HIST 285: Historian's Workshop (Dahl)

Browsing for books on the shelves can be a very useful way to gather materials on a topic. For libraries using the Library of Congress system for classifying books, all books on a topic are shelved together. 

The area for books on the history of Japan is DS801-897.

Relevant books can also be found in the section covering D720-728 World War II (1939-1945).

Libraries use a call number system to organize materials in their collections. A call number allows you to find a book on the shelf, and also gives you some indication of the subject matter of the book. Watch this brief video (3:55) to learn how to read call numbers. 

As with any database, you can search Knox Primo using keywords that describe your topic. 

• Use as few terms as possible that describe your topic. For instance, if you searched using the phrase "laws governing moral conduct in ancient rome" you would not retrieve any items. A better search uses just the fewest terms to describe your topic, like this: rome law
• When using search operators you must capitalize them!
  • Use OR to combine synonyms:  gay OR homosexual
  • Use AND to combine different concepts and group synonyms within parentheses:  (gay OR homosexual) AND ancient greece
• Use the facets in the left column of your results screen to narrow your search. 
• ​When you find a record for a book that is highly relevant, you can often find other books by clicking on a relevant subject headings link: 

Use Knox Primo to check for books and technical reports that you can borrow from another I-Share library. When searching, choose the "All I-Share Libraries" search option:

I-Share deliveries usually arrive in about 5 days.