UVM Libraries Research Guides: HCOL 2000 G: War, Race, &amp; Identity in America (Fall 2023): Finding Books

What do we mean we say books?

When we use the term books we can mean a wide range of things. Historically we mean printed volumes that are bound but beyond that they can be quite varied. For example, books can be primary or secondary sources. Books can be textual or they can be made up of images or other visual content.

Tools for Finding Books in Print & Online

CATQuest This link opens in a new window
This resource provides access to a wide variety of research materials from the UVM Libraries. Use it to locate books, articles, government publications, films, music, images, archival materials, and more.
WorldCat This link opens in a new window
This resource is a searchable database of library collections across the United States, Canada and many other countries. Well over a billion records describe books, multimedia, serials, maps, and other information resources.. Many public domain items can be accessed directly through WorldCat or its web version at worldcat.org.

UVM Classic Library Catalog
Use to locate books, print and electronic journals, DVDs, and other materials that UVM has in its collection. This interface allows you to structure complex searches easily.
Hathi Trust
Great source for electronic books and other documents such as government reports that are in the public domain. This may mean they are old (1923 or earlier) or that they have open copyright as in the case of government publications.

Subject Headings

Library Catalogs (such as the UVM Library Catalog or WorldCat) use predefined terms (called Subject Headings) to describe books and other materials. Often subject headings are made up of a string of concepts but you can use the individual concepts as search terms.

Examples of Subject Headings that you might find useful for locating materials for this class include:

Civil War, 1861-1865
Spanish-American War, 1898.
World War, 1914-1918
World War, 1939-1945
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
Memory -- Social aspects -- United States -- History
Race relations
War and society
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- African Americans
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Monuments

Terms for Finding Primary Sources

Library Catalogs (such as the UVM Library Catalog or WorldCat) use predefined terms to describe primary sources. Among the most commonly used terms are:

Correspondence
Description and Travel
Diaries
Documents
Interviews
Letters
Personal Narratives
Sources

For best results use one of these terms and search for it as part of the SUBJECT.