University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma
The basic Library Catalog search is a keyword search--you simply type your search terms into the box, and the catalog retrieves all the items that have your search terms in their catalog records.
Searching by subject is another way to find materials that focus on your topic. Each item in the Library Catalog has one or more subject terms (headings) assigned to it, When you search by subject, you retrieve only the items that have the subject for which you searched. To make a subject heading more specific, subheadings are added after it. A subheading is separated from the main heading by a double dash (--). One common structure used is thus:
United States -- History
You can substitute the name of any country for United States.
Once you have your subject terms, to search by subject in the Library Catalog, in the dropdown list under "Search for," select "Subject."
To find subject headings for a subject you are studying, first use keyword searching to find some books on your general topic. Then look at their records and see what subject terms they have. You can use the subject links in the catalog records to retrieve all the items with the same subject. However, this linking scheme has some quirks, so if it seems like it is returning far too many (or too few) items, try use the Library Catalog (aka Advanced Search) screen and a Subject or Subject Phrase search with your terms.
If you want to browse the library stacks, you can use these call numbers to find books on history:
D History
DA Great Britain
DAW-DR Continental Europe and Russia
DS Asia
DT Africa
DU Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific Islands
DX Romani people
E History of Americas (general)
E 11-143 Americas
F 151-909 United States
F History of Americas (by region)
F 1-975 U.S. Local History
F 1001-1145.2 British America (and Canada)
F 1170 French America
F 1201-3799 Latin and Spanish America
These books can be found on the fourth floor of the library stacks. Remember that given the interdisciplinary nature of liberal arts studies, you may find useful books with other call numbers too.
To find books from thousands of other libraries and request them through interlibrary loan, use WorldCat FirstSearch. You can search for books, journals, audiovisual materials, dissertations, and many other material types. When you find a resource you think would be useful in your research, you can fill out an interlibrary loan form, and Nash Library will request the book from another library.