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Drama Library

Searching the Library Catalog


The online Library Catalog gives you information about the materials the Library owns including books, journals, videos, CDs, microfilm, posters, etc.

Search Tips
Searching By: Use This Method: Watch Out For:
Author Use this search if you are looking for books or plays or other materials authored or written by someone. Do not use this search if you are looking for books about a playwright (use a subject search) or if you are looking for the author of an article (the Library Catalog does not index journals the way a print or online index or database does).
Title Use this search if you are looking for the title of a book or video or other item. If you are looking for the title or author of a magazine article, use the online indexes.

If you are looking for the title of a play, a keyword search finds plays that only appear in anthologies or collections.

The card catalogue in the Drama Library lists plays that don't show up in the online library catalog, including plays in magazines.

Keyword Search
(the most flexible)		 You can:
  • look for phrases or individual terms
  • combine author, title, subject, or notes fields
  • limit your search by library location
  • use the symbol "*" for alternate spelling (e.g., theat* gives you: theatre, theater, theatres, theaters, or theatrical) and for singular & plural words, e.g., theatre{s}
  • search for notes information
Occasionally this search has problems and gets no results. If that happens try a different search or combination of terms.

Multiple words with no boolean connectors get searched as a phrase.

Subject Heading Search Use LC Subject Headings or you may get no results. Sometimes the catalog will tell you what the correct LC subject heading is if you type in an incorrect one. For example, look at the results of a search for world war ii. The first result gives you the correct LC subject heading.

Subject headings may be further subdivided by nationality, place, religion, genre, time period, form, etc.

Call Number and Other Numbers Search Other numbers include LC call numbers, Dewey call numbers, SuDocs numbers, ISBNs, microfilm, video, and other non-standard call numbers.

Call numbers are a way to browse the Library's collection in a particular area.

Browsing is a great way to find additional resources.



Additional Keyword Search Tips

  • Using the Advanced Keyword search form, search by using or combining words from author, title, or subject fields
  • Use "AND" to combine more than one KEYWORD either using the simple or advanced keyword search.
  • Limit by library location if you're looking only for materials at a particular library.
  • Search by years of publication if you're looking for particular editions of books or plays.
  • Limit by format if you're looking for materials in a particular format such as DVD or CD.

Keyword Searches Using Different Search Strategies
Strategy #1 Strategy #2
history AND costume history (with) costume
furniture AND history history AND interior decoration
great britain AND costume england AND costume
tennessee williams AND (criticism OR biography) williams, tennessee AND (criticism OR biography)



Additional Subject Heading Search Tips

Subject heading terms are established by the Library of Congress. A subject search allows you to browse in the vacinity of the words you typed

To determine the appropriate term, you can:

  • Perform a Keywords search; look at the terms under LC SUBJECT in the resulting citations; click on the highlighted subject heading to perform a new search.
  • Consult printed editions of the Library of Congress Subject Headings in reference areas of the University of Washington Libraries.

You may ignore punctuation and capitalization when performing subject heading searches in the online catalog. However, word order is important when you search by subject.

Subjects with a lot written on them have subdivisions. Below are some of the subdivisions designers use are :

Searching by time period:

  • COSTUME
  • COSTUME -- HISTORY
  • COSTUME -- HISTORY -- 19TH CENTERY
  • GREAT BRITAIN -- HISTORY -- 19TH CENTERY -- PICTORIAL WORKS

Searching by geographical area:

  • GREAT BRITAIN -- SOCIAL LIFE AND CUSTOMS
  • GREAT BRITAIN -- DESCRIPTION AND TRAVEL


Subject Heading Terms and Subdivisions
Subject Subdivision
(Narrows Subject)		 Further Subdivision
COSTUME -- EUROPE
-- GREAT BRITAIN
-- HISTORY
-- UNITED STATES 		-- -- 19th CENTURY
-- -- 20th CENTURY
FURNITURE -- HISTORY -- -- 20th century
GREAT BRITAIN -- SOCIAL LIFE AND CUSTOMS -- -- 18th CENTURY
INTERIOR DECORATION -- ENGLAND
-- HISTORY
-- U.S. 		-- -- 20th CENTURY
NEW YORK -- DESCRIPTION AND TRAVEL
SHAKESPEARE WILLIAM 1564 1616 -- HAMLET -- BIBLIOGRAPHY
SHEPARD SAM -- CRITICISM AND INTERPRETATION
SOUTH AFRICA -- DESCRIPTION AND TRAVEL
-- HISTORY

Instead of using --HISTORY, you can narrow your terms (NT) to the name of a specific war or rebellion, e.g., NT ZULU WAR, 1879
NT SLATCHERS NEK REBELLIONS, 1815

-- -- To 1800
-- -- 1801-1900
-- -- 1901-1950
-- --To 1836
-- --Frontier Wars, 1811-1878



Sample Searches using keyword and subject searches


Compare results using different search strategies.


Search Term Strategy
Don't use: Theater Asia
Instead use:

Theater Japan
Theater China
Theater India
A subject search of Ritual provides many sources on non-theatrical customs A Keyword search combined with a variate spelling of theatre, theater, theatrical, e.g., ritual and theat* is a better search
A Keyword Search of ritual and theat* with library location Drama Don't have time to walk around campus? Page the book or limit your search to the Drama Library
theater religious aspects is a subject search, which gives you ritual and theater
Keyword search using rites and ceremonies with Drama Library location gives you ritual, coronations, funeral rites
Want to broaden your search? Take out the library location of "Drama"
Subject search: MASKS BIBLIOGRAPHY Bibliographies provide a list of books on a subject.
This is a good breakdown to use on any subject.}
Subject search: Masks Psychological Aspects Cross Cultural Studies
or Religious Aspects of masks 		covers why a society uses mask
Browse in the subject area and you'll encounter other topics of interest
Masks Sculpture Mask making covers how and why masks are constructed as they are

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Last modified: Monday August 18, 2008 (weaver)