How do I find reference sources using the Library Catalog?
The Library Catalog contains records for both print and online reference sources. Below are some suggestions which will help you locate reference materials when you search the Library Catalog.
Limit to Collections
There are several limits in "Advanced Keyword" search option in the Library Catalog will help you locate reference sources. Under the "Location" limit, there are three specific reference collections that you can limit your search to: the Crerar Library reference collection, the D'Angelo Law Library reference collection, and/or the Reading Rooms at Regenstein Library. Please be aware that these limits, however, will only locate materials that are not available for checkout at the Library
Tips for Finding Specific Types of Reference Sources
Below are some suggestions for locating specific types of reference sources based on Library of Congress Subject Headings.
Almanacs and Factbooks
Conduct a "Begins With" Subject search in the Library Catalog using the term: Almanacs.
For U.S. almanacs, you can enter the following Library of Congress Subject Headings as a subject "Begins With" search:
- Almanacs, American
- Almanacs American Illinois (You can also use other U.S. states).
You can also locate almanacs from other countries in a similar way. For example:
- Almanacs French
- Almanacs Cuban
If you prefer keyword searching, use the "Advance Keyword" option in the Library Catalog, combining the subject keyword Almanacs with any other relevant keyword searches that may narrow your search.
View Online Almanacs and Factbooks
Atlases and Gazetteers
Atlases
When you are looking for atlases, we recommend using the "Advanced Keyword" search feature in the Library Catalog. This search will allow you to combine the subject keyword atlases with other keyword searches. Enter as much information as you can about the atlas you are looking for. Below are some examples of how to narrow your search:
- Atlases (Subject) AND world (Title)
- Atlases (Subject) AND Encyclopaedia Britannica (Title)
- Atlases (Subject) AND historic* (Title) AND world (Title)
When looking for atlases from other countries, it can be helpful to use a "Begins With" subject search in the Library Catalog. Enter your subject headings as demonstrated by the following examples:
- Atlases, British
- Atlases, Chinese
- Atlases, Egyptian
Please be aware that some atlases may be cataloged using the subject heading "Maps". If you do not find what you need, Ask a Librarian for assistance. In addition, we recommend that you review the Library's Research Guide to the Map Collection.
Gazetteers
Conduct a "Begins With" subject search to locate gazetteers. In most cases, the Library of Congress Subject Heading first lists the country, and then includes a subheading for gazetteers. For example:
- Great Britain -- Gazetteers.
- India -- Gazetteers.
- United States -- Gazetteers.
You may also want to search using the subject heading: Geography -- Dictionaries. You can also expand this to specific subheadings, as shown in the following examples.
- Geography -- Dictionaries -- Persian.
- Geography -- Dictionaries -- Slovak.
Biographical Sources
For best results, you should use the "Advanced Keyword" search feature in the Library Catalog. Enter the keywords Biography Dictionaries as a subject search, combining it with other keyword searches to find specific types of biographies. For example:
- Economists (Subject) AND Biography Dictionaries (Subject)
- Lawyers (Subject) AND United States (Subject) AND Biography Dictionaries (Subject)
You can also use the subject keyword Biography for additional biographical sources. However, this may produce full-length biographies rather than reference works. In this instance, you may want to limit to a specific reading room or reference collection.
View Online Biographical Sources
Catalogs
Use the "Advanced Keyword" option in the Library Catalog, entering the term catalogs as a subject search. You can then combine this term with other keyword searches--such as the museum/collection/gallery name, the artist, etc. Below are a few examples:
- Catalogs (Subject) AND Art (Subject) AND London (Anywhere)
- Catalogs (Subject) AND Manuscripts (Subject) AND California (Anywhere)
For Catalogs Raisonnés, use the keywords catalogues raisonnés as a subject and then enter the artist's name as a subject keyword search.
- Catalogues raisonnés (Subject) AND Picasso (Subject)
- Catalogues raisonnés (Subject) AND Titian (Subject)
For Library Catalogs in print, enter the name of the library and Catalogs. For example:
- Catalogs (Subject) AND John Crerar Library (Subject)
- Catalogs (Subject) AND Bodleian Library (Subject)
For Online Library Catalogs, use the Library's Library Catalogs web page.
Dictionaries (English Language)
The Library's collections of English language dictionaries is very extensive. As a result, if you know the name of the dictionary you are looking for, it is best to begin with a "Keyword" or "Begins With" search by title in the Library Catalog.
