Many systems, like databases, library catalogs online, and Google, default to the "Keyword" search, which uses "natural language" or words. This term or set of terms can appear anywhere or any field in a record, such as title, author, subject, note, etc. The meaning of the words are not considered. For example, the terms "heavy metal" could pull results related to music or related to soil content. Here are some basic tips on how to use the Keyword search.
Tip: Use the Keyword search to combine an author and keywords in a title of the work. For example, for information about the work, "Northanger Abbey", by Jane Austen, combine the author's last name and a keyword of the title of the work. Note: The names are not case sensitive. Additionally, the search may pull other non-related titles if the terms entered appear in the item record.
Tip: Combine or group terms by enclosing them within quotation marks.
"horror tales" AND "history and criticism"
Grouping: Keyword search results are usually grouped by relevance to bring the most likely titles to the top of the list. Each group represents a similar level of relevance and results are sorted within the group by date or title. To get an ungrouped result set, use boolean operators to form a complex query.
The "Subject" search uses a "controlled vocabulary" and focuses on subject terms or subject headings to define or to describe the information within the system. This type of search is targeted using specific terms or phrases that are highly relevant to the topic. It will locate all records on this subject and does not consider other fields, like the title or note fields as part of the search. This ensures the results are related and focused on the subject searched or the desired topic, which saves the user time. The "Keyword" search option searches all fields for the terms entered into the search bar.
Example search terms:
For additional information and to locate the Library of Congress subject authority headings and more, see the Library of Congress Authorities link below.
The following books and articles are a sampling of titles that can be searched through the library's Discovery system by title or through the database listed beside the title.
Books
Articles
Videos (3 episodes)
Click on the record link and click on "View Now" on the right side of the page and choose between 3 titles in the series:
"Liberty Diversity Depravity" (video 1) This video explores the Gothic revival, middle of 18th-century England.
"The City and the Soul" (video 2) This video looks at Gothic art and literature, Industrial Revolution and dangers of science out of control.
"Blood for Sale: Gothic Goes Global" (video 3) This video looks at the 20th century fantasy horror.
For additional book titles not owned by NSU Libraries search the WorldCat databases. The WorldCat databases will locate items (books, dvds, and articles) from other libraries as well as items owned by the NSU Libraries.