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Search the library's catalogue: by SUBJECT

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Search the library's catalogue by subject

Library of Congress Subject Headings are used by academic libraries across North America and they often do not match everyday language. Therefore it is often better to initially choose the Search Everything option, then switch to a Subject search once the correct subject headings have been determined.

For example:
- information on "Canadian movies" is listed as Motion Pictures - Canada
- information on "Domestic violence" is listed as Family Violence
- information on "Native Peoples of Canada" is listed as Indians of North America - Canada
If you are in the library, you can consult the Library of Congress Subject Headings books (those big red books near the Reference and Assistance Desk) or the staff at the information desk.

Keyword Searching
Use the "Keyword" option when you you want to search for subject headings containing the word(s) you entered. These words may appear in any order.
  1. Type in the keywords of the title in the search box.
  2. Change the default option from "keyword" to "title" on the pulldown menu to the right of the search box.
  3. Press the [Search] button or [Enter] on your keyboard.
  4. Use the 'forward' and 'backward' buttons to move through the list.

Example:



Browse Searching
Use the Browse option if you want to retrieves a list of subject headings beginning with the first word entered.

 

  1. From the library's homepage, click on the link "Advanced Catalogue Search" found underneath the catalogue search box.
  2. Click "Browse" from the "catalogue search" box on the right of the screen.
  3. Type in the beginning words of the subject in the Browse search box.
  4. Press the [subject] button so that your words are searched only as a subject of an item.
  5. Use the 'forward' and 'backward' buttons to move through the list.
Example:

 

Exact Searching
Use "Exact Searching" if the you want to search for subject headings that exactly match the word(s) entered.
  1. From the library's homepage, click on the link "Advanced Catalogue Search" found underneath the catalogue search box.
  2. Type in the beginning words of the subject in the subject search box.
  3. Below the search box, change the default for "Match On" to "Exact Content".
  4. Press the [Search] button or the [Enter] key on your keyboard.
  5. Use the 'forward' and 'backward' buttons to move through the list.
Example:

 
  • Last Updated: Sep 5, 2019 11:51 AM
  • URL: https://libguides.tru.ca/libcat-subject
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Tags: catalogue