It is possible to do a quick and dirty, one box keyword search starting at the left side 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.
Below the general search box, click on Books and Media to search for physical, paper/cloth bound books, paper/cloth bound journals, physical media, such as DVDs or microforms, or individually cataloged electronic items.
In Books and Media, click on the down arrow on the right side of the form where it says "Catalog." Choose the type of search you want to do. In the box to the right put in your search terms. Enter personal author's name either last name, first name or first name last name. Authors may also be organizations (for instance Royal Society or Templeton Foundation). Omit initial articles in book titles; include them as they occur within the book title itself. To search by L.C. subject heading, it may be bettter to use the Browse Alphabetically Browse by Subject lower down in the list than Catalog: Subject, because those results will show the surrounding subject headings and number of hits retrieved. After you receive your results, notice that you can filter them in various ways, by using the facets along the left side of the page. Call numbers can be searched if you have a general or specific call number. Browse the stacks from home on your computer! Do it like this: QH366 (which is for books on evolution).
Advanced search allows for combination of more than one search aspect, such as author and title, subject heading and keyword (Any Field), or several lines of keywords. Keywords (Any Field) are words that one hopes to find in titles. You can also confine your results to particular parts of our Libraries' collections using the Location area on the lower right of the screen.
Below the general search box, click on E Books and Journals to search for journals in electronic form or individual electronic books that will have been received by the Library in a package. You may need to check both Books and media and E Books and Journals to find your electronic book.
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 Reference 1st floor East Wing call number Z 696.... 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: Galilei, Galileo (for books about him). Evolution. Atheism. God. Physics. Deism. Science—history. Cosmology, ancient.
Possibly useful subject headings are below. Use Books and Media, Browse Alphabetically Browse by Subject search.
Alchemists Alchemy Astronomy Bible and evolution Biblical cosmology Big Bang Theory Catholic Church Chain of being (philosophy) Cosmology Cosmology, ancient Cosmology, medieval Creation Creationism Deism Demonology Devil Earth—origin Evil eye Evolution Evolution—Biblical teaching Evolution—religious aspects Evolution (biology) Evolutionary genetics Four elements (philosophy) God God--attributes God—proof, cosmological Harmony of the spheres Heretics, Christian Heresies, Christian Heresy Hermetism Historians of science Inquisition |
Intelligent design (teleology) Jesuits Life—origin Magic Magic—religious aspects Magnetism Magnets Medicine, magic, mystic and spagiric Metaphysics Microscopes Miracles Moon—origin Natural selection Natural theology Nature Nature—religious aspects Nature in the Bible Nature in the Koran Nature worship Occultism Planets—origin Plants—evolution Quantum theory Quantum theory—religious aspects Teleology Science—history Science—historiography Sun Supernatural Supernatural (theology)—history of doctrines Superstition Telescopes Trinity Vatican Palace (Vatican City) |