What is Research? 

Research isn't a straightforward process. You may change directions, retrace previous steps, or even change your topic. This is a normal part of the process. Starting early will allow you to enjoy this process of inquiry, instead of being frustrated by it. 

Boolean Logic 

Boolean operators form the basis of database logic. Searching with Boolean logic AND, OR, and NOT  will focus a search particularly, when your topic contains multiple search terms. 

Also, it can be generative to think of your research question in Boolean Logic. You'll begin to define your focus while researching your topic!

Begin by examining your research question to determine the MAJOR CONCEPTS or TOPICS with a specific meaning.

Then you will start to ideate different SYNONYMS for your main concepts.

Finally, expand your main concepts by thinking in BROADER and NARROW 

SEARCHING THE CATALOG

• Enter a term to begin your search. The search engine is NOT case-sensitive and ignores punctuation.
• Term(s) can be a word or a phrase used to describe a thing or concepts
• The default search is a Simple Search and will generate all resources that include the term(s) in any field.
  • Fields are title, author/creator, subject, publisher, call number, ISBN.
• Refine your search using Advance Search and utilize the search filters. 
  • Select which field you'd like the search term to be found.
  • Define rules for the search. These rules will only display results that follow the selected command
    • Contains
    • is (exact)
    • starts with
  • Use "quotation marks" around certain phrases to search for an exact phrase

EXPLORING YOUR SEARCH RESULTS

• By default, the results are sorted by relevance. 
• Utilize Tweak my results to filter within results:
  • Library: Cooper Union, NYU, New School, New York Historical Society, and New York School of Interior Design to name a few.
  • Resource Type: Books, Video Journals Archival Materials, Audio, Databases, Scores, and much more!
  • Subjects: Art, Architecture, Business, Philosophy, Globalization, Social Justice, and Literary Criticism are a few examples. 
  • Publication Date: This can be changed to date-newest or date-oldest. 
  • Languages.
  • Call Number Group: Library of Congress Classification Codes 

CALL NUMBERS

NA  The First letter of a Library of Congress call number indicates the general class the material falls within. The numbers that follow the letter define the subject of the material.

.C##  The "cutter" number is the next set of numbers separated by a period. The cutter numbers indicate the author or title of the material.

2022 The year of a publication follows the cutter number to indicate the edition.

Check out the Library of Congress Classification Outline to understand the organization of the subjects and subsections in the stacks.