It matters where you start your search. Different tools will bring you different types of information. Beginning in the wrong place could add unnecessary time and effort to your search.
Start with the library catalog for:
Start with a database for:
Start with the open web for:
Pick a subject-specific database from the list below to search only literature in a particular field of study. This is a great way to get focused results and weed out all the extra clutter, especially if your search terms might have different meanings and bring up lots of results from other fields.
Example: in biology, a "culture" refers to microorganisms grown in controlled conditions, whereas in the humanities the same term refers to the shared beliefs, values, and practices of a group of people. Very different!
Pick an interdisciplinary database from the list below to search across multiple subjects and disciplines. This is a great way to get the broadest possible pool of results.
The library's main catalog is vast, and contains records not only of every book, journal article, DVD, streaming movie, etc., that are owned and shelved at Foley Library, but also of every item that we have the potential to access for you through our connections with other academic libraries around the world. This adds up to tens of millions of books alone, not to mention many millions of journal, magazine, and newspaper articles, streaming media, archival content, and more.
Start here:
Foley Library organizes its books using the Library of Congress Classification System. Books on related topics are shelved together, and you can use this system to find them in the stacks without doing a catalog search. Books in the Q and T sections are shelved on the 3rd floor of the library. A full guide to the location of materials at Foley Library is available here.