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Stony Brook University

HIS 422: Colloquium in Latin American History: HOME

Resources for Professor Elizabeth Newman's class

Interlibrary Loan

Remember - if we don't have an article or a book at Stony Brook that you need, you can order it free of charge through our Interlibrary Loan service.

We will request a copy from another library.

Request an item or set up an account.

Note: Textbooks are not available through this service.

Primary Sources

To find primary sources at Stony Brook, use STARS, the Library Catalog. 

You can include various words in your search that will help you locate primary source material.  A good general word to include would be sources.

For example, if you are looking for primary sources on Mexico, you can do a KEYWORD ANYWHERE search in STARS for Mexico and sources.

Also try these Library of Congress subject headings that are often used for primary sources:

  • Correspondence
  • Diaries
  • Interviews
  • Personal narratives

Search for material written by key figures involved in your topic.  If you're studying the Mexican-American War, for example, search for Antonio López de Santa Anna.

Quick Search Secrets

* [Asterisk] searches for various endings – anarch* searches for anarchy, anarchism, anarchist, etc.

"[Quotes]" searches for the exact phrase – “new deal,” “South Asia,” etc.

([Parentheses]) groups multiple search terms together– “trade and (China or Chinese)” will look for “trade and China” and “trade and Chinese.”

Top Picks

What Do I Do When...?

Problem: Solution:
I don't know where to start       Try Search & Discover
I get too many results
  • Add more search terms
  • Put phrases in quotes – “global warming”
  • Use AND – subprime AND mortgage
  • Use NOTMiami AND dolphins NOT football
  • Limit by date – the last two years or 2006 – 2008
  • Limit to peer-reviewed or scholarly journals
  • Combine keyword and subject searches
  • Use the Advanced Search tab, if available, for more options
I get too few results
  • Use OR with synonyms – students OR pupils
  • Use truncation (*) to search by word root - comput* for computers, computing, computation, etc.
  • Use wildcard (?) to search for alternative spellings – wom?n for woman, women, womyn
  • Go broader, for example, hip-hop rather than turntablism
  • Browse by subject
  • Look at the references or works cited list from an article or book you already have
  • Try a different database or search engine
I have trouble coming up with search terms
  • Check a thesaurus (The Oxford Paperback Thesaurus)
  • Check the subject headings listed on relevant articles or books
  • Browse subject headings in a database or the catalog
  • Read article abstracts to glean additional search terms
  • Look for  “Find Similar Results”, “Similar Pages” or “More Like This” links
  • Discuss with friends and family
  • Ask-a-librarian
I have trouble finding the right database
  • Use the subject drop down list
  • Check a subject guide for recommended databases
  • Ask-a-librarian
  • Ask your instructor

Librarian

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Reference Librarian
Contact:
Central Reading Room

Frank Melville Jr., Memorial Library C-1600

631.632.7110
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