|
American
Women's History: A Research Guide Finding Books: Catalogs, Reviews, Etc. |
Library CatalogsStrong women's history collections:
Library Catalog Directories: |
Using Library of Congress Subject Headings Most titles in a library catalog are assigned one or more Library of Congress subject headings. These headings are important because researchers can use them to create more effective searches. Researchers should become familiar with the following sources for guidance in the use of Library of Congress subject headings: Dickstein, Ruth, Victoria A. Mills, and Ellen J. Waite. Women in LC's Terms: A Thesaurus of Library of Congress Subject Headings Related to Women. Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx Press, 1988. 221p. Library of Congress Subject Headings. 19th ed. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, Cataloging Distribution Service, 1996. The following examples illustrate the importance of Library of Congress subject headings. |
| Keyword search of: employment black women |
| Catalog Record from search: Title: Labor of Love, labor of sorrow: Black women, work, and the family from slavery to the present / Jacqeline Jones. Publisher: New York: Basic Books, c1985. Bibliography: Bibliography: p. 406-415. Subject: Afro-American women--Employment--History. Subject: Afro-American women--History. Subject: Afro-American families--History. |
| Explanation: This record was found because "black women" appeared in the title and "employment" appeared in the subject field. However, this search would have not found books with "African American women" in the title. Notice that "Afro-American Women" appears as part of a subject heading. All books about Afro-American women, regardless of title, are assigned this heading. |
| Keyword Search: Employment Afro-American Women |
| Catalog Record from Search: Author: Clark-Lewis, Elizabeth. Title: Living in, living out: African American domestics in Washington, D.C., 1910-1940 / Elizabeth Clark-Lewis. Publisher: Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, c1994. Subject: Women domestics--Washington (D.C.)--History--20th century. Subject: Afro-American women--Employment--Washington (D.C.)--History--20th century. |
| Explanation: This search retrieved all records of books about the employment of African-American women, regardless of the title. |
Library of Congress subject headings indicate the subject of the book as a whole. They do not indicate every subject that a book covers. There are two methods researchers can use to address this limitation:
Method 1: Use keyword searching of library catalogs that include
table of contents information.
| Keyword search: black women chicago. |
| Title: Homework: historical and contemporary
perspectives on paid labor at
home / edited by Eileen Boris and Cynthia R. Daniels. Publisher: Urbana: University of Illinois Press, c1989. Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references. Contents-Note: Between home and factory : homeworkers in the state / Cynthia R. Daniels -- Black women and paid labor in the home : industrial homework in Chicago in the 1920s / Eileen Boris -- . . . Subject: Home Labor--United States--History. Subject: Women--Employment--United States--History |
| The subject headings indicate that the book as a whole is about home labor and the employment of women. However, the keyword search found "black women" and "Chicago" as part of a chapter title. |
Method II
Essay and General Literature Index. New York: H.W. Wilson,
1934-.
Also available on CD-ROM and online.
This index provides references to essays within books.