HARRIS LIBRARY

To locate materials in the Library Catalog by subject heading, select the Subject Heading Search option.  In the first "Search Input" box, type in a subject heading related to your topic. Terms used in a subject search must come from the list of subject headings published by the Library of Congress. These headings are standardized terms used to classify the contents of books.

Additional tips for doing a subject search:

• When you enter a subject heading, the system will give you a range of subject headings related to the one you entered. You have two choices:
  
  
  Choice 1:  Clicking on the " Extended Display" button will give you additional information on titles related to the subject headings in the list. 
  
  Choice 2:  Clicking on one of the subject headings will lead you to additional headings. For example, clicking on "Homeless Persons - 12 Related Subjects" will give you a list of alternate subject headings.
  
  
• Subject headings may be broken down into narrower sub-headings that help to more clearly define the contents of a book.  For example:
  
  
  Homeless Children
  Homeless Persons Alcohol Use United States
  Homeless Women
  Homeless Veterans
  Shelters for the Homeless
  
  
• In the Library Catalog you can continue to click on these headings and subheadings to further narrow your search. For example, clicking on "Homeless Children" gives you additional subheadings.
  
  
• Remember that at any point in your subject search, clicking the Extended Display button will give you title information.  Click here for an example of an extended Subject Heading display.
  
  
• Click on the individual titles for more information about the call number, location and status of the book.
  
  
• If you enter an incorrect subject heading the system will offer you an approved heading to search with instead.  For example:  If you type "social work" as a subject heading the system will respond with the message:  Social Work see Social Service .  This means that the correct subject heading is Social Service.  The system also lets you know that Social Work Administration is an approved subject heading and provides you links to titles using that heading.  Click here for an example.
  
  
• A four volume print set of Library of Congress Subject Headings is next to the Reference Desk in the Harris Library.  Browsing the subject headings can give you some ideas for search terms if you are having difficulty finding the right expression.
  
  
• NOTE:  If you do a subject search in an online catalog, the computer will look for your term ONLY in the subject field of the record.  This may limit the results of your search.  A keyword search expands a subject search since it allows you to combine terms, and because the system looks for those terms in several fields of the record.

If you want to do an additional subject search, just click on the Another Search button or type a new heading in the "search box."  If you want to switch to doing an author or title or keyword search, click on the New Search button.

In the Library Catalog you can print one record at a time by clicking on the Print icon or you can print, download or e-mail multiple records by marking them for export.

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