CLAS 2120 - The Greek World from Alexander the Great to the Roman Empire - Park

Dealing with Abbreviations

Journal names are often abbreviated in bibliographies, and deciphering them can be quite a chore.

Below is an online abbreviation lists from the American Journal of Archaeology as well as a more comprehensive print resource in our reference collection.

Finding Books, Articles and More!

Vanderbilt University Library Catalog

Selecting the best search scope for your research needs:

Library Catalog vs. VU Collections vs. Articles

Search Scope What is included? When should I use it?
Library Catalog
  • Broadest search scope
  • Results will include books and ebooks, articles, and media like DVDs
  • A great option when you are just beginning your research process.
  • Use Library Catalog when you want to survey the research landscape for your topic
VU Collections
  • Focuses on VU owned items, physical and digital
  • Results will include books and ebooks, and media like DVDs
  • Digital collections like the TV News Archive will also be included in your results
  • You have defined your information needs
  • Use VU Collections when you are ready to create a tailored search for your topic
Articles
  • Content from selected VU databases
  • Popular and scholarly articles
  • Use Articles to find popular and scholarly articles on your topic.
  • The Articles scope does not search across all databases accessible to the Vanderbilt community.
  • Not finding the articles you need or want more database options?

For a more detailed explanation of your search scope options consult What am I searching?

 

Keyword vs. Subject Searching

Step 1:  Start your search process by brainstorming a list of keywords that describe the main concepts of your topic or question.

Step 2:  Use these keywords for your initial searches.

Step 3:  Use the Subject Heading links in the Library Catalog record to refine your search.

Some Useful Library of Congress Subject Headings

Try a SUBJECT search using one of the Library of Congress Subject Headings listed below:

Art, Hellenistic Alexander, the Great, 356 B.C.-323 B.C.
Sculpture, Hellenistic   Greece History To 146 B.C.
Architecture Hellenistic Greece Social Conditions To 146 B.C.
Macedonia History To 168 B.C.       Egypt History Greco-Roman period, 332 B.C.-640 A.D.

The following databases will help you find articles about Alexander the Great in History, Art, & Literature.

Classical Studies Databases
General Databases
Art Databases

 What is   ?

FindIt@VU provides direct links from a database citation to the fulltext of the article (if available) and other supporting resources.

An FAQ for FindIt@VU is also available.

Alexander the Great

Portrait of Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), called "Hermes Azara"

Roman, Imperial (1st-2nd century AD)
Provenance: Tivoli (east of Rome), Italy

Musée du Louvre

 

All Ebooks are searchable in the Library Catalog.

HathiTrust has created the Emergency Temporary Access Service (ETAS), which will allow Vanderbilt students, faculty, and staff online reading access to materials that Vanderbilt Libraries own in print during this period of remote teaching, learning, and research. Access is available until further notice. 

**Users need to click on the yellow Log in button and choose Vanderbilt University as their institution and then login with their VUnet ID and password to gain access.

HathiTrust Login Button

Temporary Access titles are not accessible from the Library Catalog.  You will need to search for them directly in HathiTrust. I recommend a title search directly in the catalog.  See screenshot for example:

HathiTrust Search Box Example

 

Some caveats:

  • Not all print items available in our catalog are available in HathiTrust
  • HathiTrust is providing reading access to Temporary Access titles
    • The option to download the work in full is not available
    • You will be able to “check out” materials for a limited time (60 minutes)
      • There is an automatic renewal option available
  • Access to items is 1-1; 1 copy on the member library shelf, 1 individual access to the digital copy; 2 copies, 2 concurrent users of the digital item.
  • You may encounter a title that is not available for check out even though it is in our print collection as well as in HathiTrust
    • Please contact the library for assistance.