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Research Basics

Library Research Guide Videos and guides to help you with your research

What is a Subject Heading?

A subject heading is a term assigned to a book or article that describes what content of the item.  Using the right subject heading can help you find information more quickly.

For example, US Presidents can be described using the following terms:

  • US Presidents
  • American Presidents
  • Presidents of the United States

You could search all three of those key terms, or you could use one subject heading to find all the library's materials about US Presidnets

Presidents--United States

The Library of Congress determines subject headings.  An outline of the subject headings can be found here.

This guide was adapted from a libguide by Emily Ford at Portland State University.

WorldCat and ILL

Request these items through Interlibrary Loan.

Find Books by Subject

After you type in your search in Central Search, use the drop down menus to limit to "Books & Media" and by collection.

When you find a useful book, scroll down to the "Details" heading to find the book's "Subjects".  Here you will find a list of related subjects that you might consider adding to your search.  You can also click on a subject link. Cold War--Social aspects--United States  will bring up a list of all the library's books on that topic.

Adapted from a libguide by Emily Ford at Portland State University

eBooks

The library has thousands of eBooks.  You can find them in our catalog by narrowing your search to Books & Media and eBooks.

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The green Online access link indicates an eBook.

You can also search for eBooks in our eBook collection databases.