Each collection has its own distinct character and subject matter, as well as narrative information that describes the content of the collection. Visiting a collection's home page and reading the descriptive information about the collection will also give you more of an idea about what you can find in the collection. The Collection Finder is designed to help you find the collections that interest you. Keep in mind, however, that the Collection Finder does not necessarily represent every single item in a given collection, but the collection as a whole . Again, these subjects are used to describe the collection as a whole and not every item within the collections.
Most individual collections offer a comprehensive item-level subject list from their home page.
Also note that just because a subject has led you to a collection does not mean that it will make a good search term for finding items within that collection. Most likely, the subject terms are too general to be used as search terms for items within a collection. These topics were combined and derived from Dewey and LC Class terms used to describe the world of library items. They have been modified slightly to better fit the American Memory collections. Every collection can be found under at least one topic.