Why Use a Reference Book?
Reference books are designed to provide you with an introduction to a given topic.
 |
Call: 440-449-4202 |
 |
Text: 440-306-7068 |
 |
Chat with a Librarian
|
 |
Email a Librarian |
 |
Make an Appointment |
 |
Book a Study Room |
FINDING BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY CATALOG
SEARCHING IN THE CATALOG
In the library catalog you can search for books in multiple ways, including using a keyword, an author, a subject, and/or a title. All of these will produce different results in the catalog.
KEYWORD SEARCHING
A keyword search produces results for any item in the catalog whose record includes the word or phrase you are searching. So, for example, if your search term is medieval history, you may get results with that phrase in the title, table of contents, summary, etc. Keyword searches are therefore the broadest way to search, oftentimes resulting in many--sometimes too many--results.
SUBJECT HEADINGS
College library catalogs usually use Library of Congress subject headings (LCSH) as a means for classifying content. In comparison with keywords, subject headings (which you'll see in each catalog record as clickable links) constitute a highly regimented and consistent system of organization.
If you know an exact subject heading for a given topic, you can conduct a subject search in the library catalog. Here are some examples of Library of Congress subject headings you can use when conducting this kind of catalog search:
If you find a book to use that's in the library's circulating collection (2nd floor), you might also want to browse those books on the shelf next to it since they might be on the same general topic.
SELECTED LIBRARY REFERENCE BOOKS
IN THE LIBRARY (2nd floor)
ONLINE
SELECTED CIRCULATING LIBRARY BOOKS (2nd floor)
The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe by 
Categories of Medieval Culture by 
Daily Life During the Black Death by 
The Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages by 
Europe in the High Middle Ages by 
Medieval Women: A Social History of Women in England, 450-1500 by 
The Middle Ages in 50 Objects by 
Mysteries of the Middle Ages: The Rise of Feminism, Science, and Art from the Cults of Catholic Europe by 
The New Cambridge Medieval History (7 vols.) by 
The New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History by 
The Origins of Courtliness: Civilizing Trends and the Formation of Courtly Ideals, 939-1210 by 
Reading the Middle Ages: An Introduction to Medieval Literature by 
The Rusted Hauberk: Feudal Ideals of Order and Their Decline by
SELECTED LIBRARY E-BOOKS
Art and Identity: Visual Culture, Politics and Religion in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance by 
The Black Middle Ages: Race and the Construction of the Middle Ages by 
Childhood, Orphans and Underage Heirs in Medieval rural England: Growing Up in the Village by 
Communities of Violence: Persecution of Minorities in the Middle Ages by 
Crime and Punishment in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age by 
Fifty Early Medieval Things: Materials of Culture in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages by 
Handbook of Medieval Culture: Fundamental Aspects and Conditions of the European Middle Ages (vol. 1) by 
Icons of the Middle Ages: Rulers, Writers, Rebels, and Saints by 
Ideology and Power in the Viking and Middle Ages: Scandinavia, Iceland, Ireland, Orkney, and the Faeroes by 
Pleasure and Leisure in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age: Cultural-Historical Perspectives on Toys, Games, and Entertainment by 
