Once you have accessed a particular resource, you must use its specific search and display commands. Searching instructions are available in ring binders next to library gateway workstations. Each database also supplies its own internal searching help.

Many of the Gateway Resources have corresponding paper versions which may cover earlier years; there may also be electronic and/or print resources not available on the Gateway which are essential to your research. (Consult the online catalog or check with a reference librarian to locate these.)

2-step process

It is important to remember that finding a periodical article is a 2-step process; first you must identify the article by using a periodical index, then check to see if Princeton owns that periodical by checking the Online Catalog.

Where and How to Connect to the Library Gateway ...

... from inside the Princeton University Libraries

An encircled letter "i" next to a menu choice indicates that it is not available at the library location you're searching from; double-clicking on this choice will direct you to the location where the database can be accessed.

Double-clicking the mouse on a particular menu choice will initiate a connection to that database. Depending on which databases you're using, it may be possible to have several sessions open at once, and to minimize active sessions so that only the folder icon appears at the bottom of the screen. For instance, you can have the Online Catalog running in the background while you search in the MLA database. Important: too many open sessions will slow down and possibly lock the system; make sure to close the databases once you're finished using them.

... from any computer cluster on campus

Let's briefly look at the subject sub-menus on the main Gateway screen:

Searching The Online Catalog

by SUBJECT

Keyword searching (fin k) is very effective when you don't have the precise LCSH for your subject.

There are two ways to set up a keyword subject search. After typing fin k, you can enter terms in any order with no qualifiers, and execute your search. The system automatically places an "and" between each word, rather than search them as a phrase.

TYPE: fin k elie wiesel (Finds books about Elie Wiesel, as well as books written by him.)

To limit your search to keywords from the subject headings only (still without knowing the exact LCSH), you can add the qualifier .su. to each of the keywords:

TYPE: fin k elie.su. wiesel.su.

(Terms are retrieved from subject headings; finds works about Elie Wiesel.

Choose 9; to go back to the list of items, or "Index," type I.

Finding the Library of Congress Subject Heading

TYPE fin k holocaust survivor? testimon?, and choose item number 4.

  TITLE:  Holocaust testimonies : the ruins of memory / Lawrence L.     
            Langer.                                                     

To see the full record which includes the exact subject headings used in the library, type LON.(This will remain the default display until you specify otherwise.) Let's type LON--we see that one of the subject headings is

Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Personal narratives--History and criticism.

Now we can search as follows:

TYPE: fin s Holocaust Jewish 1939-1945-- Personal narr

(There is automatic right-hand truncation when you search this way, and the only punctuation you should use are the two hyphens in the subject search.)

This is a good example of why it is important to get an exact LCSH for your topic in order to retrieve all relevant material.

fin k holocaust survivor? testimon? yields 8 records, but fin s Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Personal narratives yields 208 records!

by TITLE

When you only know a few words of the title, keyword searching works well.

Let's suppose someone told you that there was a book called The Literary Universe of Elie Wiesel, and you tried the following search:

TYPE fin t literary universe of elie wiesel Don't give up ... try a title keyword search like this:

TYPE: fin k literary universe wiesel

by AUTHOR/TITLE

LIMITING your search

LIMITING to journal titles

TYPE: fin k holocaust s.typ. Retrieves: journals with the word "holocaust" anywhere in the record.

Let's suppose we want to limit to english language journals:

TYPE: EDIT and you will be able to use the right arrow key to get to the end of the search phrase, and add eng.lan. to further limit your search. You should have: fin k holocaust s.typ. eng.lan.

Remember, you must do a keyword search in order to use qualifiers; an Author, Title, or Subject phrase search does not allow this.

Let's look at record number 5, in the BRIef display:

TITLE:  Dimensions.                                                    
PUBLICATION:  : Center for Holocaust Studies, Anti-Defamation 
League of B'nai B'rith, 1985-                     
                 
Vol. 1, no. 1 (spring 1985)-                                   
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
      
LOCATION:       CALL NUMBER:              STATUS:              
  
Firestone       (F)  D810.J4 D55          Enter HOL 1 for holdings    
                                                                                

Princeton's journal holdings

type HOL 1.

This screen will show you the specific volumes and years housed at Firestone, as well as the location of current issues. The holdings of other Princeton collections follow.

Locating materials in the library system

Locating materials in the Firestone Stacks

Once you've determined that the item you want is located in the Firestone stacks, consult the green "Call Number Locations" sheet to find out its exact location in the library. Using our example again, we see that the first of the call numbers, (F) D810.J4 D55 falls into the following range:

 D-DX     	 C-I-K      History: Auxiliary Science 

Now let's look more closely at some of the Library Gateway choices