REL 286: The Bible & Migration: Finding Resources

Professor: Efrain Agosto
Fall 2022

Using Subject Headings

Subject Headings are terms that are most commonly used to describe the topic that a resource covers. Unlike keywords, which are user generated, subject headings are created and maintained by an authoritative institution. Since Williams Libraries, and most academic libraries, organizes our resources using the Library of Congress Classification, we also utilize Library of Congress Subject Headings to provide access to our collections by subject. Subject headings are arranged systematically, and can be useful tools to help browse the collection by topic. Subject headings for each resource are located in the "Details" section of the catalog record, under "Subjects."

A screenshot of the Details section of a record in the library catalog with the subjects section in a green box

Below are examples of Subject Headings that may be used as starting points for your research projects. Clicking on a subject below will take you to a list of resources that cover the listed subject.

Subject Heading Examples

Bible -- Criticism, interpretation, etc >                                Emigration and immigration -- Religious aspects >

Forced migration -- Moral and ethical aspects >               Emigration and immigration -- Religious aspects -- Christianity >

Asylum, Right of -- Religious aspects >                             Globalization -- Religious aspects -- Christianity >             

Bible -- Criticism, Narrative >                                             Bible -- Criticism, Textual >

Bible as literature >                                                            Exegesis and Biblical criticism >

Ethnology -- Latin America >                                              Latin America -- Emigration and immigration >

 

Or try combining subjects like Migration AND Bible

 

FINDING SPECIFIC BOOKS IN THE BIBLE USING SUBJECT HEADINGS

Using subject headings makes is quite easy to look up specific versions of and books within the Bible, as they all use the same format: 

Bible. [Name of book/version]

For example:

Bible. New Testament > 

Bible. John -- Commentaries > 

Exploring Immigration Subject Headings: Change the Subject

This film shares the story of a group of college students, who from their first days at Dartmouth College, were committed to advancing and promoting the rights and dignity of undocumented peoples. Sparked by an instance of anti-immigrant sentiment in their library catalog, these students carried their advocacy all the way from Dartmouth Library to the halls of Congress. The film shows how an instance of campus activism entered the national spotlight, and how a cataloging term became a flashpoint in the immigration debate on Capitol Hill.

Classified with the subject Immigrants -- Education (Higher) -- United States >

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Locating Books in Sawyer Library Stacks

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