Kay Collins
U.S. Government and
Interim History Research Librarian
kcollins@uci.edu
(949) 824-7290

How to find Books and Government Publications

• Books
• The Library has many books about France in both English and French. 
  
• A keyword search in French will search the title field.  To search subjects, can also do a keyword search in English.  You may identify some LCSH official subjects to use to help do further searches.  e.g. do a Keyword search:  (jew*  or judai*) and (france or french).  Then note the Subjects LCSH in the full display ANTPAC record for terms that might be useful.  The same would be true for searches in Melvyl and Worldcat and RLG Union Catalog.
  
• Biblioteque Nationale de France -- can search many unique collections:  books, manuscripts, images.  Some are full text online.  Search in French, not English.  By clicking on "English" it does provide some assistance in English and leads to Gallica.  If you identify books that we do not have at UCI, then you would need to request them through Interlibrary Loan
• Gallica is the BNF Online Digital Library.
  
• Catalogue Collectif de France -- For researchers interested in the holdings of French libraries and lesser-known French "centres de documentation", this helps locate very unique items.  Availability of some materials in the U.S. may be a problem, but serious researchers who can travel might find this useful.
  

How to find Journal Articles

• History
• In addition to the main ones listed first, scroll down to the ones related to French History.
  

How to fine Primary Resources

• Tutorial on finding Primary Resources -- of special help are the sections on how to find books which are primary resources
  
• History
• Special Collections
• Online Archive of California -- search for special collections in the UC libararies.  Guides to collections and manuscripts are online.  Would require traveling to those libraries to use collections.
  
• Microforms can be a unique source of information.  Identifying the specific set that might be useful might need some special help, depending on your topic.  Please see me for help if necessary.  GOOD NOTE:   The Library has one microform reader/printer attached to a computer so you can either download individual pages to either a thumb drive or you can burn a CD.  You also have the option to print for $0.25 per page.
  

Other UCI Subject Guides which might help
Subject Guides cover subjects other than history.  Linked off the Library Home Page, they might provide additional databases to search for a specific part of your topic. E.g.,

• Film Studies
• Women's/Gender/Feminist Studies
• French (literature and culture)
• Religious Studies
  
• News and Newspapers -- use some of the portals like  Access World News and LexisNexis Academic for more recent papers and the Historical Newspapers section for more historical titles.  Good for primary resources if they cover your time period or topic.
  

Suggestions

• Start your research early.  It is possible you may need to request books on interlibrary loan or you may have to travel to a nearby library or archive to find information.
  
• Read the short descriptions of the databases given for each database or information resource.  It can help you decide whether to use it or not.  Or, look at the more detailed descriptions that most databases will provide you.Read the short descriptions of the databases given for each database or information resource.  It can help you decide whether to use it or not.  Or, look at the more detailed descriptions that most databases will provide you.Remember that terminology has changed over the years.  You may have to be creative in finding terms to search for the full-text databases that include text from a much earlier time.
• As you search various databases and catalogs, look for the official subject headings or descriptiors which that databases uses.  You can use their terms to do other searches that might help you get to very specific articles/publications on your topic.
  
• Realize that you have to search full-text databases differently than those that use just key words to search descriptors or abstracts only.  Use the HELP sections for new databases, especially if you are having problems with your search. 
  
• As you learn new information and add to your list of terms to search, you may have to go back and research the same databases with new terms.
• In this class, for some topics, you may have a wealth of information; other topics will take more analysis and creativity to locate good resources.
• Use the bibliographies of the articles and books that you find.  They can help identify other good resources.
• You can always contact me for more assistance if you need help.