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Global Catholicism in the Age of Discovery, 1450-1700: Online Catalog

This is a guide to researching Catholicism around the world in the age of discovery, 1450-1700

Online Catalog

We have a new online catalog fall semester, 2022, which is undergoing various improvements.  It does not work exactly the way these older directions below portray.  Some of the information about subject headings may still be useful.

It is possible to do a quick and dirty, one box keyword search of the contents of the MSU Libraries' web site, starting at the top left of the Libraries' home page.  The results will be sorted into several categories to follow up on:  articles from journals, books/media from our online catalog, databases, library research guides like this one, other.  To do a more traditional search, read on.

Search Our Books and Media (online catalog) by personal author, corporate author, title of book, author/title combination, title of periodical, keyword(s) that might be found in a title, subject heading, or call number. 

Authors may be individuals, organizations, or corporate entities.  For personal authors enter surname, first name.  Examples:  Gregerson, Linda.  Ignatius of Loyola, Saint, 1491-1556. Dominicans.

Titles may be titles of particular books or particular journals/periodicals.  Do not start a title search with the words “A”, “An”, or “The.”  Do include these words as they occur later on in a title.  Examples:  Empires of God. Journal of Early Modern History.

Keywords are words that one hopes to find in titles.  In keyword searching the computer matches the word or words requested; it has no brain and cannot think.  It has no capacity to understand the meaning of the word(s) as you intend it/them in your search.  Recently coined terms and topics may be best searched by keyword because it takes some time for new subject headings to be established by catalogers.  Examples: Jansenism. Hurons. Catholic Reformation. Text box. Flash drive. Care package.

Call numbers can be searched if you have a general or specific call number.  In this way one can browse the shelves of the Main Library from the comfort of home.  Example:  BX 3701 (Jesuits). BX 1491 (English Catholics).

Subject headings are standardized words and phrases assigned by catalogers when cataloging library materials.  They are published in the Library of Congress' List of Subject Headings, a large set of red books, located in the Reference collection, first floor East, call number Z 695....  Remember, persons (last name first), organizations, companies, places, and events may all be L.C. subjects even though their names are not in the L.C. List...  Subject heading searching usually results in better quality subject retrieval than keyword searching.  Examples:  Ignatius of Loyola, Saint, 1491-1556 (for books about him).  Catholic church. Jansenists. Wyandot Indians. Black Legend (Spanish history). Councils and synods. Council of Trent. Brazil. France. China. Jesuits—missions.  Catholic Church—history—16th century.

Some possibly useful subject headings. Use Subject search.

Adrian VI, Pope, 1459-1523
Allen, William, 1532-1594
Anchieta, Jos de, 1534-1597
Augustinians
Bellarmino, Roberto Francesco Romolo, Saint,
1542-1621
Black legend (Spanish history)
Brbeuf, Jean de, Saint, 1593-1649
Capuchins
Carmelites
Casuistry
Catholics, [nationality]
Catholic Church—[place or country]
Catholic Church—catechisms
Catholic Church—clergy—correspondence
Catholic Church—clergy, training of
Catholic Church—[country]
Catholic Church—creeds
Catholic Church—customs and practice
Catholic Church—diplomatic service
Catholic Church—discipline
Catholic Church—doctrines
Catholic Church—doctrines—history
Catholic Church—education
Catholic Church—foreign relations
(between the Church and political jurisdictions)
Catholic Church—history
Catholic Church—history—16th c.
Catholic Church—history—17th c.
Catholic Church—history—modern period, 1500-
Catholic Church—history—societies
Catholic Church—history—sources
Catholic Church—liturgy
Catholic Church—missions
Catholic Church—missions—[place]
Catholic Church—missions—early works to 1800
Catholic Church—missions—societies
Catholic Church—[rites] Oriental, Celtic, Ethiopian, etc.
Catholic Church—periodicals
Catholic Church—prayer-books and devotions
Catholic Church—relations (with other
religions or denominations: Church of England
or Protestants, for example)
Catholic Church—sermons
Catholic Church—societies
Catholic Church and humanism
Catholic converts
Catholic institutions
Catholic learning and scholarship
Catholic nonjurors
Catholic preaching
Catholic schools
Catholic statesmen
Catholic teachers
Catholic theological seminaries
Catholic universities and colleges
Catholic women
Catholics—[place]
Catholics, [nationality]
Charles V, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, 1500-1558
Christian heretics
Christian life
Christian martyrdom
Christianity
Christianity—early works to 1800
Church history—Middle Ages, 600-1500
Church history—modern period, 1500-
Church history—16th c.
Church history—17th c.
Convents
[country or place name]—church history
[country or place name]—early works to 1800
[country or place name]—history. (for examples:
India. Asia, Southeastern. Ethiopia. Canada—history—to 1763.
New France. Caribbean, English-speaking. Caribbean, French-speaking.
Caribbean area. Mexico. China. Japan. Brazil. England. France. Etc.)
                   Council of Trent
Councils and synods
Counter Reformation
Death—religious aspects
Devotional literature
Dominicans
Elizabeth I, Queen of England
Erasmus, Desiderius, d. 1536
Ferrazi, Cecilia, 1609-1684
Ferrer, Vincent, Saint, ca. 1350-1419
Ficino, Marsilio, 1433-1499
Francis I, King of France, 1494-1547
Francis de Sales, Saint, 1567-1622
Francis Xavier, Saint, 1506-1552
Franciscans
Gallicanism
Henry VIII, King of England
Humanism
Ignatius of Loyola, Saint, 1491-1556
Indians of North America—Ontario
Indulgences
Iroquois Indians
Inquisition
Jansenists
Jesuits
Jesuits—history
Jesuits—missions
Jussie, Jeanne de, 1503-1561
Kempis, Thomas, 1380-1471
Marquette, Jacques, 1637-1675
Mary I, Queen of England
Martyrdom
Martyrs
Missionaries
Missionaries—[place]
Missionaries—training of
Missions
Missions, [nationality]
Monasticism and religious orders
Mysticism
Mystics
Nobili, Roberto de, 1577-1656
Nuns
Papacy
Pascal, Blaise, 1623-1662
Paul III, Pope, 1468-1549
pietism
piety
Pius IV, Pope, 1499-1565
Pius V, Pope, 1504-1572
Pius V, Saint, Pope, 1504-1572
Pole, Reginald, Cardinal, 1500-1558
Prayer
Press, Catholic
Priests
Printing
Printing presses
Religious life
Renaissance
Rhodes, Alexandre de, 1591-1660
Ricci, Matteo, 1552-1610
Sahagn, Bernardino de, 1499-1590
Samurai
Savonarola, Girolamo, 1458-1498
Slavery
Slavery—[place]
Spiritual life
Suffering—religious aspects
Teresa of Avila, Saint, 1515-1582
Thirty Years’ War, 1618-1648
Ursulines
Visitations
Wyandot Indians
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