Skip to Main Content
UVM Libraries Research Guides banner

Theatre: Costume

Find Books by Subject

Use Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)* in the  Library Catalog to locate books on your topic. Click image below (live link!) to be brought to the Browse search function in CATQuest.

Examples of Library of Congress subject headings on Costume/Clothing, Fashion Accessories, and related topics:

Selected Subject Headings
 costume united states
or another country, e.g.,
england, france, etc.
 fashion united states
or another country, e.g.,
england, france, etc.
 tailoring   shoes  dress accessories*
 costume united states history  fashion united states history dressmaking  women's shoes  hairstyles
  costume history  fashion history  underwear footwear  hair social aspects
 costume design  women's clothing  lingerie millinery  hairdressing
 clothing and dress men's clothing  corsets  hats  wigs
  clothing and dress history  children's clothing  jewelry  headgear theatrical makeup
clothing and dress social aspects children's costume   handbags etiquette
military uniforms        

*fashion items that are carried or worn and that support or accent apparel fashions (e.g., hats and headwear, eyewear, scarves, shawls, neckties, handkerchiefs, gloves, belts, handbags, umbrellas, fans, watches, jewelry, footwear).

Find Books by Keyword

CATQuest Advanced Search

Use a Keyword search in the CATQuest Advanced Search to search topics that are complex with multiple concepts or if you are unsure of the Library of Congress Subject Heading. A keyword search finds the term anywhere in the library catalog record. When you do a keyword search, be sure to look at the subject headings used to describe this topic and then also search by the correct Library of Congress Subject Heading.

Tips:

  • Limit entire search to "Library Catalog."
  • To force a phrase, use the pull-down menu for the "contains" box to choose "phrase."
  • When connecting words with  "and" or  "or," use uppercase letters (i.e., AND  OR) Examples: theat* AND costume*  / underwear OR lingerie OR corset*
  • To limit your search to books in your results list, select "Books" from the pull-down list in the Resource Type category.
  • To broaden your search, use the truncation symbol * at the end of the word or root word to retrieve variant endings.example: corset* --> corset, corsets, corsetry


Sample Search in Advanced Search - Library Catalog limit:

Books Beyond Howe Library

Enrich your research by searching for books beyond the UVM Libraries.

In addition to the databases above, consider:
Book Reviews: Article databases frequently index book reviews. If you find a review (or citation for a review) for a book that looks useful or interesting, check the library catalog to see if the library owns it. If the library doesn't own the book, borrow it through Interlibrary Loan.
Bibliographies:  Scholarly journal articles, scholarly encyclopedia essays, and academic-oriented books will provide bibliographies or lists for further reading. If you find a book that looks useful or interesting, check the library catalog to see if the library owns it. If the library doesn't own the book, borrow it through Interlibrary Loan. These are indeed the "low hanging fruit" during the research process!