Sample Search for Books/ Book Chapters

Use the One Search and limit to BOOKS to find sources on your topic.

I suggest starting with one keyword or keyword phrase, and building your search as you assess your results each step of the way. 

For the sample search below:

1. I started with the keyword: "language". That was too general an idea, and I found over 16,000 books (once I limited to just books). 
2. I used the AND to add the keyword "identity," and that narrowed my search to just over 2,000 books.
3. I clicked on a relevant title to learn more about it. I looked at the Subject Terms, the description, and the contents.
4. I wrote down words on my topic that I hadn't thought of yet to try later as search terms.
5. I click on any Subject Terms that look like they might take me to a list of relevant sources for my essay.
6. I could try adding a third keyword or changing one of my keywords to a narrower focus.
7. To find a book, I either use the call # to find it on the shelves or I click on View Online for ebooks.

Step 1 and 2:

Searched for language AND identity (Click on image to enlarge) 

Step 3: 

Clicked on a title to open the "record" to learn more about the book and decide if it looked useful!

Search for print books, ebooks, and videos available at the library and online.

Use filters on the left to limit by specific source type, date range, and more.

Subject Terms

I start my searches with Keywords that capture what I want to learn about. 

I also look for useful Subject Terms to find everything on that subject in that database.  

Sample Subject Terms for this Project: