The Library Catalog | Reference Resources
Indexes to Journal Literature | Electronic Journals Special Collections | Web Resources

The Library Catalog

The library catalog contains records for books, videos, audiocassettes, microfilm sets, and many government documents at UNCA, ASU and WCU. It also lists journals, magazines, and newspapers held by the libraries. It does not list periodical articles, however. To compile a list of journal articles, you must consult an index that covers the periodical literature in your subject area.

Searching the catalog

You can search the online library catalog by author, title, subject heading, or keywords that describe your topic. Select a Keyword search or Subject search from the menu to begin exploring the combined library catalogs of the Western North Carolina Library Network. If you wish, you may Limit any search to items held at UNCA by clicking on the Limit Search icon after the system completes the initial search.

Subject searches and Keyword searches

To search by subject, select Subject from the main menu and enter part or all of a Library of Congress subject heading in the search box. If your term is not included in the "official" list of LC subject headings, the search will find nothing.

To search for words in the title, subject, or notes fields of catalog records, select a Keyword search from the menu. Note that a Keyword search does not include the author field. However, you may Limit a completed Keyword search by words in the author field. Keyword searches are very broad, since they can combine words from several fields. To convert an unsatisfactory subject search to a Keyword search without rekeying, choose Keyword from the pulldown menu to the left of the entry box.

If you find an excellent book on your topic, take note of the subject headings under which it is indexed. To search on any of these subject headings, simply click on the highlighted heading. Keep a record of the subject headings that work well for your topic.

Keyword searches are a powerful tool, especially if you take advantage of available options. Read the on-screen instructions to learn how to search word roots and combine terms with search logic. Limit and Sort options let you refine search results even further.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

With few exceptions, the "big red books" of Library of Congress Subject Headings list all subject terms used in the library catalog. This list also includes cross-references, related, narrower, and broader terms, and Library of Congress classification numbers for many subjects. The main exceptions are personal names and place names.

Of course, names and places are valid subject headings, but they are too numerous to list in a single set of books. LCSH does include a few names, but for illustrative purposes only. For example, you can find William Shakespeare, Thomas Aquinas, or, curiously, Morris (cat), but do not look for Franklin Roosevelt or George Washington!

Obviously, some subject headings about Jewish issues will start with the words: Jewish or Jews, or words such as Judaica or Judaism. Scroll through the subheadings and related headings to find what you want, such as Jewish art and symbolism, Jewish Theater, Jews in literature, etc. Look for subheadings that might have something to do with social issues, such as: Social conditions, Discrimination, Personal narratives, and so on.

Jewish art and symbolism
Jewish children in the Holocaust
Jewish community centers
Jewish law
Jews--Civilization

Search also for closely related subjects, such as:

Ashkenazim
Hebrew language
Hebrew literature
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
Israel
Sephardim
Yiddish Literature
Yiddish Language
Zionism and Judaism

Reference Resources

Reference books can help you find background information, biographical sketches of notable people, and bibliographies that point you to other pertinent books or journal articles.

Search the library catalog by subject; then look for subheadings, such as:

bibliographies
biography
dictionaries
encyclopedias
handbooks
indexes

Some standard reference books include:

Encyclopedia Judaica. New York: Macmillan, 1972. UNCA REFERENCE DS102.8 .E496

The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Ktav Publishing, 1964. UNCA REFERENCE  DS102.8 .J4x

Use the bibliography in a good book on your subject to identify other resources.

Indexes to Journal Literature

Depending on your topic, many online and print indexes to journal literature may be relevant to your search. Many of the online indexes are listed on the Electronic Resources page. For help in determining the best index to use for your particular topic, consult a reference librarian.

Humanities Full Text
Indexing, abstracts, and selected full text of articles in scholarly journals in the humanities. H.W.Wilson

Historical Abstracts
Indexes journals, book reviews, and dissertations in all areas except United States and Canadian history. Includes abstracts. Coverage from 1958.

America: History and Life
Indexes historical articles, book reviews, and dissertations in United States and Canadian history. Includes abstracts. Coverage since 1964.

Electronic Journals

Project Muse
A collection of over 100 scholarly journals, available online in full-text. Includes American Jewish History, Israel Studies, Jewish Social Studies, and Modern Judaism as well as many other titles of interest.

Women in Judaism: A Multidisciplinary Journal
An on-line journal

Special Collections

The Special Collections Department houses important materials related to Jewish history and life in western North Carolina. Particularly relevant are the Temple Beth-Ha-Tephila Papers (1891-1976) and the Samuel Robinson Papers.

Web Resources

Judaism-General

Judaism 101
An "online encyclopedia of Judaism, covering Jewish beliefs, people, places, things, language, scripture, holidays, practices, and customs."

Project Genesis
The internet's "leading collection of Torah classes," offering a range of classes on Jewish philosophy, liturgy, ethics and law.

Jewish Studies Resources

Academic Jewish Studies Internet Directory
A "gateway to high quality resources for the study of Judaism," including access to online library catalogs and databases like RAMBI: Index to Articles in Jewish Studies (telnet application required; username: "aleph"; at the catalog prompt, type: "lb/rbi").

Maven
The portal directory to the Jewish world.

H-Net: Jewish Studies Network
Home of H-Judaic, a discussion list

The Digital Genizah
A Jewish Internet directory with links to many other sites

National Center for Jewish Film
Archives, screening schedules, study center, and an audio-visual library dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of Jewish film. A project of Brandeis University.

Organizations and Societies

UNCA Center for Jewish Studies

The Association for Jewish Studies

The European Association for Jewish Studies

Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs

The World Jewish Congress

Directories

Jewish Studies Resources
Maintained by the Princeton University Libraries

Judaism and Jewish Resources
Comprehensive list of Web sites from Shamash, the "Jewish Internet Consortium."

Academic Info: Jewish Studies
An annotated directory of resources on Judaism

The Holocaust

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

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Last updated November 30, 2012. Send questions to the library web team.