Below are three ways of searching for encyclopedia and other reference entries/articles. The first two are a search of ELECTRONIC encyclopedias and the last is a search of both PRINT & ELECTRONIC encyclopedias.
Background information from general and subject encyclopedias.
Below is a small sample of subject-specific encyclopedias. You can see that these encyclopedias cover a wide range of topics. Using the search tools listed on the left will help you search the reference collection and find great articles providing background and context for your topic within titles you might not have thought of using otherwise.
Social Issues in America by 
Encyclopedia of Contemporary American Social Issues by 
Encyclopedia of the Social and Cultural Foundations of Education by 
