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Using Subject Headings to Find Similar Books

Librarians assign subject headings for every item in our collections. This process ensures that we can quickly locate materials on the same topic. Using these existing headings can make finding similar sources much easier and effective! Follow the steps below to try using subject headings for your own research project.

Step 1: Locate a book in the Kreitzberg Library's catalog that fits well with your research topic. The example we'll use is The Ottoman Empire by Mehrdad Kia.

Step 2: Click on the book's title to view the item details page.

Book title in search result

Step 3: Look for the "Subjects" heading and locate the most relevant subject heading link for your topic. For this example, we chose the "Turkish History Ottoman Empire, 1288-1918" heading (shown below). Click this heading to find other books at the Kreitzberg Library that have been tagged with the same heading.

Subject links in item detail record

Step 4: Review your subject heading search results for other books that could be useful for your project. Our subject heading search for this example found 145 books available at Norwich. To expand your search beyond our collections, select Libraries Worldwide under the Held By filter.

Search results for subject search

Searching the Library's Book Collection

In this example, let's use the library's catalog to search for World War II diaries

Some points worth noting:

  • Quotation marks around "World War II" mark it as a phrase.
    Phrase search query example
  • Results are limited to Book format, which includes 117 records representing both print and electronic books. You can expand or refine your search using the filters in the Format panel to the left of the results.
    Book selected in format panel
  • View eBook buttons link out to book detail pages on ebook provider platforms, such as ProQuest Ebook Central or eBooks on EBSCOhost. If an ebook is available from multiple providers, the Access Online button opens a tray displaying access options.
  • Print books marked Available can be requested for mail delivery though our book request service.