If you do not have the complete title, we recommend the "Advanced Keyword" search option in the Library Catalog. You can focus your search by entering additional keywords to help you limit your search, as shown in the examples below:
- English Language Dictionaries (Subject) AND Oxford University Press (Publisher)
- English Language Dictionaries (Subject) AND Slang (Dictionaries) AND hip-hop (Anywhere)
- English Language Dictionaries (Subject) AND Northern Ireland (Anywhere)
- English Language Dictionaries (Subject) AND Webster's (Title)
However, for some specific types of dictionaries, it may be helpful to use the "Begins With" subject search using Library of Congress Subject Headings. For dictionaries which focus on English language usage in specific regions or countries, include your search as shown below:
- English language -- Canada -- Dictionaries.
- English language -- Dialects -- England -- Yorkshire -- Dictionaries.
For bilingual dictionaries, you will need to enter both languages. For example, an English/French dictionary would be:
- English Language - Dictionaries - French
Other related works, such as etymological dictionaries, slang dictionaries, rhyming dictionaries, or conversation and phrase books, the subject headings are structured in the following way:
- English language -- Etymology -- Dictionaries.
- English language -- Slang -- Dictionaries.
- English language -- Australia -- Slang -- Dictionaries.
- English language -- Conversation and phrase books -- French.
- English language -- Rhyme -- Dictionaries.
View Online Dictionaries (English Language)
Dictionaries (Other Languages)
For non-English language dictionaries, often it is easy to browse the collections by using the "Begins With" search in the Library Catalog using the subject option.
In general, the Library of Congress Subject Headings for dictionaries begin with the specific language followed by the term dictionaries. For example, you can enter your subject headings as structured below:
- Chinese language -- Dictionaries
- Tamil language -- Dictionaries
For bilingual dictionaries, you will need to enter both languages.
- French Language - Dictionaries - German (French/German)
- German Language - Dictionaries - French (German/French)
Other related works, such as etymological dictionaries, slang dictionaries, rhyming dictionaries, or conversation and phrase books, the subject headings are structured in the following way:
- Japanese language -- Slang -- Dictionaries.
- Hindi language -- Conversation and phrase books -- English.
- Finnish language -- Etymology -- Dictionaries.
- Russian language -- Rhyme -- Dictionaries.
As with English Language dictionaries, you may have more success using the "Advanced Keyword" search option in the Library Catalog when looking for specific titles. You can select to limit by language, enter dictionaries as a Subject search, and then add additional search terms.
- Dictionaries (Subject) AND Cassell's (Title). Limit by language to French.
- Dictionaries (Subject) AND Oxford (Publisher). Limit by language to Latin.
- Dictionaries (Subject) AND Etymology (Subject). Limit by language to Hebrew.
View Online Dictionaries (Other Languages).
Dictionaries (Subject Specific)
The Library has an extensive collection of dictionaries that focus on specific subjects. You can locate these by using the "Begins With" subject search option, entering the main subject heading, and then browsing to the subject that includes the term dictionaries:
- Philosophy -- Dictionaries
- Computer science -- Dictionaries.
- Law -- United States -- Dictionaries.
If you are looking for a subject-specific dictionary in a language other than English, the main subject will come before dictionaries and the language will appear at the end:
- Medicine -- Dictionaries -- Arabic
- Philosophy -- Dictionaries -- Bengali.
- Computer science -- Dictionaries -- Russian.
If you are unfamiliar with the subject headings for a specific field, you may find it more effective to use the "Advanced Keyword" search option in the Library Catalog, which will allow you to combine several keyword searches at once. In addition, this search option will also allow you to limit by language:
- Dictionaries (Subject) AND Catholic (Subject)
- Dictionaries (Subject) AND Law (Subject) AND Puerto Rico (Anywhere). Limit by language to Spanish.
- Dictionaries (Subject) AND television (Anywhere)
Directories
To locate directories, it is often easiest to use the "Advanced Keyword" search feature in the Library Catalog. Enter directories as a Subject Keyword and then combine with other search terms. For example:
- Directories (Subject) AND Physicians (Anywhere) and United States (Subject)
- Directories (Subject) AND Illinois (Anywhere) AND faculty (Anywhere)
However, the "Begins With" subject search option often can provide much more exact results. Just enter the type of person, group, or type of organization, followed by the country (if desired), and then directories. For example:
- Physicians -- United States -- Directories.
- Lawyers -- Great Britain -- Directories.
- Universities and colleges -- Austria -- Directories.
- Corporations -- United States -- Directories
Encyclopedias
The Library's collections of English language dictionaries is very extensive. If you know the name of the item you are looking for, it is best to begin with a "Title Keyword" or "Begins With" search using the title in the Library Catalog.
