History

Searching the Library Catalog

The library catalog is a great place to start your research. Here are some tips to make searching more effective:

1. Make sure that you sign in. This allows you to see your access options for library materials, save searches, set notifications on saved searches, and save items to your favorites.
2. Use Boolean operators if you're doing a keyword search. For example:
   • Renaissance AND art AND Italy - the catalog will return only materials that mention all three search terms.
   • Reformation AND (Germany OR England) - the catalog will broaden your search to include materials that discuss either the Germany or the England alongside other instances of the term 'Reformation.'
   • Crusades AND Europe NOT Saladin - the catalog will reduce your search results by returning materials that mention the Crusades and Europe but do not mention Saladin.
   • Make sure that you enter Boolean operators in all caps: AND, OR, NOT
3. Use truncation and/or wildcards. For example:
   • Entering the search term monarc* will return results for monarch, monarchy, monarchies, etc.
   • Entering the search term wom?n will return results for woman, women
4. Group your terms using parenthesis to do multiple searches at once. For example:
   • ("Middle Ages" OR "medieval") AND "economic development"
5. Narrow your results to a specific genre, place, or time. For example:
   • "Hundred Years War" AND France
   • "witch trials" AND "Europe"
   • "medieval" AND "architecture" AND "12th century"

Select a history-focused research database using the lists linked below:

Databases by Region

Databases by Period

General Databases

Our catalog may be used to locate primary sources in the library collection.  One means for doing so is to include one of the terms listed below in combination with topical search terms.  Also experiment with publication date limits to identify materials published during a particular time period.

• Diaries
• Case studies
• Personal narratives
• Songs and music
• Correspondence
• Public opinion
• Photography
• Caricatures and cartoons
• Interviews
• Pictorial works
• Underground literature
• Sermons
• Sources

Remember, though, that the catalog will not always explicitly categorize the items they list as primary and secondary, so you’ll have to use your own judgment.