Searching for Books Inside the Library

Wondering what to type in the search box?

Step 1: Strategize your Search

Put exact phrases in quotes:

• "How to do ...."
• "Civil Rights Movement"

Combine key ideas with AND to focus your search:

• ex: Activism AND Athletes

Expand your search with OR, Use for synonyms and related ideas.

• ex: women OR girls

Step 2: Search

Enter your search terms to find relevant books and book chapters on your subject. 

(click on image to enlarge)

Step 3: Discover

Click on a book title to learn more about the book and to find relevant Subject Terms that will link you to additional sources on that topic. 

Example: My search of women AND STEM returned 157 books, including the title Women of Color in STEM: Navigating the Double Bind in Higher Education. When I click on the title, I find links to the ebook, a description, a table of contents (helpful if I just need one chapter!), and some useful subject terms. See below. Click on images to enlarge. 

Searching Ebook Collections

The next step in the process is to find evidence to support your own argument. Books are a great place to browse for more evidence. Holman Library has a collection of over 25,000 electronic books that you can read online.

• You can search for these electronic books, or eBooks, in the library catalog (see instructions below), or you can try searching your topic in ebook databases directly.