• When searching databases, use AND, OR, and parentheses to focus your search.

• The asterisk * symbol will search for all variations of a word. For example: basket* will search for baskets and basketry. Using quotes will search for a phrase.

• Combine synonyms with OR and put them inside parentheses, like this:

"Latin America*" AND (democracy OR politics)

Can't find the book or article you want?

Try Interlibrary Loan (ILL)! With ILL, you can:

• Use materials from other libraries' collections free of charge
• Get articles via e-mail within 3-5 business days
• Get books within 2 weeks
• Be notified by e-mail when your items arrive (physical materials will be held at the Library in your name)

Request materials online:

Other options for finding books:

If all else fails, you can always try searching Google Books to see if you can access the partial or full text of the book you need!

Other options for finding articles:

Sometimes if the Library doesn't have the full text of an article, you can find it by searching for the article title in Google Scholar.