However, if you do not have the full title, use the "Advanced Keyword" search option in the Library Catalog. You can focus your search by entering additional keywords to help you limit your search:
- Encyclopedias (Subject) AND Brittanica (Title)
- Encyclopedias (Subject) AND college (Anywhere)
- Encyclopedias (Subject) AND Oxford (Publisher)
If you are looking for encyclopedias from another country and are unfamiliar with a specific title, you can use a "Begins With" subject search in the Library Catalog using Library of Congress Subject Headings, such as:
- Encyclopedias and dictionaries, German
- Encyclopedias and dictionaries, Chinese
You can also use the "Advanced Search" option in the Library Catalog, entering Encyclopedias as a subject term and then limiting by language .
If you are looking for an encyclopedia that covers a specific subject, it is often helpful to use the "Begins With" subject search in the Library Catalog. In general, begin by entering the subject you are interested in and then browse down your list of search results to see if any encyclopedias are listed:
- Chemistry -- Encyclopedias.
- India -- Encyclopedias
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Encyclopedias
You can also use the "Advanced Keyword" search feature by combining the subject keyword encyclopedias with other subject keywords. Below are some examples:
- Encyclopedias (Subject) AND Chicago (Subject)
- Encyclopedias (Subject) AND Civil War (Subject) AND United States (Subject)
- Encyclopedias (Subject) AND Art (Subject) AND Grove (Title)
Grammar and Usage
There are a variety of reference works on grammar and usage at the Library. As a starting point, we recommend that you use a "Begins With" subject search in the Library Catalog entering the language you are interested in:
- English Language
- French Language
You can then browse through the various subheadings listed in the catalog and then identify which sources may be helpful. Below are some subheadings for the most common types of reference sources:
Glossaries and Vocabularies
- French language -- Glossaries, vocabularies, etc.
- English language -- Dialects -- Great Smoky Mountains (N.C. and Tenn.) -- Glossaries, vocabularies, etc.
Grammar Guides
- Urdu language -- Grammar.
- English language -- Ireland -- Grammar.
- Chinese language -- Grammar -- Dictionaries.
Grammar Textbooks or Handbooks
- German Language -- Grammar -- Textbooks
- French language -- Grammar -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
- Chinese language -- Grammar -- Textbooks for foreign speakers.
Pronunciation
- Portuguese language -- Pronunciation.
- English language -- Pronunciation -- Dictionaries.
Punctuation
- English language -- Punctuation
- German language -- Punctuation.
Works on Specific Parts of Speech
- English language -- Homonyms -- Dictionaries.
- Spanish language -- Suffixes and prefixes.
Some of the works classified by the above headings may not be reference materials, but actual linguistic studies or other academic works. Therefore, it may be helpful to limit your search by a Reference locations (Regenstein Reading Rooms, Crerar Reference, etc.) once you have retrieved your search results. The limits appear at the top right of the search screen in the Library Catalog. You can also limit your search in advanced by using the "Advanced Search" option in the Library Catalog.
View Online Dictionaries for Grammar and Usage
Quotations
To find reference sources that include quotations, you can conduct a "Begins With" subject search in the Library Catalog. Enter quotations, the specific language you are interested in, and then dictionaries (as shown in the Library of Congress Subject Headings below):
- Quotations, English -- Dictionaries.
- Quotations, Chinese -- Dictionaries.
- Quotations, Italian -- Dictionaries.
For specific types of quotations, you may benefit from using the "Advance Keyword" option in the Library Catalog. Combine the Subject keyword Quotations with any additional relevant keywords for your search. Below are some examples.
- Quotations (Subject) AND humorous(Title)
- Quotations (Subject) AND women (Title)
- Quotations (Subject) AND science (Subject)
- Quotations (Subject) AND Bible (Subject)
You may also wish to use the limits available in the "Advanced Keyword" search option. You can limit your search by language, or to specific library collections. For example, you could select the limits Crerar, Reference for science quotations or Law, Reference for legal quotations.
Thesauri
For English language thesauri, conduct a "Begins With" subject search in the Library Catalog using the following Library of Congress Subject Headings:
- English language -- Synonyms and antonyms
You can also locate thesauri for other languages in a similar way. Several examples of subject headings are shown below:
- Chinese language -- Synonyms and antonyms.
- French language -- Synonyms and antonyms.
- Greek language, Modern -- Synonyms and antonyms.
You can also use the "Advanced Keyword" search feature, entering synonyms antonyms as a subject keyword and then limiting your search by language (French, Greek, Chinese, etc.).