In the field of history, library catalogs can be used to locate a variety of materials. They are the best tool for locating books (monographs and edited volumes).
Library Catalogs (such as the UVM Library Catalog or WorldCat) use predefined terms to describe primary sources. Among the most commonly used terms are:
Every item (book, video, newspaper) in a library has at least one subject assigned to it. Subjects are often strings of ideas that address topic, location, time period, and format. Examples of some useful terms used in subjects are:
Social Movements [broad example]
Civil Rights [narrower example]
Foreign Relations [broad example]
United States--Foreign relations--1945-1953 [narrower]
Newspapers [a format]
Periodicals [a format]
Encyclopedias [a format]
Dictionaries [a format]
