Skip to Main Content
     

Passport 2024

This guide includes tips and tricks for using library resources to find and evaluate sources for your research.

Planning Your Search

Search Strategy

Before you start looking for sources, think of your strategy. Just like you wouldn't hike in the woods without a compass or a map, you don't want to dive right into searching without a plan to guide you. There is a lot of information out there, and if you start looking for sources without a plan it's easy to become overwhelmed and frustrated. To have a successful search, be strategic.

Ask yourself the following questions:
  • Where am I likely to find information about this topic? Should I look in a specific search engine or database?
  • Who is talking about this topic? Are there organizations, governments, scholars, and/or industries that have produced information about it?
  • What keywords am I using? Is there another way to talk about what I'm trying to find? Do the people talking about this topic use different terms or phrases than the ones I'm using? 
  • What are the requirements for my assignment? Do I need to find scholarly/peer-reviewed sources? Does this information need to be as recent as possible?

Having a general idea of the answers to these questions can help you identify where to look, what search terms to use, and some ways to filter your results to make sure you're getting the types of sources you need.

Library Databases

About Databases

Databases are tools designed to help you find and use different publications available to you in the library. Think of a database like a big, digital storage unit. Each database holds many academic journals, newspapers, magazines, and other publications. These publications are arranged, labeled, and organized to make it possible for you to search and find what you're looking for. The Holy Cross Libraries subscribe to over 300 databases for you to use. A lot of what is stored in a database is not available through a simple internet search. As a Holy Cross student, you can access thousands of academic journal articles, news sources, books, and more at no cost. To see the full list of databases available, visit our A-Z Database List.

Types of Databases

There are two main categories for research databases: general databases and subject databases.

General databases include publications that cover many subjects and academic fields. These can be a good place to start if you’re not sure what subject your topic falls under, if your topic is interdisciplinary and falls under multiple subject areas, if you want to see perspectives from different fields about your topic, or if you simply want to find general information.

 

Subject databases include resources about a specific academic field or subject. These can be helpful if you want to look at one specific subject or field. Subject databases are also a good place to look if your topic is something that relates to a variety of academic disciplines, but you only want to focus on one.


You can filter the A-Z Database List by subject to find a database that fits your needs. At the top of the list, click on the dropdown menu labeled "Subjects." You can choose to filter for general databases or look for the subject area you are researching. You can also select multiple subjects to display at once. One you've selected the subject(s) you're looking for, click "Search" and you will see the databases that match that subject.

CrossSearch

CrossSearch

CrossSearch is a one-stop search tool that searches most of the resources available through the library, including books, ebooks, research databases, e-journals, and open access collections. Think of it like the library version of Google - it searches in a lot of different places for a variety of sources. In one search, you might see results for academic journal articles, books in the library’s collection, films, newspaper articles, and more. This can be a good place to start if you want to see a broad scope of the resources available on your topic. However, because CrossSearch includes so many types of resources, you might find you need to filter these results more than you would in a more specific database.

CrossSearch is best accessed through the library home page (https://www.holycross.edu/library). It is the default search box on the center of the page.

Screenshot of the CrossSearch search box

Video Demonstration: Using CrossSearch

Library Catalog

Library Catalog

You may be familiar with searching a library catalog in your local public library or a school library. The catalog is where the library lists all of the print materials (and ebooks) available on our shelves. You can access the Library Catalog search through the library home page (https://www.holycross.edu/library). Above the search bar, select "Library Catalog." If a print book is owned by the Libraries, you will see the location, call number, and status. The location tells you which library the book is shelved in: Dinand, Music, Science, or WAM. The call number tells you where on the shelf the book is located - like an address for your book. The status will show "Available" if the book is on the shelf and available to be checked out.

Screenshot of a library catalog search result showing the location and call number of a book

How to Read Call Numbers

The video below shows how to search the library catalog for books and read call numbers to find books on the shelves.

Where to Find Different Sources

CrossSearch, the Library Catalog, and Databases all include different types of sources. This list will show where you can find certain types of sources, but keep in mind that it is not exhaustive. Some collections may overlap.

I'm looking for... Look Here
Academic journal articles CrossSearch
General databases
Subject databases
Print books in the library CrossSearch
Library catalog
Library stacks
EBooks owned by the library

CrossSearch
Library catalog
EBook collections (select the "Ebooks" dropdown from the A-Z Database list)

Newspapers or magazines

Newspaper & Magazine databases (select from the "Database Type" dropdown on the A-Z Database list)
CrossSearch (search the name of the newspaper/magazine or a specific article title)
E-Journals search (search the name of the newspaper/magazine)

Media (films, video recordings, music, etc.) CrossSearch
Library catalog
Streaming media databases (select from the "Database Type" dropdown on the A-Z Database list)
Full academic journals Library catalog (search the journal title - will show print journls)
E-Journals search (search the journal title - will show electronic journals)
Primary sources Primary sources & historical documents databases
(select from the "Database Type" dropdown menu on the A-Z Database list)