LSU Libraries User Instruction
Online Catalog Tutorials - Basic Searching


Subject vs. Keywords Anywhere searches:

If you have a specific subject or a general idea of the subject you are looking for, you would want to do a "subject" or a "keywords anywhere" search.

When records for items are created and added to the online catalog, a controlled vocabulary is used to describe what the item is about. The appropriate terms found within that controlled vocabulary are what will be found in the subject fields. Controlled vocabularies use very specific terms, and have very strict rules about how things are described. This helps to ensure that every cataloger (the person writing the records found in the database) or researcher (you or me) is using the same terms.

For example, how many different terms might be used to describe a heart attack? Heart Attack, Cardiac Arrest, Heart Arrest, Cardiopulmonary Arrest, Cardiac Death, Cardiogenic Shock, Heart Seizure, Myocardial Infarction, ... You get the idea!

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