Library Catalog Basic Search
You can search by Keyword, Title, Author, or Subject by using the drop-down menu and typing search words in the text box.
The default Limits setting will search the entire collection. You may also limit your search to smaller sub-collections: Ejournals (electronic periodicals--not specific articles), Ebooks, NCOD (National Center on Deafness), TCC (Teacher Curriculum Center), Periodicals/Serials (not specific articles), Videos, Reference Room, Special Collections, or Sound Recordings by selecting a collection from the drop-down menu.
Searching for a specific Item
Select an Author or Title search if you know the author (last name, first name) or at least the first few words of the title.
Searching for Items by Topic
There are two ways to search the online catalog for resources on a topic: by Keyword or by Subject.
- A Basic Keyword search will simultaneously look for words in titles of materials, in subject headings, and in notes fields.
- A Subject search will locate materials by Library of Congress Subject Headings, which is a controlled vocabulary or standard list of subject terms. The Oviatt Library assigns Library of Congress Subject Headings to all items listed in the online catalog.
- Another way to find the Library of Congress Subject Heading for your topic is to search the catalog by Keyword, display the record for a relevant title, and select one or more of the Subjects listed for that record.
Frequently Used Electronic Reference Books
- Britannica Online
- Credo Reference
- Gale Virtual Reference Center -- over 100 encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources.
- Government Reference Sources
- Oxford Art Online (includes Grove Art)
- Oxford Music Online (includes Grove Music)
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Literature Resource Center -- provides one-search access to Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, the Dictionary of Literary Biography, and Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature.
Supported by a donation from The SAGE Society. - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy -- a dynamic encyclopedia in which each author has electronic access to update entries.
- West's Encyclopedia of American Law
- Encyclopedia of the modern Middle East & North Africa
- Encyclopedia Of American Religions
- Sage eReference –- access to over 80 online encyclopedias and handbooks primarily in the social sciences.