To be a successful searcher, you just need to know three little words: AND, OR, NOT. These are the three Boolean Operators used to connect your keywords when searching library databases.
Quotation marks are used around search terms that are phrases. By using quotation marks, you are telling the database to only bring back results with the words you typed in exactly the order you typed them.
Examples:
"Everyday Use"
"Everyday Use" and "Alice Walker"
"Everyday Use" and identity
TRUNCATION
Technique that broadens a search to include word variations such as spellings and endings.
For example:
corp* = corporation, corporate, corporal, corpse, corporeal, corpulent, etc.
anthro* = anthropology, anthropologist, anthropomorphism, anthropocentric, etc.
Use these databases to locate literary criticism about your story, the work of its author, or a specific literary theme.
Use these databases to locate articles that help you understand aspects of your short story. For example, get biographical information about the author, learn about the era that the author lived in or that is mentioned in the story, get historical data about a country or religion, or learn more about women's rights at different points in history. These articles are NOT literary criticism.
