HIS 500: Research Guide: Books

Searching for Library Sources

Combined Author/Title option

• quickest way to find an item if you know the author and title
• use the Author or Title options only if you know the exact forms

Subject option

• yields only items catalogued under prescribed subject headings (i.e., Library of Congress headings; see list of possible subject headings below). If you are not familiar with these, use:

Keyword Option (words from the title)

• usually yields more hits as it searches author, subject headings, titles and series

Subject Keyword is also useful. 

Examples of subject headings:

Note the numerous sub-headings when searching the history of a particular country. Many refer to specific time periods.

• Great Britain--History--19th century

• Women--China—History

• Great Britain—Social life—Customs

Useful Call Numbers

Call numbers for history typically start with D, E or F

• D  History: General and Old World

• D-DR  History (General), History of Europe

• DR  Ottoman Empire

• DS  China

• DS  India

• DS  Japan

• DJK-DK  History of Eastern Europe(General), Soviet Union, Poland

• DT-DX  History of Africa, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

• E American History

• F  History: Latin America