, Pope, Austen) and detailed histories of particular themes, movements, genres, and institutions, whose impact upon the writing or the reading of literature was significant (e.g., The Stationers' Company, the sonnet, the ‘School of Night, ’ or the Sublime).' (from database homepage)
• Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature
  Full-text. '...comprehensively documents and interprets the books read by children throughout the world. With a global perspective that pays attention to significant international trends and the multicultural expansion of the field, it includes brief biographies of every major author and illustrator. Also included are feature essays on all genres of children's literature, individual works, and prominent trends and themes, as well as general essays on the traditions of children's literature in many countries throughout the world.' (from database homepage)
• Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic History
  Full-text. 'International in scope and spanning all time periods of human history,...coverage ranging from accounting and advertising to zoning and zoos, this landmark works stands at the busy intersection of history and the social sciences.' More info
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America
  Full-text. 'In 700 original, intriguing articles—from 'Apple Pie' to 'Zombie— The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America covers the significant events, inventions, and social movements in American history that have affected the way Americans view, prepare, and consume food and drink. A collaboration of nearly 200 contributors from academia, industry, and the culinary world, the articles treat regions, people, ingredients, companies, advertising, historical eras, holidays and festivals, and political, scientific, and economic currents pertinent to American cuisine.' (from database homepage)
• Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States
  Full-text. 'This landmark scholarly work offers comprehensive, reliable, and accessible information about the fastest growing minority population in the United States...draws together the diverse historical and contemporary experiences in the United States of Latinos and Latinas from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Over 900 A-to-Z articles...address such broad topics as identity, art, politics, religion, education, health, and history.' (from database homepage)
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History
  Full-text. 'The Encyclopedia covers the entire history of seafaring, from ancient Egyptian shipbuilders to the nuclear submarines and supertankers of today. Over nine hundred articles written by leading historians examine all aspects of maritime history, including naval history, shipbuilding, biographies of major figures, navigation and scientific instrumentation, maritime art and literature, commerce and economics, and international law. Placing maritime affairs in their larger historical context, the Encyclopedia shows how seafaring has both reflected and influenced the major economic, cultural, military, and political developments in world history.' (from database homepage)
• Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures
  Full-text. '...the first comprehensive reference source to chronicle Pre-Hispanic, colonial, and modern Mesoamerica, defined as the lands stretching from Mexico to the southern tip of Central America... Encompassing the great civilizations of the pre-Columbian era (including the Olmec, Aztec, and Maya peoples) up through the colonial and postcolonial periods, the Encyclopedia covers art, archaeology, religious studies, anthropology, history, and historiography of the region...' (from database homepage)
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern World
  Full-text. '...provides information about major world developments from 1750 to the present, with close attention to social, economic, cultural, and political topics. The Encyclopedia contains articles on world events; countries; organizations; regions; ethnic groups; and themes such as social history, demography, family life, politics, economics, religion, thought, education, science and technology, and culture. It offers coverage of standard geographic and ethnic units—such as Scandinavia, Korea, or the Gypsies—in the modern period. Significant institutions such as the International Red Cross and the League of Nations are treated at length. Comprehensive coverage enables readers to broaden their research outside a particular time or region and to explore topics within the context of modern world history. ' (from database homepage)
• Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation
  Full-text. '...the definitive source for information about the entire range of religious and social changes that altered the face of Europe in the sixteenth century, encompassing not only issues of church polity and theology but also developments in politics, economics, demographics, art and literature. This broadly cast, interdisciplinary definition allows for a comprehensive social and intellectual history of early modern Europe.' (from database homepage)
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance
  Full-text. 'This encyclopedia provides authoritative and up-to-date information about theatre and performance from ancient Greek theatre to the latest developments in London, Paris, New York, and around the globe. In addition to performances in playhouses, it covers dance, opera, radio, film, television, and popular performance, including carnivals, circus, and public executions. Entries range from short definitions of terms to lengthy considerations of genres and movements, such as feminism and psychoanalytic criticism. Entries on cities and regions place performance in its local social and political context. Written in accessible language, this encyclopedia brings together an international cast of over 300 specialist contributors.' (from database homepage)
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History
  Full-text. 'The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History, edited by Bonnie G. Smith, captures the experiences of women throughout history in a far-reaching, four-volume work. Although there has been extensive research on women in history by region, no other text or reference work has comprehensively covered the role women have played throughout world history. With over 650 biographies of influential women and over 600 topical articles covering topics such as geography and history, culture and society, organizations, movements, and gender studies, Women in World History is the definitive reference work in the field.' (from database homepage)
• Oxford English Dictionary
  Full-text. Second edition, updated quarterly. More info
• Oxford Islamic Studies Online (3 concurrent users allowed)
  Full-text. "...brings together the best current scholarship in the field and promotes accurate and informed understanding of the Islamic world. This fully integrated resource features reference content and commentary by renowned scholars in areas such as global Islamic history, concepts, people, practices, politics, and culture,..." More info
• Oxford Language Dictionaries Online (3 concurrent users allowed)
  Full-text. Fully searchable, completely comprehensive bilingual dictionaries, and unique study materials that provide extra help with learning and using an expanding range of languages. More info
• Grove Music Online is now part of Oxford Music Online (3 concurrent users allowed)
  Full-text. Dictionary. Covers all aspects of music, and includes the New Grove Dictionary of Opera, the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, the Oxford Dictionary of Music, and the Oxford Companion to Music. More info
• Oxford Reference Online (Premium Collection) (5 concurrent users allowed)
  Full-text. Contains almost 200 dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works published by Oxford University Press. More info