CATALOG SEARCH TIPS
When you don't have a particular title of a book in mind, begin by searching for a key term about your research topic. Then look at the tags to the right of your search results or the tags at the bottom of the page. These tags will help you refine or revise your search.
Once you've found some books on your topic, look at the subject headings for those books. These headings will often use different terminology to describe a topic, but these links can be very helpful for finding more sources on your topic. You can follow the subject heading links in the catalog to find similar books, or you can use the terms in the subject headings to revise your search strategies.
Examples of Subject Headings:
Ethnology -- Religious aspects.
Catholic women -- Religious life -- United States.
United States -- Religious life and customs.
Religion and sociology.
Shamanism.
Spirit possession.
FINDING BOOKS
WorldCat Allows users to search the collections of libraries all over the world. Try searching for a topic of interest here. If HC has the source, you will see the words "COLLEGE OF THE HOLY CROSS," highlighted in blue. If you'd like a book that HC does not have, submit an interlibrary loan request.
LOCATING BOOKS IN DINAND
Books at Dinand are arranged by Library of Congress Call Number.
- Reference books are located in the Main Reading Room.
- Call numbers A through G are on the upper (Mezzanine) level. For this class, you may find that many relevant titles will have call numbers starting with B or G.
- Call numbers H through Z are on the lower (Ground) level, with a few exceptions. Call numbers beginning with ‘M” are located in the Music Library and “Q, R, S, T” are in the Science Library.
