ANTH 2375 Making Racism Visible: Media and Civil Rights from MLK to Black Lives Matter - Bjork-James

Finding Sources

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?

 

Tips for Searching the Library Catalog

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.

Useful Databases: