While general encyclopedias and almanacs are great for giving a broad understanding of topics, specialized reference sources are even better. It's safe to say that every discipline, study, or field will have its own encyclopedia, handbook, or directory, and will often have all three. Think broadly and interdisciplinarily, as information about a topic can be found in many different locations. Listed below are some of the more useful sources for Latin America in both print and electronic formats.

PRINTED MATERIAL

Crónica de América. (In Spanish)
Jefe de redacción: Xavier Sanmartí Roset. Esplugues de Lobregat (Barcelona), Spain: Plaza & Janes Editores, S.A., 1990.
[Davis Reference: E18.5 .c76 1990]
A chronological encyclopedia of the Americas from 3,900 B.C. to 1989, filled with pictures, newsclippings, short biographies of presidents, governors and others. Includes an index.

Encyclopedia of Contemporary Latin American and Caribbean Cultures.
Edited by Daniel Balderston, Mike Gonzales and Ana López. London; New York: Routledge, 2000.
[Davis Reference: F1406 .E515 2000]
Focuses on the social, political and cultural developments in the Latin American and Caribbean regions from the 1920s to the present. Includes a thematic entry list, further readings, and a bibliography.

Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture.
Edited by Barbara A. Tenenbaum. New York: C. Scribner's Sons; London: Simon & Schuster: Prentice Hall International, c1996.
[Davis Reference: F1406 .E53 1996]
Illustrated encyclopedia with more than 5,300 separate articles that cover history and culture "as widely as possible to reflect the way Latin Americans of all classes understand their world." Volume V includes biographies by category.

The Latino Encyclopedia.
Edited by Richard Chabrán and Rafael Chabrán. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 1996.
[Davis Reference: E184.S75 L357 1996]
Illustrated encyclopedia in six volumens featuring entries on "people, organizations, geographic locations, history, entertainment, military activity, religion, family life, court cases, cultural movements, and other facets of life that have a unique expression among Latinos." Volume VI includes a time line of important events in Latino history, a literary works bibliography, and a reference works bibliography.

South America, Central America and the Caribbean 2004 [Serial].
London: Europa Publications, 2001. 9th ed.
[Davis Reference Desk: F1414.2 .S68]
Both encyclopedia and directory, this reference work covers the political and economic life of the entire region, and of the individual countries and territories within it. For each country, there are sections on history and economics, a statistical survey, and a directory and bibliography. The directory includes contact information for political organizations, diplomatic representatives, churches, the media, broadcasting and communications, financial institutions, trade and industry organizations, transport, tourism and more. At the regional level, there are essays on such topics as religion in the 21st century, the Mexican perspective on geopolitics, combating terrorism in the Carribean, and many more.

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES

eHRAF Collection of Ethnography
Provides online access to currently produced annual installments from Human Relations Area Files, Inc. The online version draws from monographs, journal articles, and manuscripts of cultural anthropology materials relating to cultural groups (past and present) both in North America and worldwide. Over 350 cultural groups are covered; the files facilitate cross-cultural study of these groups by subject.

EIU Country Reports
Detailed reports, analyses, and projections of economic, political and market conditions all over the world. Covers major business events for the previous quarter or month and includes the latest economic data. Full-text reports.

HAPI - Hispanic American Periodical Index
"HAPI is your source for authoritative, worldwide information about Central and South America, Mexico, the Caribbean basin, the United States-Mexico border region, and Hispanics in the United States. From analyses of current political, economic, and social issues to unique coverage of Latin American arts and letters, HAPI Online contains complete bibliographic citations to articles, book reviews, documents, original literary works, and other materials appearing in more than 400 key social science and humanities journals published throughout the world."