For example, let's say that you wanted to find out about politics in Germany. However, that process could take quite a long time, depending on how many books the library had on those subjects. A faster, more efficient way of searching would be to combine the terms in a keyword search. Keyword searching reduced those numbers to 148 - a lot of books, but a manageable number from which to find the books needed. There may be times when you need to check whether the Silverman Library subscribes to a specific magazine or journal.
Some professors place books and articles on reserve for their classes.
Keep in mind, though, that course textbooks are not automatically placed on reserve. Whether or not a particular book is put on reserve is completely up to the professor concerned. Reserve items are kept behind the Circulation Desk. Because there are so many items on reserve every semester, it's impossible for the circulation staff or librarians to memorize every title, so a record of what is on reserve by which professor is maintained in the catalog. In order to find out whether there are items on reserve for your class, check by looking under the professor's name or under the course number.