Search tip: Search for books by either Keywords or Subject Headings. Start with a Keyword search and identify some relevant books. Then look at the subject headings for those books. You can follow the subject heading links in the catalog to find similar books, or you can use the terms in the subject headings to identify other keywords to try.
Example Keyword Search:
Cryptography AND World War I
Example Subject Headings:
World War, 1939-1945 -- Cryptography
World War, 1939-1945 -- Military intelligence
World War, 1939-1945 -- Electronic intelligence
Try exploring the Library Catalog for books related to your topic. The Library Catalog tab in OneSearch is the main way to located books, as well as journals and videos in the library collections. If you have already identified the book(s) you need through other research aids, you can search by Title or by Author. If you are trying to identify books that will be useful for your research topic, you can search Keyword or Subject.
If Brandeis does not have the book you need, try looking for books from other libraries:
Online: WorldCat is a library catalog that contains millions of records for books and other materials held in libraries worldwide. Once you have located your item in WorldCat, use the Interlibrary Loan Form in OneSearch to request it from another library.
In-person: Brandeis is a member of the Boston Library Consortium. You can borrow books in-person from any of the member libraries in New England with a BLC card. Get a BLC card at the Information & Borrowing desk in Goldfarb Library.
More Information about Interlibrary Loan
For research in History, you'll find that many relevant titles are in the D call number range. This call number range is on Floor 3 of Goldfarb Library, with the exception of call numbers beginning with DS. Books with DS call numbers are on the Mezzanine level of Goldfarb. You can browse our collection or other library collections that use the Library of Congress Classification System by going to the D sections of the stacks.
In addition to providing an overview of a book, book reviews often demonstrate where a book fits within a field of research. A review might also point you toward other relevant authors and titles. Many databases allow you to limit your search to book reviews.