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Search the College Library's holdings and WorldCat
To request books that the College Library does not own, use EZBorrow
To request articles (and books) that the College Library does not own, use Interlibrary Loan
Topic Word Cloud
Search Tips
Keywords
- Remember that you need to use keywords to search library resources, not natural language.
- Think about various different terms that are or could be used to describe your topic, including synonyms.
- Use "quotes" around multiple terms that you'd like to use as a phrase.
- For example:
- "Latin America" AND "21st century"
- fable OR story
Boolean Operators
- AND, OR, NOT are used between your keywords to broaden or narrow your search.
- AND will search for both terms.
- OR will search for either one term or the other, but not both.
- NOT will search for one term but not the other.
- For example:
- Cuba AND (film OR cinema)
- Cuba AND "foreign policy" NOT "United States"
Subject Headings/Terms
- Subject Headings/Terms are controlled phrases assigned to library materials to organize them.
- Use Subject Headings/Terms to find similar items when searching the library catalog and databases.
- For example:
Limiters/Filters
- Many databases provide ways for you to limit your search results.
- If your initial search is too large, consider limiting by date, type of publication, subject, etc.
Recommended Databases
This list begins with the most general academic databases and gets more specialized toward the end.
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new windowComprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 8,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for more than 12,500 journals and a total of more than 13,200 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc. The database features PDF content going back as far as 1887. Searchable cited references are provided for more than 1,400 journals.
- JStor This link opens in a new windowA collection of full-text articles from over 3000 scholarly journals, many dating from the nineteenth-century to the last 4 or 5 years. A growing number of titles are available through the current issues, as part of their "Current Scholarship Program". Select Advanced Search to strategically search amongst 45 disciplines. Choose PDF from within JStor to properly view and print articles. For convenience, JStor is now searchable on Facebook.
- Project Muse This link opens in a new windowProvides access to scholarly journals and eBooks in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Dates of coverage varies per title.
- Social Sciences Full Text This link opens in a new windowIndexes over 300 English-language periodicals covering anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, social work, sociology, and related fields. Covers 1983 to the present.
- Historical Abstracts with Full Text This link opens in a new windowComprehensive international historical coverage (excluding the U.S. and Canada) from 1450 to the present, including world history, military history, women's history, history of education, and much more. Features article (+ some book) indexing from 1955 to the present.
- Humanities Full Text This link opens in a new windowIndexes over 300 English-language periodicals covering classical studies, history, literature, performing arts, philosophy, and related fields. Covers 1984 to the present.
- Humanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective This link opens in a new windowIndexes articles from English-language magazines and academic journals in a wide range of interdisciplinary fields. Covers 1907 to 1984.
- Social Sciences Citation Index (Web of Science) This link opens in a new windowIndex to content from core journals in all areas of the social sciences. Provides lists of sources cited, plus publications citing the original article. Also known as SSCI. Publications from 1900 - present.
- Handbook of Latin American Studies This link opens in a new windowSelective annotated bibliography of scholarly works on Latin America, with citations (some in Spanish or Portuguese) to materials in the humanities and social sciences. Covers 1935 to the present.
- Film and Television Literature Index This link opens in a new windowA comprehensive bibliographic database covering the entire spectrum of television and film writing. Subject coverage includes film & television theory, preservation & restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and reviews. Covers publications produced 1914 - present.
- Academic Video Online (AVON) This link opens in a new windowAcademic Video Online delivers more than 64,000 titles spanning the widest range of subject areas including anthropology, business, counseling, film, health, history, music, and more. More than 17,000 titles are exclusive to Alexander Street. Curated for the educational experience, the massive depth of content and breadth of content-types (such as documentaries, films, demonstrations, etc.) in Academic Video Online makes it a useful resource.
- CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online) This link opens in a new windowA comprehensive source for theory and research in international affairs. It includes working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from NGOs, foundation-funded research projects, proceedings from conferences, books, journals and policy briefs. Covers 1991 to the present.
- Europa World Plus This link opens in a new windowOnline version of the Europa World Year Book and the nine-volume Europa Regional Surveys of the World series. An indispensable source of information on world-wide affairs. First published in 1926, the year book is renowned as one of the world's leading reference works, covering political and economic information in over 250 countries and territories, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
- World DataBank This link opens in a new windowA data source that includes information on the global economy, finance, gender, education, health, natural resources, and environmental indicators. This resource, published by the World Bank, contains statistical data for over 600 development indicators and time series data from 1960 to the latest compiled for over 200 countries as well as 18 country groups. Databases include: World Development Indicators, Global Development Finance, Gender Statistics, Education Statistics, Health Nutrition and Population Statistics, Africa Development Indicators, Global Economic Monitor, and Millennium Development Goals.
