Search Strategies
When searching for your individual or organization, here are a few tips:
- Try searching the name in quotation marks, for example, "Dolores Huerta." In a phrase search, quotation marks act like glue, keeping individual words connected.
- Double-check spelling. Any errors in a phrase search will likely give you 0 results back in your search.
- Search by different names if your individual or organization has gone by other names in the past. This is particularly helpful when searching newspaper and archival content. Consider last name changes and initials for individuals (Martin Luther King, Jr. is a great example to think about), and organization name changes and acronyms for organizations.
- Save time using Boolean operators. AND adds terms to your search (and narrows your results), while OR expands your results by including synonyms.
For example, to find information about the organization that is now the United Farm Workers of America, it might be helpful to search its full name, short name, acronym, and the names and acronyms of the organizations that merged to form it:
"United Farm Workers of America" OR "United Farm Workers " OR UFW OR "United Farm Workers Union" OR "Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee" OR AWOC OR "National Farm Workers Association" OR NFWA
If you're interested in this organization and immigration, you can use Boolean strategies to run a search looking for any of these names with the term immigration:
("United Farm Workers of America" OR "United Farm Workers " OR UFW OR "United Farm Workers Union" OR "Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee" OR AWOC OR "National Farm Workers Association" OR NFWA) AND immigration
Scholarly Articles
Tip: Many of these databases contain more than scholarly articles. You may also find dissertations, book reviews, and magazine or newspaper articles. Use the "material type" or "source type" filters to limit your search.
-
Sociological AbstractsAbstracts and citations to articles in journals in sociology, family studies, women's studies, and related social sciences, as well as abstracts to dissertations, conference proceedings, and books, covering 1952-present.
Tip:
Need the PDF/full-text?
Use Article Linker to search for full-text across all databases. If the article isn't available, choose Request via ILLiad or use interlibrary loan to request a copy from another library.
-
Ethnic NewsWatchEthnic, minority, and native presses featuring a rich collection of articles, editorials, columns, and reviews to provide a broad diversity of perspectives and viewpoints.
-
America: History and LifeCitations to the literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the early 20th century.
-
GenderWatchGenderWatch is a full-text database of publications that focus on the impact of gender across a broad spectrum of subject disciplines. It indexes academic and scholarly journals, newspapers, books, conference proceedings, and government publications.
Tip:
Using Google Scholar?
Sync your Google account with USU. This will get you past paywalls for articles USU subscribes to by having you login with your A# and password.
E-Books, Books, & Video
Tip: You can use the "material type" filter to limit your results to books, ebooks, or streaming video.
-
Library CatalogFind print and electronic books available from USU Libraries, as well as videos and other materials
Here are a few examples of e-books in our collection:
Tip:
Need a book we don't own?
Use interlibrary loan to request books, articles, and more from other libraries.
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
Search the following collections of academic encyclopedias and dictionaries:
-
Gale Reference CollectionSearch hundreds of e-books at once for introductory information on research topics.
Or search the library catalog to find more. Add keywords related to your topic in the first box with dictionary OR encyclopedia in the second. Here are a few examples you can access online:
Your Librarian
Need Quick Help?
Chat with a Librarian: