Subject searching is precise, and can save you considerable searching time.
Subject search can be a great place to start when you already know the subject heading, or when you are searching for information
about a person. (Hint! Use the last name first.)
A professional has examined the actual item to determine what it is about and then assigns subject headings. Therefore when you
search by subject, you can be assured that the item is really about that topic.
Once you know the subject heading for your specific topic, all other items that are primarily about that
topic should be listed under the same subject heading.
Subject searching also has some disadvantages:
The words used in the subject heading are often not what you would expect (for example: Vietnamese
Conflict instead of Vietnam War, or Motion Pictures instead of movies).
You have to type the subject phrases exactly (World War 1939-1945 United States instead of
World War II).
Subject headings cannot address the contents of individual sections of a work, such as collected
essays in a book. The subject heading will reflect the book as a whole.
For the reasons listed above, keyword searching is recommended to begin a search. Once you find books that look like what you want, start following appropriate subject headings to continue your search.
