Finding Books

SAILS

SAILS, Learning Resources Center's online catalog contains all the books and other materials that the Library purchases. Use it to search for a specific author or title or to compile a bibliography on a specific topic. The Learning Resources Center uses Library of Congress Subject Headings. To find books on a particular subject, use the Keyword search option. Then look at the subjects under which it has been cataloged to find additional items on the subject. You can use SAILS to find books of essays and criticism.

Try one of these strategies:

1. Do a Subject Heading search for [author’s last name] [author’s first name]. Choose the main heading or look for the sub-heading "criticism and interpretation"
   
   Examples: Hemingway, Ernest
   
   This search will find Ernest Hemingway as the subject of the work. It's useful to run this search when you want to look at the possible categories that the library uses to catalog books about the author.
   
   
2. Do a Subject Heading search for [title of the work]
   
   Examples: The Sun Also Rises
   
   This search will find The Sun Also Rises as the subject of the work. It's useful to run this search when you have a particular title in mind. You'll find focused scholarly criticism about your subject.
   
   
3. Do a Keyword search for [author’s name] and [title of work]
   
   Example: Plath
   
   This search will find the word Plath anywhere in the record. It's useful to run this search when you want a broad range of results about your subject.
   
   Example Search: Salinger criticism
   
   This search will find any criticism about the work of "J. D. Salinger".