HIST 214: Sandin, J. (Fall 2024): Finding eBooks

Searching the Library Catalog

Once you've found general, background information on your topic, it's time to find more in-depth information. One way is to find books that you can check out at the TCC Library or e-books that you can read online. You can search the library catalog for books by doing a keyword search (e.g., "bilingual education" or "drug abuse") by clicking the link below.

Click the link below to search for books in the library catalog

Search tips:

1. Type in your keywords in the search box and click the "Search" button
2. Take note of the format of the results. You can narrow down to print books or e-books by clicking one of the boxes.
3. Take note of the publication date range. You can narrow down results to a specific data range.
4. Click the title of the book for more detailed info
5. Take note of the format of the book. An e-book will have an "E" icon; a print book will have a book icon.
6. If it's an e-book, then you can click the "Electronic access" link to read the book online.
7. You can also text any book record to yourself.

(click on image to enlarge)

Books can give you the in-depth analysis of your topic

Books...

• can get you a historical perspecitve on your topic to see how it has evolved over time
• often are written by authors who are experts or have taken the time to do research on a particular subject
• help you understand the complexity your topic

When you find a book...

• you do not have to read the whole book! Instead look at the table of contents in the front to find which chapters will be most helpful to you
• look in the back of the book.  Often there is a list of sources that the author consulted when he or she wrote the book.  You might want to use these sources for your research, too!

Here are some ideas for keywords to help get you started on your search. 

1. Notice how I included quotation marks around two-word concepts. This is called a phrase search.
2. Notice how I combined two different search concepts with an "AND" (in all capital letters). This is called a Boolean search.

• "Washington State"
• "Pacific Northwest"
• Northwest
• Oregon
• Idaho
• Pioneers
• "Native Americans" (also try "Indians") AND Idaho
• Immigrants and "Pacific Northwest"
• Logging AND "Washington State"
• "Civil Rights" AND "Washington State"