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Using the Online CatalogKeyword vs. subject searchingDoing a subject search usually gets more direct and focused results. But sometimes the exact wording of the heading is hard todetermine, and it can get frustrating. KEYWORD searching comes in handy as a way to get you to the correct subject heading. For example, if you do a keyword search for "guns" and look at any of the items, chances are you'll find that the established subject heading is "firearms" and a subject that may interest you is "gun control". Since all of the subjects in the record are underlined, you can click on them to have that search performed. This is a nice shortcut to figuring out the subject heading for your topic. If you start out with subject searching and don't use the correct wording, sometimes there are links to point you in the right direction. For example, if you are searching for information on the American Civil War, and you type in American civil war as a subject, you will see that it leads you to search United States History Civil War 1861-1865 and gives you a link to search it. Much better than having to remember and retype that whole exact phrase, isn't it?There will not always be this kind of helpful link to point you in the right direction, so it's a good idea to start with keyword, browse several entries and figure out what subject heading to use.
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