Searching the Library Catalog: Tips for Finding Books and Articles
Start by entering a few keywords related to your topic in the library catalog search bar. Once you find a relevant item, check the Subject Headings listed in its record, these are standardized terms that link to other materials on similar topics. Clicking on them is a great way to discover related resources.
Example of Subject Headings
"Futurism (Literary movement) -- Africa, French-speaking"
"Science fiction, French -- History and criticism"
"NDiaye, Marie -- Criticism and interpretation"
"Truffaut, François -- Criticism and interpretation"
"Power resources -- Social aspects"
You can also narrow or expand your search using the filters (called facets) on the left side of the catalog screen:
Search Strategies:
You can also combine these terms with other keywords or search your keywords as subjects.
Expanding Your Search:
Google Scholar provides the "cited by" feature which traces an article's topic from the time of publication forward.The cited by link will show other articles that have cited this resource. When combined with an article's bibliography, you are then able to locate a project within a scholarly conversation. Be sure to configure your Google Scholar account so that you gain full access to articles provided by the University Libraries.