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:
- Africa -- Church history
- Africa, North -- Church history
- Anabaptists
- Anglican Communion
- Anglicans
- Asia -- Church history
- Australia -- Church history
- Baptists
- Bible
- Bible -- History
- Bible -- History of Biblical events
- Bible -- History of contemporary events
- Calvinism
- Catholic Church
- Catholic Church -- History
- Catholic Church -- History -- 16th century
- Catholic Church -- Missions
- Catholic Church -- Missions -- History
- Christianity
- Christianity -- 20th century
- Christians
- Church -- History of doctrines
- Church history <<< This is the basic entry for history of Christianity
- Church history -- 1st century
- Church history -- 16th century
- Church history -- Middle Ages, 600-1500
- Church history -- Modern period, 1500-
- Church history -- Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600
- Church of England
- Church of England -- History
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Congregational churches
- Congregationalism
- Council of Trent (1545-1563)
- Council of Trent (1545-1563: Trento, Italy)
- Counter-Reformation
- Crusades
- Crusades -- 13th-15th centuries
- Crusades -- First, 1096-1099
- Crusades -- Fourth, 1202-1204
- Crusades -- History
- Crusades -- Second, 1147-1149
- Crusades -- Seventh, 1248-1250
- Crusades -- Third, 1189-1192.
- England -- Church history
- Evangelicalism
- Germany -- Church history
- Great Awakening
- Great Britain -- Church history
- History -- Religious aspects -- Christianity
- Holy Roman Empire -- Church history
- Italy -- Church history
- Lutheran Church
- Lutherans
- Methodism
- Methodist Church
- Methodists
- Middle East -- Church history
- Missionaries
- Mormon Church
- Mormons
- New England -- Church history
- Ohio -- Church history
- Orthodox Eastern Church
- Papacy
- Papacy -- History
- Papacy -- History -- 20th century
- Papacy -- History -- 1309-1378
- Papacy -- History -- 1447-1565
- Papacy -- History -- To 1309
- Popes
- Popes -- Biography
- Pentecostal churches
- Pentecostalism
- Presbyterian Church
- Presbyterianism
- Presbyterians
- Protestant churches
- Protestantism
- Protestants
- Reformation
- Reformation -- Germany
- Reformed Church
- Russia -- Church history
- Schism -- Eastern and Western Church
- Schism, The Great Western, 1378-1417
- United States -- Church history
- United States -- Church history -- 19th century
- Vatican Council (1st: 1869-1870: Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano)
- Vatican Council (2nd: 1962-1965: Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano)
- Women in Christianity
- Women in Christianity -- History
- Women in Christianity -- History -- Early church, ca. 30-600
- Women in Christianity -- History -- Middle Ages, 600-1500
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.
