This search method often turns up different or additional material, especially when the search words are new terminology, jargon or older terms. Check for bibliography notes in records for relevant secondary sources and this will often lead you to listings of primary source materials, other secondary sources and authors prominent in the area which you are researching. Take time to browse the collection . Your research will be easier and more productive when you understand the way collections are organized in the Library of Congress Classification system. The catalog contains electronic bibliographic records for books, video recordings, CD-ROMs, periodicals and sound recordings.
Most research begins with a subject search.
This function is both very powerful and very flexible in an online catalog. The best results are still obtained through use of standardized subject headings found in the Library of Congress Subject Headings books. The following reference books are useful for checking facts and statistics, gaining an overview of recent politics in a given country, and in some cases for bibliography. The journals listed below can be found in our library. The following periodical indexes can be searched by subject.