Books housed in academic library collections offer two distinct advantages to the student researcher:
They provide in-
They are likely to be published by reputable presses that strive for accuracy and reliability.
You can generally search for books and other library resources, like reference works and multimedia resources, by author’s name, title, keyword, or subject heading, and narrow your search by using advanced search options.
Though you can search by keywords, most college libraries use special subject headings devised by the Library of Congress (the national library of the United States) to catalog books. Finding and using the subject headings most relevant to your search will make your research more productive. You can locate the subject headings your library uses by pulling up the record of a relevant book you have already found and looking for the list of words under the heading “Subject” or “Subject headings” (Figure 21.1). Including these terms in your search may help you find additional relevant resources. Ask a librarian for help if you cannot identify the headings.
Some libraries also allow you to search by call number, which makes it easy to find other items on the same or a similar topic. (You might think of a call-
Title | Call number |
Well- |
LC40.B39 2004 |
Love in a Time of Homeschooling: A Mother and Daughter’s Uncommon Year | LC40.B76 2010 |
Homeschool: An American History | LC40.G34 2008 |
Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense | LC40.G88 1992 |
Home Schooling: Parents as Educators | LC40.H65 1995 |
How Children Learn at Home | LC40.T48 2007 |
If your search for books in your college library turns up little that is useful to you, do not give up. You may be able to request an item from another library via your library’s interlibrary loan service. Inquire at your library for services available to you that can connect you to resources in other libraries.
Many libraries also house archives and special collections comprising manuscripts, rare books, and specialized materials or resources of local or worldwide interest. Whereas some libraries may list these items in their online catalog, others may provide links to these special collections in a different location on their Web sites; still others may provide access only through a catalog in the archives or special-