Skip to content
database: World Biographical Information System Online (WBIS)
database: World Biographical Information System Online (WBIS)

World Biographical Information System Online (WBIS)

Licensed Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Overview

About this database

You are new here? Learn more about WBIS in our short video!

YouTube Video Tutorial

WHAT?

8.7 million original biographical articles based on digitized microfiches from the biographical archives of the K. G. Saur publishing house and expansions of over 320,000 biographies from 2017 to 2021. From 2022 onwards, annual supplements will take place for five more years.

WHO?

Original sources on over 6 million historical personalities. Men and women, families and groups from all sectors of society and of all professions, from the sciences, politics, culture and economics.

FROM WHERE?

From all countries and regions of the world. Addition of entries for North America, Spain, Portugal, South America, France, Italy, UK, the Benelux countries, Germany and Russia from 2022.

FROM WHEN?

Biographical information from the 4th millennium BC to the present. Published in reference works from the 16th century until today.

FOR WHOM?

Whether you are a historian, sociologist, cultural and literary scholar or theologian: WBIS is the perfect tool for researchers who work on biographical topics.

No single library or search engine provides biographical information on so many historical personalities. The World Biographical Information System Online provides a detailed and authentic picture of people’s achievements, feats, curiosities and peculiarities.

From 2017 on direct scanning will improve the quality of the sources. Three tried and tested search options (Basic, Biographical and Bibliographical Search) allow for a simple and precise research in the Online Reference.

Archives included in WBIS:

African Biographical Archive
American Biographical Archive, incl. Canadian Biographical Archive
Arab-Islamic Biographical Archive
Australasian Biogr. Archive
Baltic Biographical Archive
Biographical Archive of the Soviet Union
Biographical Archive of Christianity
Biographical Archive of the Ancient World
Biographical Archive of the Benelux Countries
Biographical Archive of the Middle Ages
British Biographical Archive
Chinese Biographical Archive
Czech and Slovak Biographical Archives
French Biographical Archives
German Biographical Archive
Greek Biographical Archive
Hungarian Biographical Archive
Indian Biographical Archive. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka
Italian Biographical Archive
Japanese Biographical Archive
Jewish Biographical Archive
Korean Biographical Archive
Polish Biographical Archive
Russian Biographical Archive
Scandinavian Biographical Archive
South-East Asian Biographical Archive
South-East European Biographical Archive
Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Archive
Turkish Biographical Archive

Your Benefits

  • The world's largest digital collection of biographical sources
  • An indispensible tool for interdisciplinary research in historical contexts
  • Easy access for every library visitor / unlimited digital rights management
  • 29 different archives: regions, cultures and religious groups

Lemmas A-Z

Persons A-Z

Places A-Z

Updates

Update Frequency

Annually
Downloaded on 19.3.2024 from https://www.degruyter.com/database/wbis/html
Scroll to top button