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Research Guide to HIST 290 - The Historical Imagination

Searching for Books

Searching SOPHIA
Browsing the Shelves - LC Call Numbers
Catalogs of Other Local Libraries
Searching WorldCat

Searching SOPHIA for Books

To search for books on a topic, start with a keyword search in SOPHIA.

Sample SOPHIA record matching the search honor and south*: (why use an *? | why use AND in the search?)

When you brainstorm for keywords to search, the words you come up with may differ from the words the catalog uses to describe the topic. Check the assigned subject headings to see how they differ from your keywords, and revise your search if neccesary.

Browsing the Shelves - LC Call Numbers

Books in McCain Library are arranged by subject via Library of Congress Classification. Books can be browsed within each call # area.

LC Classifiction Outlines (pdf with hyperlinks):

Catalogs of Other Local Libraries

Other local libraries may have books in their collections on your topic. Try searching their catalogs for relevant materials.

Emory University Libraries
Georgia State University Libraries
University of Georgia Libraries
DeKalb County Public Library System
Georgia Library Catalogs
Comprehensive links to all Georgia libraries with web or telnet access, sorted by type of library.

If other local libraries have books you are interested in borrowing, you can borrow them directly using an Interlibrary Use Card, or request the books through Interlibrary Loan.

OR, try the new WorldCat search box, which will search most U.S. libraries by zip code. It's an easy, one-stop tool for finding materials from other local libraries. (See below for a fuller description of WorldCat.)

New!

Searching WorldCat

The traditional database, WorldCat is a catalog of books and other materials held by libraries worldwide, including the Library of Congress and national libraries around the globe. Books identified through this database can be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan.

Use the advanced search screen to combine terms more easily and to see various limiting options.

image of WorldCat advanced search

Matching records have links to owning libraries. As in SOPHIA records, subject headings are hyperlinks and lead to other materials with the same headings.

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