This Classified Index enables researchers to approach the biographies in a variety of ways to meet different research needs. It breaks down the 1,400 names in the three published volumes by time period, by location, by gender, by race, by contributor, and in other ways. The entries provide volume and page numbers for each biography to give the user instant bibliographical reference. The earlier version of the Classified Index was text-based; the new version is a database and provides much faster access to the desired information. The new Advanced Search feature allows users to search by two or more selection criteria. A teacher seeking local biographies to feature during Black History Month, for example, can use the Advanced Search to get a list of African Americans in Charles City County, Virginia; a researcher can get a list of Virginia women active during the American Revolution, or of persons involved in the arts between 1950 and 2000, or of persons with careers in religion who lived in Wise County. The Classified Index supports detailed research in a variety of fields across four centuries of Virginia history and culture.