Subject searches assure you that the content of the book will concentrate on your subject. When a subject heading is assigned to a book, it is assigned at the most specific level. It is important to look under as many potentially useful headings as possible. Pay attention to the options of selecting other books with the same subject headings and general call numbers which will help you locate additional materials when you have found one source which is useful. Diaries, letters, travel literature, pamphlets, speeches, maps, etc., can provide valuable primary accounts of the time.
Bibliographies are essential resources for locating research materials.
Keep you mind open to new ideas and new sources of information at all times. In order to perform searches well, you need to know how to do a Boolean Search. Boolean searching is a way of combining terms so that you retieve what you really want. It is an effective way to decrease your search results. OR means one of the terms must be present in the record.