Primo is a library search tool for finding materials in the Collins Library and Summit libraries. You can search for books, selected articles and more in a single search box.

1. Start with specific titles suggested in subject encyclopedia entries.
2. Identify the Library of Congress Subject Headings for that book to identify more books on the topic.
3. If required for your assignment, make sure that the book is scholarly. 
4. To find eBooks, use the filters on the right to limit your results to eBooks (under "Resource Type")

Books in Primo are assigned Library of Congress Subject Headings. In many ways, subject headings are a form of tagging, in that they represent the content of the material and provide ways for you to efficiently locate more materials that are conceptually related. 

Here are several examples:

• Gays -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- United States
• Gay rights -- United States -- History
• Homosexuality -- Law and legislation -- United States
• Same-sex marriage
• Same sex marriage -- Law and legislation -- United States
• Same-sex marriage -- Political aspects -- United States
• Same-sex marriage -- Religious aspects -- Christianity

Collins Library uses the Library of Congress classification scheme to organize books on the shelves. Follow these tips to find the book you need.

Example:

• Start with the top line. It is in alphabetical order. Ex. HQ
• The second line is a whole number.  Ex. 76.8
• The third line is  a combination of a letter and numbers. Read the letter alphabetically. Read the number as a decimal, eg. Y.23, Y.34, Y.344, Y.4, etc. Ex. .U5 D 69 (*Some call numbers have more than one combination letter-number line.)
• The last line is the year the book was published. Read in chronological order. Ex. 2001, 2005, 2010, 2015, etc. Ex. 2016

Use the library map to find where the book is located.

Here are some clues to look for in the catalog record when you are evaluating whether a book is scholarly or popular:

• The publisher is either a university press or an academic publisher (such as Routledge, Wiley, Blackwell, etc.).
• The description of the book includes "notes and references."

When you have the book in hand, and still aren't sure if it is scholarly, you might want to do a little more digging, perhaps with a couple of quick Google searches:

• Who is the author? What are the author's credentials or other sources of expertise?
• Does the publisher have a website? If so, what types of books does it publish and what is the process for submitting work for consideration?