To find books and government documents in USA Libraries' collections, use SOUTHcat: USA Libraries' Catalog.
- Catalog tips and tricks:
- Keyword searches – use quotation marks to hold phrases together ("national parks")
- Truncation – use ? after the root of a word to find all its variants (recreation? finds recreation, recreational, ...)
- Browse the Subject(s) field in records to find the right words for searches. (Example: Try doing a keyword search for "parks", then look at the subject(s) field in several records. You’ll see that the subject term is "National parks and reserves." Click the subject heading to find more records with this subject.)
- Revise and refine your searches.
- Watch for repeating call numbers and browse stacks in that area.
- Pay attention to the Location and Status fields. You will need this information to locate the item in the library.
Suggested Subject search terms:
MAIN HEADINGS:
"National parks and reserves"
"United States. National Park Service"
"National Monuments"
"Historic sites"
"Parks"
The name of a specific park, e.g. Glacier National Park
SUBHEADINGS:
--law and legislation
--management
--government policy
--history
Or add a state name or region, [e.g. Tennessee, or "southern states"]
For additional help, see the introductory guide Basic Guide to SOUTHcat
