Human Resource Development

Reference resources, including encyclopedias, dictionaries, and handbooks, can provide valuable information about HRD-related topics. These resources are most useful when you need to find historical or contextual information about a topic, define terms or ideas, or understand how research is designed / conducted on a specific concept over time. 

OU Libraries have many reference resources that are relevant to HRD-related topics -- you can use Library OneSearch to discover what's available online and in print. These resources, though, have perhaps the widest applicability across educational topics:

Encyclopedias

• Affirmative Action: An encyclopedia
• Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance
• Encyclopedia of Career Development
• Encyclopedia of Corporate Social Responsibility
• Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education
• Encyclopedia of Education and Human Development
• Encyclopedia of History of American Management
• Encyclopedia of Terminology for Educational Communications and Technology
• Performance Consulting: Applying performance improvement in human resource development

Dictionaries

• The Human Resources Glossary
• A Dictionary of Human Resource Management
• Dictionary of Human Resource and Personnel Management
• The New Penguin Business Dictionary

Handbooks

• The Aging Workforce Handbook: Individual, Organizational, and Social Challenges
• Armstrong's Handbook of Strategic Human Resource Management
• The Emerald Handbook of Management and Organizational Inquiry
• The Completely Revised Handbook of Coaching: A developmental approach
• Handbook of Human Resources Management
• Handbook of Personal and Organizational Transformation
• A Handbook for Personalized Competency-Based Education
• Handbook on Promoting Social Justice in Education
• International Handbook of Leadership for Learning
• The Palgrave Handbook of Age Diversity and Work
• The Trainer's Handbook