Tools and Resources

Whether you are a researcher, lecturer, student, or just interested in the lives of people from across history, the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford DNB) allows you to meet tens of thousands of men and women who have shaped British history and culture, worldwide, from the Romans to the 21st century.

As well as individual articles, the ODNB offers many different group theme articles that are a reference companion to British history. 

You, your library, or an institution with which you are affiliated must have a current subscription to access the content on the Oxford DNB, so find out how to subscribe.

Whether or not you have access, discover some free resources, including our podcast, a comprehensive collection of local lives from Aberdeenshire to Suffolk, as well as biographies collected by place or topic.

Have you contributed an article to the Oxford DNB, or are you in the process of writing for the Oxford DNB? Visit our page for contributors to find out more.

Librarians: to help your patrons get more from the Oxford DNB, visit our page for librarians. For information about your subscription, including how to log in to your administrator account, access usage statistics, and download MARC records, please visit our Customer Services page.