Use Gale Virtual Reference Library (often shortened to Gale or GVRL) to define terms or research the history and background of a topic. This database has subject-specific encyclopedias, meaning encyclopedias that focus on one subject, rather than a general subject encyclopedia that has information on a wide variety of subjects.
Here's an example search from GVRL (the current database looks a little different, but works the same way!):
At the top of the front page, type in keywords about your topic (D) and click the search icon (E)
3) Review the list of results to find information about your topic for your paper. Note: It is helpful to look at the title of the subject encyclopedia (F) to narrow your search for information.
